Petrolite

Petrolite Corporation

Company type	Public
Industry	Chemical, Oilfield services
Predecessor	Tret-O-lite Company, Petroleum Rectifying Company of California (PETRECO)
Founded	1930 (1930)
Founder	William S. Barnickel, Frederick G. Cottrell (founders of predecessor companies)
Defunct	1997 (1997)
Fate	Absorbed by Baker Hughes
Headquarters	St. Louis , United States
Area served	International
Products	Demulsification technology, sour gas corrosion control, electrostatic desalting, microcrystalline wax extraction, fuel purification for gas turbines
Parent	Baker Hughes (from 1997)

Petrolite Corporation was a U.S.-based chemical producer formed in 1930 through the consolidation of the Tret-O-lite Company and the Petroleum Rectifying Company of California (PETRECO). In 1997, it was absorbed by Baker Hughes.

History

The foundation of Petrolite stemmed from the pioneering work of William S. Barnickel and Dr. Frederick G. Cottrell, who engineered methods to extract water from crude oil, addressing the costly issue of roily oil. Prior to their developments, crude oil containing water was frequently discarded by burning.

Beginning in 1907, Barnickel, a chemist from St. Louis, devised a chemical technique to reclaim oil from water-laden crude, obtaining multiple U.S. patents following his significant 1911 innovation. To commercialize this chemical solution, he established the Tret-O-lite Company.

Frederick Cottrell, a physical chemist affiliated with the University of California, had earlier invented an electrostatic method for removing solid impurities from gases. In 1908, he modified this approach to facilitate water separation from crude oil and subsequently founded PETRECO.

The merger in 1930 that created Petrolite Corporation positioned the company as a leader in demulsification technology. The firm further diversified into areas including sour gas corrosion control, electrostatic desalting to eliminate refinery contaminants, extraction of microcrystalline waxes from storage tank residues, and fuel purification technologies for gas turbines.

Petrolite expanded internationally while maintaining its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, and operating plants in Brea, California; Barnsdall, Oklahoma; Houston and Kilgore, Texas. During the 1990s, it inaugurated its first overseas technology center located in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

In 1997, Petrolite ceased independent operations when it was incorporated into Baker Hughes’ specialty chemicals segment.