Palm Oil Non-Food Products

The environmental benefits of using vegetable oils, especially palm-based products, are many. They are renewable resources with good environmental characteristics, biodegradable, low ecotoxicity and toxicity to humans, and emit no net CO2 to the atmosphere. When supplies are low, more crops can be planted to make up the shortfall, which would be a boon to agricultural economies. Petroleum, on the other hand, is a finite and depleting resource.

Besides the environmental benefits, there will, in the future, also be other advantages from the wider use of vegetable oils. One of them is the social benefit from rejuvenating rural communities through the establishment of local industries and by providing farmers with additional income, thereby securing their livelihood.

Much interest has been generated in the industrial use of renewable resources, including palm oil. It is for this reason that renewable feedstocks can become one of the major players in the chemical industry in the near future. This might then result in a new economic order, placing agriculture in the economic forefront as one of the largest wealth-generating sectors.

About 80% of all oil palm product is used for food applications, while the other 20% is used in non-food applications. Because of the higher market value of these non-food derived palm products, the non-food category is expected to grow in importance. The non-food uses of palm oil and palm kernel oil can be classified into two categories; using the oils directly or by processing them to oleochemicals (chemicals derived from oils or fats).

Products produced using the oils directly include; soaps, plastics, drilling mud and even palm based diesel substitute. Products produced from the oleochemical route include; candles, lotions, body oils, shampoos, skin care products, rubber and cleaning products.

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Ditulis oleh William Perkasa pada tanggal Thursday, April 3, 2008