World production levels

Castor oil is derived from the plant Ricinus communis grown mainly in India, Brazil, and China at a world production level of about 0.5 million tons of oil. This oil differs from all other commercial oils in being rich in ricinoleic acid ( 90%, 12-hydroxy oleic). Compared with the common vegetable oils, castor oil is more viscous, less soluble in hexane, and more soluble in ethanol, all as a consequence of the presence of the hydroxy acid. This hydroxy acid has several interesting properties by which it can be converted to useful products. 

World production levels remained under 2 million MT until 1954 (Table 3.2) and increased rapidly thereafter. These increases, proportionately, were less reflective of U.S. production increases than they were in earlier decades. For example, global production increased 1 million MT from 1954 (2.00 million MT) to 1968 (3.01 million MT), while U.S. production in this same interval remained relatively unchanged. 

Source Crowson (1992) - Production (based on 1990 world production levels and 1991 average prices) UNCTAD Commodity Yearbook (1992) - Exports. 

Boron. Virtually all United States boron production and about three-fifths of the world production comes from bedded deposits and lake brines in California. U.S. reserves are adequate to support high production levels. Turkey is the only other boron-producing country of significance. Only about 5% of boron production is used in agriculture. 

There are a relatively small number of producers of halogenated flame retardants, especially for brominated flame retardants, where three producers account for greater than 80% of world production. Table 10 gives estimates of the volumes of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants used worldwide. Volumes of flame retardants consumed in Japan have been summarized (61). Prices of halogenated flame retardants vary from less than 2.00/kg to as high as 13.00/kg. Cost to the user depends on the level of use of the specific flame retardant and other factors such as the use of stabilizers. 

As shown in Table 4, the 1992 world consumption of petroleum was neatly 10.4 X 10 m /d (65.4 x 10 bbl/d) (8), which is sbghdy higher, at 3.6%, than in 1978. In most of the regions shown in Table 4, consumption and production levels are not in balance. The one exception is the group of non-OECD European countries, ie, the former Soviet Union, the former C2echoSlovakia, Hungary, Poland, and other former Eastern Bloc countries, where production was neatly in balance with consumption at about 19% above consumption in 1992. 

In Europe, government poficies (ca 1995) ate calling for a steadily increasing commitment to wiad power. Combiaed, the European programs call for the iastaHation of at least 4000 MW by the twenty-first century, a level that would dominate world production. Environmental concerns are the iacentives behind Europe s wiad targets. With over 2000 MW of wiad power already iastaHed, Europe is well oa its way to acbieving its goal. 

Do we have a quaUty process for rapid product development and market penetration Do we have a stream of product improvements Are we develop-ing common platforms for families of products (37) Are we developing improved processes concurrently with our new products How do we maintain our manufacturing processes at world-class levels (Fig. 5) (38) ... 

The armual world production of sodium nitrate was steady throughout the early 1990s. About 85% is suppHed by the natural product. The maximum world production of sodium nitrate occurred around 1930, at 3,000,000 t/yr, but the highest production levels attained by the Chilean nitrate industry (ca 2,900,000 t/yr) occurred in the late 1920s. Synthetic sodium nitrate production peaked in the mid-1930s at 730,000 t/yr. During that period, the Chilean industry production decreased to 1,360,000 t/yr. 

The United States, the former USSR, Canada, and AustraUa have the largest known reserves of zinc ore which should permit mining at current levels into the next century (see Tables 2 and 3). World mine production of recoverable zinc between 1970 and 1996 is given in Table 9 (64—66). Mine production in the United States in the 1970s was lower than in the 1960s, reached a minimum in the mid-1980s and has risen since then. The U.S. share of world production has historically been 8—9%. 

The evolution in the world production of asbestos fibers since 1950 is illustrated in Table 5 (5) after a peak near 1980, production leveled off after 1985 at 4.2 4.3 X 10 t. Changes in the production of the two main producers, Canada and the former USSR, over the same period are also illustrated. These figures show a substantial decrease in the Canadian production with a concomitant increase in the former USSR production. During recent years, several other countries, namely Brazil, Zimbabwe, and China, have substantially increased their production of chrysotile. Most of China s production, as well as the limited production of many other countries, is used in local industrial appHcations. South Africa is the only country where the three main types of asbestos are produced (chrysotile, crocidoHte, and amosite), and the only significant producer of amphibole fibers. 

The percent of world oil production from the Middle East has changed over the years. In 1950, the Middle East produced about 16 percent of world production, but by 1975 it had a 35 percent market share of all production. That share declined to 25 percent by 1990 due to a decline in world demand, and stayed at that level through 1998. Eventually that share will rise. The big five Middle Eastern oil producers have the largest oil reserves in the world and therefore have the greatest potential to supply... 

Mate contains caffeine and, for a group of people in Argentina, Brazil,Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile, it constitutes the primary source of methylxanthines in the diet.1-2 World production of mate is in excess of 200,0001. Table 1 shows approximate production levels in the several countries where it is grown. 

World market level, depending on Has to be considered in context type of product with other systems components... 

PP/DS focuses on determining an optimal production sequence on key resources. In PP/DS, a more detailed modeling than on the SNP planning level is chosen. This does not mean that all products and resources within a real-world production process need to be considered for PP/DS planning as nonplanning relevant products and resources can be excluded from the integration process between the ERP system and the planning system. 

The current proven coal reserves of the United States are predicted to support this production level for 200 years. This liquefied coal reserve exceeds the proven oil reserves of the entire world. The reactors could also produce hydrogen or gaseous hydrocarbons from the coal as well. The excess heat from nuclear power plants could be used for central heating. 

Since before World War II, multimillion pound quantities of cresols have been produced annually in the United States (O Brochta 1949), and domestic production and sales of cresols have steadily increased in recent years. Approximately 57.3 (USITC 1986), 73.3 (USITC 1988), and 82.3 (USITC 1989) million pounds of cresols were produced annually in the United States in 1986, 1987, and 1988, respectively. Respective sales were 56.6 (USITC 1986), 66.8 (USITC 1988), and 72.1 (USITC 1989) million pounds. These production totals include data on the manufacture of cresylic acid and exclude information on cresol production by coke and gas-retort ovens. The commercial mixture of cresol isomers, in which the m-isomer predominates and contains less than 5% phenol, is sometimes referred to as cresylic acid (Windholz et al. 1983). However, cresylic acids generally are composed of cresols, phenols, and xylenols they are defined as those mixtures in which over 50% will boil at temperatures above 204 C (Sax and Lewis 1987). In 1987, the national capacity for producing cresylics was 208 million pounds per year (CMR 1987). Information regarding the production levels of individual isomers and specific mixtures was unavailable. 

If we assume current world production of all rare earths to be of the order of 35,000 tons per year, expressed as rare earth oxide, then approximately 17o of this total, equating to about 230 tons, represents the current level of production of pure metals. While in itself this figure may appear insignificant, it is necessary to view it in the light of two other factors. First, expressed in monetary terms the 17o equates to nearer 1% of total value and secondly, over the past 3 years demand for pure metals has been increasing at a rate approaching 20% per year which, if sustained, could radically change the face of the industry within a short space of time.(l )... 

Mercury is mined predominantly as HgS in cinnabar ore and is then converted commercially to a variety of chemical forms. Key industrial and commercial applications of mercury are found in the electrolytic production of chlorine and caustic soda the manufacture of electrical equipment, thermometers, and other instruments fluorescent lamps dental amalgam and artisanal gold production. Use in pharmaceuticals and in biocides has declined substantially in recent years, but occasional use in antiseptics and folk medicines is still encountered. Thimerosal, an organomercurial preservative that is metabolized in part to ethylmercury, has been removed from almost all the vaccines in which it was formerly present. Environmental exposure to mercury from the burning of fossil fuels, or the bioaccumulation of methylmercury in fish, remains a concern in some regions of the world. Low-level exposure to mercury released from dental amalgam fillings occurs, but systemic toxicity from this source has not been established. 

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