Renewable resources sucrose

Based on the universally available renewable resource sucrose, a few technically interesting substances maintaining the carbohydrate structure can be produced. Thereby, the bound glucose and fructose units of the sucrose molecule are either split or rearranged (Figure 9.3.7). 

The biopolymer dextran produced on the basis of the renewable resource sucrose is a very interesting raw material for many applications. It was used first as a blood-plasma volume expander in the 1940s. Up to now, there are... 

The development of surfactants based on carbohydrates and oils is the result of a product concept based on the exclusive use of renewable resources. In industry, saccharose (sucrose), glucose and sorbitol, which are available in large amounts and at attractive prices, are used as the preferred carbohydrate raw materials. 

We have established a new aspect in nucleotide sugar synthesis by the application of sucrose synthase (UDPG D-fructose 2 glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.13) the use of sucrose as a renewable resource for nucleotide sugar synthesis [273]. 

In total the planned bioethylene production capacity seems low compared to the annual ethylene production of 100 million tons (2000) but it is enough to show the capability of utilizing sucrose as feedstock for organic chemicals. The door towards the whole C2-chemistry being based on renewable resources is opened. 

Sucrose is amongst the predestined renewable organic compounds and alternative feedstock for many still petrochemically derived products or product applications. However, we have to remain realistic from a technical feasibility perspective, renewable resources will not be able to replace petrochemistry in the foreseeable future. New products and processes need to be at least equal or better in terms of quality and economic performance. With regard to price competitiveness, the worldwide boom in the use of biomass for industrial purposes outside the food sector has very quickly revealed biomass limitations. The rise in the price of renewable resources themselves and particularly of foods, and even shortages in certain sectors, have illustrated that renewables are not inexhaustible. 

Global challenges require the saving and more efficient use of fossil resources in the coming decades. In this respect, renewable resources like sucrose are very promising sources of energy and raw material. We need to explore its potential further. 

Sucrose is the most available low-molecular-weight carbohydrate but until now was mainly used for nutrition purposes and for the fermentation industry -above all for the production of bioethanol, citric acid and lactic acid - and only to a smaller extent as chemical feedstock. Though the use of renewable resources in biotechnological processes has increased in the last years, there is a strong price-driven competition between sucrose and starch as raw materials for fermentative processes being influenced by regional differences. 

PLA is an aliphatic polyester, derived from renewable resources, e. g. com starch or sugarcane sucrose. It is a pol)nner produced from lactic add (Figure 2), which is obtained from the fermentation of various carbohydrate spedes glucose, maltose and dextrose from corn or potato starch sucrose from beet or sugar cane and ladose from cheese whey [63]. 

Carbohydrate-based surfactants are the final result of a product concept that is based on the greatest possible use of renewable resources. While the derivatisation of fats and oils to produce a variety of different surfactants for a broad range of applications has a long tradition and is well established [1, 2], the production of surfactants based on fats and oils and carbohydrates on a bigger industrial scale is relatively new. Today the most important carbohydrate-based surfactants are alkyl polyglycosides, sorbitan esters and sucrose esters [3]. 

Within the framework of a research project together with Dutch based paint producer SigmaKalon, the development of alkyd resins with low intrinsic viscosity was aimed for. In order to achieve this, we explored the potential of two types of renewable, carbohydrate derived resources as the polyhydric alcohol part of alkyd resins, i.e. sucrose and inulin. " These carbohydrate based resources were chosen because of various reasons ... 

The objective of our woik is to provide mechanically strong caibon support bodies of a narrow size distribution from renewable biomass resources. A second objective is to provide supported base metal catalysts without using Itydrogen gas as a reducing agent We start from hydrophihc bodies of carbohydrates, such as Micro Crystalline Cellulose (MCC) spheres or partially Carbonized Sucrose (CS) spheres prepared by hydrothermal treatment of an aqueous sucrose (common table sugar) solution. 

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