Application of sugar in the chemical industry
This report highlights the use of sugar by the chemical industry
This report highlights the use of sugar by the chemical industry.
Sugar has a number of non-food uses. One of these is in the pharmaceutical industry.
There is a significant use of sugar in the more traditional areas, e.g. tablets, syrups and pastilles. Sucrose esters (surfactants with potential pharmaceutical applications) are regarded as being non-toxic, bio-compatible, and bio-degradable and this could lead to more such products being used. However, volumes, as with most products in the pharmaceutical sector, are relatively small, albeit with high added value.
Sugar is combined with other ingredients to provide palatable dosage of many drugs. The techniques to produce the dosage forms (e.g. medicated confectionery and tablets) are similar to those used in the confectionery industry, with companies developing specific sugar-based products - Directly Compressible (DC) sugars and sugar spheres - to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical manufacturers.
In addition to sweetness, sugar also provides desirable functional properties. Low toxicity, high purity and diverse physicochemical properties of sugar account for its popularity in pharmaceutical application. Sugar and other ingredients used in the food industry (e.g. starches, bulk, sweeteners, thickeners, flavours etc...) are used in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
Further uses of sugar in the pharmaceutical industry include binding and prevention of chipping in tables and as part of time-release coatings on medications. Sugar is thought to be an ingredient that may prevent harmful bacteria from growing, as well providing nutrition for damaged tissues. One of sugar's most important attributes is its ability to act as a natural preservative. The same properties that make sugar an excellent preservative make it positive from a healing perspective.
Future expectations are for steady growth in demand (perhaps 5 - 10% per year) for some fermentation products. Uncertainty still surrounds cost, however: the fermentation industry cannot always match the prices offered by the food industry and new investment in fermentation plants in the EU is constrained.
Functionality of sugar ingredients in pharmaceutical dosage forms
| Pharmaceutical dosage forms | Type of sugar | Function |
| Medicated sweets | Liquid and granulated sugars, invert syrups (glucose syrups) | controlled dissolving, stability, sweetness, taste masking |
| Blended powders e.g. cold and flu remedies | Powdered sugars, screened sugars | Diluent, rapid dissolving, complementary particle size, sweetness, taste masking |
| Syrups, elixirs | Liquid sugars, inverts | Diluent, sweetness, preservative, demulcent, wetting agent, prevention of crystallisation, viscosity, taste masking |
| Suspensions | Liquid sugars, inverts | Diluent, sweetness, taste masking, demulcent, wetting agent, prevention of crystallisation, suspending agent |
| Tablets, Lozenges | Liquid sugars, powdered sugars, directly compressible sugars | Compressibility (tablet forming), binder, diluent, dissolution, texture, coating, protection, sweetness, taste masking |
| Capsules | Sugar spheres | Diluent, uniformity, ability to coat, controlled dissolving, stability |
The following are the main industrial sectors where sugar or sugar derivatives are already used, or have significant potential:
a) Cosmetics, toiletries and detergents
Sugar is used in cosmetic and health care products. Citric acid can act as a pH adjuster, clarifying agent, water softener, buffer, foam booster and stabilizer. For example, citric acid is used as a pH adjuster in shampoo to help it lather. The ways accidulants are used in this market are being constantly innovated. Sugar is also used in products in skin exfoliants. The market is small, but likely to increase in view of the increasing demand for 'natural products'.
Sugar is involved in the fermentation process to produce alcohol for consumption and for industrial alcohol to produce industrial chemicals. Sugar is also used in personal care applications like toothpaste, mouthwash, general hygiene and ointments.
Sucrose esters are used in emollients, creams and lotions. Sucrose mono-, bi-, and tri-esters generally have application as emulsifiers in cosmetics. However, these sucro-surfactant materials in general have had problems such as thickening and instability.
Polyols add plasticity, taste, clarity, viscosity, sweetness and microbial stability to toothpaste. Zinc citrate acts an anti-plaque agent. Ethanol acts as a solvent and also works as an anti-bacterial agent in mouthwash.
Several of the 15 or so chemical constituents of detergents could be derived from starch and, to a lesser extent, sugar. Their main advantages over petrochemical-based products relate to biodegradability and their safety in terms of human health.
b) Agrochemicals
The use of sucroglycerides as water soluble active agents in herbicide, pesticide, fungicide and foliar feed formulation dispenses with the need to use organic solvent.
c) Plastics
Potential exists for using sucrose derivatives in the plastics industry. Sucrose is multi-functional due to the number of potential reactive sites on the molecule. The use of sucrose polyols confers hydrophilicity (solubility) to polymer systems.
Furthermore, in the production of coatings and polyurethane foams, sucrose and sucrose derivatives confer flame retardant and intumescent (swelling) properties. The key uses of sugar in the plastics industry would appear to be as placticisers and in polyurethane foams.
d) Inks and printing
Sucrose benzoates are sold into the printing industry. The lower degree of substitution benzoate is used in making water-based inks for the flexographic printing of plastic bags.
e) Construction
Industrially, sugar is used as a retarding agent for building materials such as concrete, cement and glues and as a raw material for making rigid polyurethane foams.
f) Explosives
Sugar is used in explosives. However, sucrose has high carbon content and, therefore, tends to demand large amounts of oxygen from the explosive or environment, which is not acceptable in enclosed spaces (e.g. mining)
g) Other uses
Sucrose is used in the textile industry for sizing and finishing fabrics. Sucrose fatty acid esters are biodegradable surfactants for use in food, cosmetics and detergents. These esters are also used to preserve fruit and vegetables. Sugar helps prevent roads from icing and adds nutrients to soil. Sugar makes bio-fuels and helps replace chemical alternatives, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use of petrochemicals.
Molasses has unique physical and chemical properties, which makes it a key ingredient in a wide range of industrial processes. It is a unique substrate for fermentation and offers viscosity control and process lubrication.
The current Council regulation (EC) No 1260/2001 on the Common Organisation of the Market in the Sugar Sector (Sugar Regime) states: "Like starch, sugar is a commodity which can be used by the chemical industry for the manufacture of similar products. A harmonious development of the use of such commodities should be ensured. A system of production refunds should be adopted which makes it possible to expand sugar outlets beyond traditional quantities; to that end, it should henceforth be possible to make the products in question available to that industry at a reduced price."
The SCI (Sugar used in the Chemical Industry) scheme's purpose is to encourage the use of sugar rather than artificial sweeteners in the manufacturing process. The CAP makes provision for a production refund to be paid on certain sugar products (basic and intermediate) used in the chemical industry.
The Sugar Regime currently provides additional aid to the sugar industry namely "refining aid" which is granted to the refining industry and covers certain costs of raw sugar, and "production refunds" granted for sugar used by the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, allowing them to buy sugar at world market prices to which shipping costs are added.
The entire EU regulation on sugar used in the chemical industry can be found under the legislation part of the following website: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/index.html (this link takes you to the chapter about sugar.)
In 2003/2004, the average level of the production refund for sugar and Isoglucose used by the chemical industry was 451.8 Euro/tonne, an increase of 35.55 Euro/tonne compared with an increase of only 27 Euro/tonne for the export refund. This difference is explained by the number of requests for refund from one month to another and which this year were overall to the advantage of the chemical industry.
The quantities used in the chemical industry in 2003/2004 increased by about 200 000 tonnes, reaching a record level of 624 076 tonnes.
This increase can be explained by level of refund, which illustrates the low world sugar price in 2003/2004 and by the high price of cereals, which definitely had an influence on the glucose price. Consumption has increased almost threefold in Denmark and Austria, by 45% in Spain and France by 70% in Italy and by 25% in Germany. On the other hand, in the UK it is lower.
The UK consumes around 2.25 million tonnes of sugar per year, approximately 75% of which is sold direct to industrial users such as soft drinks and confectionery manufacturers.
Industrial users of sugar in the UK employ some 80 thousand people with annual retail sales worth more than £15 billion in 2003. They account for around 1.2 million tonnes of sugar each year, representing about 70% of UK output and worth more than £540 million.
UK industrial uses of sugar ('000 tonnes), marketing year 97/98.
| Industrial use | Total beet and cane sugar use |
| Plastics | 400 |
| Foundry and Castings | 380 |
| Pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals | 19,675 |
| Other | 75 |
| Total | 20,550 |
More recent information is difficult to obtain. However, the data provides a useful indication on the distribution of the sugar between the different uses.
Research into the industrial uses of sugar is mainly carried out by companies such as Croda chemicals, Dow, Henkel, Uniqema and ICI Polyurethanes, who have an interest in using sucrose and its derivatives
Sources:
ENDS
