Agricultural production materials

It is possible to produce adipic acid by a variety of methods from such diverse starting points as benzene, acetylene and waste agricultural products. In practice, however, benzene is the favoured starting point and some of the more important routes for this material are illustrated in Figure 18.4... 

According to the NRI study [15], the Nile is the main source of drinking water in Egypt. Over 85% of the country s water is consumed annually by irrigation. Hence, safe water will provide pollutant-free agricultural products and production will increase as well. The concentration of organic material decreased 15-69% in the main course, dissolved salts decreased 1.5-2.0%, while phosphate concentration decreased 14%. The total water quality was improved by an average of 14%. The... 

This serendipitous discovery marked the beginning of the synthetic dyestuffs industry, based on coal tar as its main raw material, which is, incidentally, a waste product from another industry, steel manufacture. The development of mauveine was followed by efficient syntheses of natural dyes such as alizarin in 1869 (Graebe and Liebermann, 1869), and indigo in 1878 (Bayer, 1878 Heumann, 1890). The synthetic production of these dyes marked the demise of the agricultural production of these materials and the advent of a science-based, predominantly German chemical industry. The present-day fine chemicals and specialties, e.g. pharmaceuticals, industries developed largely as spin-offs of this coal tar-based dyestuffs industry. 

The mill has also been used to grind industrial minerals and technical ceramics including limestone, lead zirconates, metal powders, fibrous materials, such as paper, wood chips and peat, and chemicals and agricultural products, such as grains and oilseeds. 

The removal of metal ions from waste aqueous solutions is of importance to many countries of the world both environmentally and for water re-use. The application of low-cost sorbents including carbonacceous materials, agricultural products and waste by-products has been investigated [1], Several researchers employing wide variety techniques have attempted removal of metal ions from contaminated water bodies. Majorities of these are adsorption on various surfaces. In recent years, agricultured by products have been widely studied for metal removal from water. These include peat [2], pine bark [3], banana peat [4], peanut shells [5], sawdust [6] and leaves [7]. 

Renewable raw materials are made or derived from short-term renewable sources (one to a few years or a few tens of years) such as plants, trees, wood wastes and other agricultural products. Not all these materials are necessarily biodegradable. Natural rubber, for example, comes from the latex of a tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and is not biodegradable. Renewable materials are often considered as opposites to fossil sources such as petroleum that are not renewable on a human timescale. On the other hand, some synthesized plastics such as certain polyesters are biodegradable. 

How to deal with the pests that attack plants under cultivation is a continuing challenge to the food and agricultural production system. Natural resistance or tolerance to pests has proven to be one of the safest and least costly ways to protect plants. As we identify the specific plant components involved and their actions, it will be easier to incorporate the capacity to produce the desired chemical into the plant of Interest. There is the further possibility to identify additional natural chemicals that may be useful as pest control materials. The latter might be through the use of natural products or it might be products of industrial synthesis patterned after the natural products. It is clear that allelochemicals are involved in these complex processes and they hold promise for even a greater role. 

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