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Agriculture has always produced products, materials and energy for pre-industrial civilisations. Carbohydrate chemistry makes it possible to manufacture almost all products resulting from petrochemical sources, including biofuels. They have the same origin, carbon. This gives starch major assets, being renewable and neutral with respect to the “greenhouse effect”. Moreover products resulting from the vegetable world are neither toxic nor polluting. Finally the molecular richness of plants (one speaks about " green chemistry ") is wider than that of fossil resources
Even if the bio-industry in EU and worldwide only currently supplies a very small share of the total product use by the chemical industry, it represents an enormous potential.
Biodegradable plastics:
Starch is itself a perfectly biodegradable polymer. The starch formulation makes it possible for it to undergo all the different transformations of plastic. Edible and completely biodegradable, it is especially intended for short lifespan food packing (egg boxes, fast food), for health products (gelules, tampon applicators), and for non-food packing.
Hygiene:
These are the super absorbents starches, which can absorb up to 100 times their water weights (ex: layers). Sorbitol also is very much used like moistening in toothpastes and cosmetic products.
Cleansing:
The metal ions in solution can be fixed on acid starches. Effluents can thus be purified.
Paint:
Starch is used like gelling or stabilizer of emulsions.
Agrochemicals:
Starch acts like binder in fertilisers, or for the coating of seeds or plant health products.
Adhesives and glues:
Starches are used for their adhesive properties: wallpapers, posters, labels, adhesive tapes, bags, envelopes...
Detergents:
Starch derived products are used as bleaching agents, surface-active and sequestering. They contribute to a better biodeterioration of washing products and detergents. Fermentation Products resulting from glucose syrups are used as anti-liming agents. Some enzymes, produced from the glucose, degrade the lubricating stains.
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