Vegetable oils global production

Global production and export estimates for fats and oils for 2003/2004 are shown in Table 34.7. Approximately 39 percent of the world s production of vegetable oils, and an additional 20 percent of oilseeds grown, enter... 

Biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters) is an alternative and renewable energy source, the development of which is hoped to reduce global dependence on petroleum, as well as air pollution. Biodiesel generated Ifom a variety of vegetable oils and animal fats has characteristics similar to those associated with petro-diesel, including viscosity, volumetric heating value, cetane number, and flash point [1-3]. Several processes have thus far been developed for the production of biodiesel via acid-, alkali-, and enzyme-catalyzed... 

Figure 3.8 Global petrochemical oil use, assuming 6% allocation of total oil production to petrochemicals [1,4], and total global vegetable oil production [9].

Due to climate- and soil-related cultivation restrictions, different oil crops are characteristic for different parts of the world. Nevertheless, a global market exists and international trade in oil seeds, vegetable oils, and respective by-products is significant. The major oil crops worldwide are oil palm, soybean, rapeseed (canola), and sunfiower (see Table 4.1). The latter three are described in more detail below. Palm oil, which is obtained from the oil palm tree mainly planted in South East Asia (especially in Indonesia and Malaysia), grew to be the vegetable oil with the highest consumption (42.1 million tons, 30%) ahead of soybean oil (37.9 million tons, 28%) [1]. It has several applications in food, oleochemicals, and other industries [2], while it is also discussed as a major source for biodiesel. 

The worldwide consumption of soybean oil was 37.9 million tons in 2008, accounting for 28% of global vegetable oil usage [1]. It finds its way into several food appHcations such as cooking oils, salad oils, or margarines. Technical uses include additives for coatings. In the biofuels industries of the United States and Brazil, soybean oil is also the main feedstock for biodiesel production (almost 20% of soybean oil went into biodiesel in the United States in 2008 [7]). 

Other Oil Crops Another vegetable oil of global importance is cottonseed oil, with significant production in the United States and Ghina, for instance. It is rich in... 

The pharmaceutical industry produces Vitamin D3 and, on a smaller scale. Vitamin D2 in pme crystalline form, or as a solution in vegetable oil (1 million lU/g) for manufacturing drugs, and as nutritional supplement (Multivitamin specialities). The lion s share of Vitamin D3 is sold as the crude product. Vitamin D3 resin (aroimd 500,000 lU/g), for the production of cattle feed. The bulk manufacturers of Vitamin D are DSM (Switzerland, D3), Dishman (India, Netherlands, D2, D3), and Synthesia (Czech Republic, D2). The annual global production comes to 1.5 X 10 lU (1 lU is the biological equivalent of0.025 pg), which translates into 37.5 tonnes of Vitamin D. 

Through the efforts of the Research Branch of Agriculture Canada, rape-seed has been introduced into areas where other oilseed crops do not thrive, as for example, the regions north of the 52nd parallel in Canada s Western Provinces. The combined effort of these scientists has helped to propel rape-seed oil to fourth place in the world s production of edible vegetable oils and to firmly establish it in global commerce. 

The annual global production of major vegetable oils increases every year to meet the growing demand for eco-friendly and renewable resources. Vegetable oils are mass produced renewable resources, mainly derived from the seeds of a wide variety of plants. The term describes triglycerides of fatty acids which are liquid under ambient temperature and pressure. ... 

The global vegetable oil production reaches between 150 and 200 Mio mto per year with around 80% used for food applications. The main crops used are, in decreasing order, soy, palm, rapeseed, and sunflower. 

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