Xylenes: production technologies and uses

Abstract

In the recent past, the use of Xylene in industrial, domestic, clinical and agriculture is becoming important. It is an aromatic hydrocarbon which consists of three distinct isomers; paraxylene, orthoxylene and metaxylene, and all these isomers have been found useful. The world demand for xylene is increasing at a very fast rate; therefore the increase in its demand has created a challenge that needs to be addressed in the industrial sector. This chapter, therefore presents a short review on the usefulness of xylene in various industrial sectors with the aim of looking into various sources and techniques of producing xylenes to meet the world demand.