Non-food Application of Starch

Starch has been extensively used for several non-food applications, in native state or modified by physical and/or chemical processes. The main areas for starch applications are in adhesives [2], paper [2, 3], drilling fluids for petroleum extraction [30], textile sizing [3], binder in medicines, and hot melt adhesive compositions [31-33]. 

The other major use of starch is as a raw material for the production of chemicals for the synthesis of other polymers. The production of other chemicals from starch was recently reviewed by Robertson et al. [34], Koutinas et al. [35], Kennedy et al. [36] and Otey and Doane [37]. In general, three different approaches have been employed in the production of polymeric materials from starch-derived chemicals  

As a raw material for the production of monomers used in the synthesis of polymers, to replace oil-derived chemicals, such as polyethylene which can be derived from ethanol obtained by fermentation of starch or of lactic acid, used in the production of polyflactic acid) (PLA) [38]. 

As a raw material for the production of biopolymers such as poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA), produced directly from starch by fermentative processes. 

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