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Industrial Uses of Agricultural Materials Situation and Outlook Report (3)

  • by Lewrene Glaser and Gregory Gajewski
  • 6/1/1994
  • IUS -3

Overview

Strong economic growth and environmental regulation boost industrial uses of agricultural materials. One use of cornstarch is in the production of citric acid, the main acidifier (by volume) used by the food and pharmaceutical industries. About 15 percent of the plasticizers produced in the United States is derived from plant matter, mostly vegetable oils, and the market is growing 3 to 5 percent a year. The market for epoxidized soybean oil may expand tremendously if it can be incorporated into paints and coatings to replace volatile solvents. A study found that the energetic and economic feasibility of converting beef tallow to biodiesel was generally positive. The cost of producing tallow-based biodiesel ranged from 92 cents to $1.67 per gallon, depending on the price of the tallow feedstock, the price received for the glycerine coproduct, and the type and size of the transesterification unit.

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