|
Chemical Industry:
By-products bring business
Forchem Oy, which specializes in the distillation and processing
of the crude tall oil created as a by-product in pulp production,
is expanding its production into plant sterols. The company
is planning the construction of one of the biggest sterol-processing
plants in the world at Rauma on the west coast of Finland.
The beta-sitosterol separated from the tall oil in Forchem's
production process has numerous effects in functional, health-giving
foods. Tests have shown that plant sterols reduce blood cholesterol.
Up till now plant sterols have been used mainly in edible
fats and milk products, but, according to the most recent
information, they are also of benefit in fat-free foods such
as orange juice.
Forchem processes tall rosins from the tall oil imported
from pulp mills in the Baltic region for the adhesive industry
and tall oil fatty acids for the paint industry and numerous
other applications in the organic chemical industry. The third
main product is the tall oil pitch which goes for fuel in
energy production.
Photo: The annual growth rate in the use of plant sterols
is expected to be 15 per cent by 2010.
Published 2006
|
.
Finnfacts is part of