Future value-added products

Possible Future Value-Added Products from Sucrose... 

The overall objective of this chapter is to review the past, present, and future role of the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) in human nutrition. Specifically, the chapter describes the role of the sweet potato in human diets outlines the biochemical and nutritional composition of the sweet potato with emphasis on its (3-carotene and anthocyanin contents highlights sweet potato utilization, and its potential as value-added products in human food systems and demonstrates the potential of the sweet potato in the African context. Early records have indicated that the sweet potato is a staple food source for many indigenous populations in Central and South Americas, Ryukyu Island, Africa, the Caribbean, the Maori people, Hawaiians, and Papua New Guineans. Protein contents of sweet potato leaves and roots range from 4.0% to 27.0% and 1.0% to 9.0%, respectively. The sweet potato could be considered as an excellent novel source of natural health-promoting compounds, such as p-carotene and anthocyanins, for the functional food market. 

A 1998 worldwide steel industry survey showed that galvanized steel is a value-added product which steel companies regard as strategically important. Substantial growth in consumption is expected in the construction industry and, outside the nearly saturated US market, in the automotive industry. Zinc s critical properties of corrosion protection, recyclability and cost mean that zinc is expected to remain the preferred material for corrosion protection of steel for the foreseeable future. Finally, the zinc industry needs to support coated steel markets by managing zinc-related environmental issues and assisting the development of markets for zinc-coated steel, particularly new markets. 

Currently, processing, separating, and refining of crude oil are carried out in a refinery. Refineries that process biomass, agricultural feedstock to produce commodity, and value-added products are called biorefineries. In the future, such refineries will be built. When the earth s crude oil reserves are totally exhausted, the oil refiners may have to close, but the biorefineries will be operational. In biorefineries, feedstock will be processed, fractionated into intermediate basic products, and converted into final products. Right now, it may appear very far-fetched, but already several... 

We do not anticipate significant technical developments for new methanol-based chemieals in this eentury. The primary eonstraint is stabilized, more traditional raw material prices, especially ethylene, and slow growth in end-produet demand. A signifieant inerease in petroleum prices, however, combined with a more normal growth pattern in end uses, eould change this scenario sometime in the more distant future. The desire to obtain better value-added products than for fuels, better eatalysts and new technology, and more researeh and development will greatly assist the new chemical outlets for methanol We... 

Considering that geotextile production is increasingly taking on an international scale beyond national boundaries, one can believe that the quest for performance, cost reduction and increased productivity will drive future developments and investments in this industry in years to come. Continuous improvement processes, value-added products and cost reduction should stimulate the manufacturers of geotextile products and of geotextile equipment. Reduction in down time and maintenance time are also opportunities to reduce the costs identified by manufacturers. Improved quality and process control techniques such as automatic product inspection, use of electronic servo-systems and implementation of statistical process control techniques should also continue to advance in the geotextile industry. 

However, compared with its dominant advantages, these shortcomings are not a major problem, especially when they are used in some high-tech and high-value-added products. Therefore, lithium-ion batteries will continue to have a very wide range of applications in the foreseeable future. 

Many researchers are investigating the conversion of these two feedstocks. It offers the possibility for a future technical process in which PHB is produced without side-products in an analogous way to the S3mthesis of poly(olefins). Moreover, the use of low-cost monomers from the established value-added chain generally avoids high-price renewable raw materials or discussion about food acreages. 

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