Applications plant-based oils

Justin Stege (Diversa Corporation) discussed the molecular evolution of enzymes for particular pathways, with a focus on the modification of oil composition. Oleochemical applications for such enzymes include applications as biocatalysts for fatty acid modifications. In a program to integrate production and processing, such enzymes can be used to modify the fatty acid content of vegetable oils in planta. Results show that expressing such new enzymes in oilseed crops has resulted in altered oil composition, and that the features may be used to better design plant-based oils for use as biofuels and as improved renewable feedstocks. 

The low polarity of carbon dioxide appears as a limitation to its use in extraction technologies requiring a total lipid extract, because more polar lipids cannot be extracted. Many of the extraction protocols used for these applications rely on a modified solvent system based on the addition of small volumes of a polar organic solvent (methanol or ethanol) to the extraction system. Such application for the extraction of lipids in the food industry is widespread, particularly with plant-based oils. However, the potential problems with the extraction of total lipids by SF has also yielded specific applications in the selective extraction or concentration of lipid components. Examples exist of the separation of FA from triacylglycerols (TAG) and squalene from sterols. 

Selected applications of coupled SEE-SEC consider the analysis of tocopherols in plants and oil by-products (65) or the analysis of lipid-soluble vitamins (66) by using a dynamic on-line SEE-SEC coupling, integrated in the SE chromatograph, based on the use of micropacked columns. 

Given that the applications of essential oils, such as the biocide action, are based on their composition, these variations may explain presence or absence of a certain effect, depending on the material used. With this purpose, we studied the composition of the essential oil of T. minuta at different stages of the plant life cycle. 

While epoxy resins are known for excellent chemical resistance properties, the development and commercialization of epoxy vinyl ester resins in the 1970s by Shell and Dow offered enhanced resistance properties for hard-to-hold, corrosive chemicals such as acids, bases, and organic solvents. In conjimction with the development of the structural composites industry, epoxy vinyl ester resin composites found applications in demanding environments snch as tanks, pipes and ancillary equipment for petrochemical plants and oil refineries, automotive valve covers, and oil pans. More recently, epoxy and vinyl esters are used in the construction of windmill blades for wind energy farms. Increasing requirements in the composite industries for aerospace and defense applications in the 1980s led to the development of new, high performance multifunctional epoxy resins based on complex amine and phenolic structures. Examples of those products are the trisphenol epoxy novolacs developed by Dow Chemical and now marketed by Huntsman (formerly Ciba). 

In compressor oil applications, PAO-based lubricants have advantages due to their better chemical inertness and resistance to chemical attack. Synthetic compressor oils are used in corrosive chemical environments, for example, in sulfuric acid or nitric acid plants. PAO-based lubricants are also used in refrigeration compressor applications due to their excellent low temperature fluidity, lubricity and generally wider operating temperature range. 

The session Polymer from Biomass included 8 oral presentations. These presentations were devoted to the problems of production (synthesis) polymers from biomass particularly sustainability assessment of polymers based on renewable resources novel cellulose based materials and processing routes biomass-based polyesters and polycarbonates for coating and engineering plastic applications plant oils as renewable resources in polymer science. 

Plant oils and animal fat are mostly unsatured fatty acids. Some of these oily products are already well known by the public from their use in paint (e.g., flax (linseed) tung oils are drying oils used in paints, varnishes and enamels) or in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and lubricant applications. Plant oils increasingly become a source of raw material to produce thermoset resins that can be mixed widi natural fibres in order to achieve light and resistant composite materials. The combination of bio-based resins with natural fibres (plant and poultry) or... 

High elasticity is also not utilised in the main application of chlorosulphonated polyethylenes, in wire and cable coating, which consume about 40% of output. The combination of heat and oil resistance has led to widespread use as sheathing for nuclear power cables, offshore oil rig cables and in diesel electric locomotives. Other uses include chemical plant hose, spark plug boots and as a base for flexible magnetic strips. 

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