Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 1910 Words

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author s observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The narrator s father, Atticus Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. One critic explains the novel s impact by writing, In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism. As a Southern Gothic novel and a Bildungsroman, the primary themes of To Kill a Mockingbird involve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence. Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in the American Deep South. The book is widely taught in schools in the United States with lessons that emphasize tolerance and decry prejudice. Despite its themes, To Kill a Mockingbird has been subject to campaigns for removal from public classrooms, often challenged for its use of racial epithets. Reaction to the novel varied widely upon publication. Literary analysisShow MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1049 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: How a Story could be based on True Events in Everyday LifeDaisy GaskinsCoastal Pines Technical Collegeâ€Æ'Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father was a former newspaper editor and proprietor, who had served as a state senator and practiced as a lawyer in Monroeville. Also Finch was known as the maiden name of Lee’s mother. With that being said Harper Lee became a writer like her father, but she became a American writer, famous for her race relations novel â€Å"ToRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld-wide recognition to the many faces of prejudice is an accomplishment of its own. Author Harper Lee has had the honor to accomplish just that through her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a moving and inspirational story about a young girl learning the differen ce between the good and the bad of the world. In the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Growing up, Harper Lee had three siblings: two sisters and an older brother. She and her siblings grew up modestlyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1290 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. This plot dives into the social issues faced by African-Americans in the south, like Tom Robinson. Lee felt that the unfair treatment towards blacks were persistent, not coming to an end any time in the foreseeable future. This dark movement drove her to publish this novel hopeful that it would encourage the society to realize that the harsh racism must stop. Lee effectivelyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee873 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates that â€Å"it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird † throughout the novel by writing innocent characters that have been harmed by evil. Tom Robinson’s persecution is a symbol for the death of a mockingbird. The hunters shooting the bird would in this case be the Maycomb County folk. Lee sets the time in the story in the early 1950s, when the Great Depression was going on and there was poverty everywhere. The mindset of people back then was that blackRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee963 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing up, when older characters give advice to children or siblings.Growing up is used frequently in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee uses the theme growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird to change characters opinion, develop characters through their world, and utilizes prejudice to reveal growing up. One major cause growing up is used in To Kill a Mockingbird is to represent a change of opinion. One part growing up was shown in is through the trial in part two of the novelRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1052 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. Why is the preconception of racism, discrimination, and antagonism so highly related to some of the characters in this book? People often have a preconceived idea or are biased about one’s decision to live, dress, or talk. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the preconceptionRead MoreHarper Lee and to Kill a Mockingbird931 Words   |  4 PagesHarper Lee and her Works Harper Lee knew first hand about the life in the south in the 1930s. She was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926 (Castleman 2). Harper Lee was described by one of her friends as Queen of the Tomboys (Castleman 3). Scout Finch, the main character of Lees Novel, To Kill a Mockinbird, was also a tomboy. Many aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird are autobiographical (Castleman 3). Harper Lees parents were Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. She was the youngestRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1695 Words   |  7 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee presents as a ‘tired old town’ where the inhabitants have ‘nowhere to go’ it is set in the 1930s when prejudices and racism were at a peak. Lee uses Maycomb town to highlight prejudices, racism, poverty and social inequality. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of Walter Cunningham. When it is discovered he has no lunch on the first day of school, Scout tries to explain the situation to MissRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1876 Words   |  8 PagesThough Harper Lee only published two novels, her accomplishments are abundant. Throughout her career Lee claimed: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction, and Quill Award for Audio Book. Lee was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This honor society is a huge accomplishment and is considered the highest recognition for artistic talent and accomplishment in the United States. Along with these accomplishments, herRead MoreKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1197 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as crops, houses, and land, and money was awfully limited. These conflicts construct Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee establishes the concurrence of good and evil, meaning whether people are naturally good or naturally evil. Lee uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to portray the instinctive of good and evil. To Kill a Mocking Bird, a novel by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930s in the Southern United States. The protagonist, Scout Finch,

War and Nation-Building Essay - 503 Words

War and Nation-Building The term ‘nation-building’ is often defined as evolution rather than revolution, though it can mean different things to different people. As that reason, nation-building refers to give assistance in the development of governmental basic structure, civil society and economics in a dysfunctional or unstable country in order to increase stability. Therefore, War, which may lead to civil or global confusion, does not promote nation-building. The First and Second War World is good example of showing why war does not. Economy is one of the most important elements on the development of countries, but war always destroys economy. The First and Second War†¦show more content†¦As the victorious nations, the situations of Britain and France are the same as Germany and Italy; they needed to pay a large amount for rebuilding, though their economies were destroyed during the wars. Therefore, the aftermath of the world wars led most of the world’s countries to political crisis. In the cases of these wars, we can see that war only bring ruin, not nation-building. The German Empire was the industrial giant of the world with lofty heights of political and cultural prestige by 1914, but when the World War I (1914-1918) broke out, it brought hunger and starvation to the Germans. At that time, nobody knew that the Great Depression after WWI would raise the power of Hitler and speed up the growth of the Nazi Party. The Nazification of Germany and the rise of Totalitarianism ultimately led to the outbreak of the World War II. At an early stage, Germans regarded Hitler as a ‘messiah’ who had the ability to assist Germany in the economic distress. At last, what did Germany gain after the defeat of Nazi? The answer is nothing. The history of Germany tell us leaders like Hitler who attempted to strengthen his country through war is often unsuccessful in the development of country due to the use of wrong way. Except the damage of economy, countries always suffer by large death toll in war. At least 50 million people, including soldiers and civilians,Show MoreRelatedThe war between Ethiopia and Eritrea Since its independence in 1993, Eritrean nation building is1800 Words   |  8 PagesThe war between Ethiopia and Eritrea Since its independence in 1993, Eritrean nation building is based on animosity towards the neighbouring countries particularly Ethiopia. This constitutes a major hindrance to peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia and Eritrea belong to the same historical, cultural, language and religious groups. Until the Italians invasion, Eritrea remained as part of the Ethiopian imperial regimes. After the end of the Second World War, Ethiopia was federated withRead MoreWhat Did The Choice Of Nation Building And Reconciliation Help South Africa Avoid A Pending Civil War?1502 Words   |  7 Pages‘To what extent did the choice of nation-building and reconciliation help South Africa avoid a pending civil war from 1990-1994’ INTRODUCTION The early 1990s in South Africa marked the start of a process leading to the official end of an oppressive and discriminatory apartheid regime. The period was characterised by sporadic bouts of political intolerance and indecisiveness leading to clear moments of political frustration between the opposition (the minority parties like National Party, AWB, FreedomRead MoreEconomic Development As A Tool Of Foreign Policy759 Words   |  4 Pages During the Cold War, the US believed in the prevalent domino theory, which was as one fell under communism, its neighbor was likely to fall under the threat communism. While China and North Korea fell under communism, the US had a goal of containing Southeast Asia from falling under communism and modernizing the nation to liberal capitalist system. The US believed that the advance of communism was threatening the economic development in the regions. Due to the French colonization, Vietnam had lowRead MoreThe Building Of A Nation1576 Words   |  7 PagesThe building of a nation is a complex and lengthy process. There is no step-by-step plan, nor a prescribed formula. It is a combination of features, structures and socially constructed norms. A ‘nation’ is an intrinsically ambiguous term. Questions consistently arise like, ‘who defines a nation?’ and ‘what defines a nation?’ The building of a nation explicitly links with the modern state, ethnicity and industrialisation. Ethnicity is a key feature of this and synonymous with identity, it is the mostRead MoreThe War Of 1812 Against The Superpower Great Britain1336 Words   |  6 Pagesdifficult War of 1812 against the superpower Great Britain. Madison waged war on the Britain s because of the U.S ships were getting bored and impressed to fight for Britain. The U.S couldn t stand for this so we decide to take on Great Britain. In the end the United States came on top, they destroyed the greatest superpower in the world and the U.S could proudly keep their heads raised high. While The US lost the White house and Capitol building during a fire, The war of 1812 was building block ofRead MoreThe Underlying Cause Of World War I1436 Words   |  6 PagesYuri Nazaire 3A- Honors Global Studies MR:Binns 05-27-16 What were the underlying causes of World War I- Research paper World War I, also known as the first World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe the began on the 28th of July 1914 and lasted until the 11th of November 1918. World War I was a war that was fought between two sides with a few of the World’s greatest Nations of that time. The two sides were Triple Entente which included Britain, France, and Russia, and theRead MoreWorld History Cb Ww11732 Words   |  7 Pagessuch as Imperialism, Nationalism and Militarism between World Alliances of that time period.The two sides who ended up facing each other in this war because of those factors were the: Allies - United Kingdom, Russia, France, USA and Italy, while the Central Power included Ottoman Empire, Austro Hungary and Germany. At time in history most European nations already had colonies and as the years went by, the land which was still independent was fought over fiercely. Italy and Germany were new world powersRead Morehow did war change canada1322 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿How Did The Second World War Change Canada? The act of warfare has never been and will most likely never be celebrated and perceived as a beneficial act for humanity. In most instances throughout history, the act of war has represented loss of life, a loss to great for any wartime triumph to overcome. Despite the negative connotations that warfare implies, a nation which goes through a major war can often emerge positively transformed. The Second World War represents a colossal juncture in Canada’sRead MoreAnalyzing The Processes Of Decolonization And Early Post Colony1402 Words   |  6 Pagespost-colony in Africa is a complex task. Especially when looking through the perspective of different nations that each followed their own path. Chinua Achebe’s There was a Country and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Dreams in a Time of War, are both exceptional novels that grapple with the social and political struggles going on in their respective countries. They also help explore the complexities of nation building a s well as political conflicts expression in communal form. On one hand, Thiong’o’s piece is a child’sRead MoreAmerican Imperialism Research Study Essay1423 Words   |  6 PagesComplete the chart by identifying the following: †¢ Identify the countries or areas where the United States engaged in imperialistic actions during the period from about 1870 to 1914. †¢ Discuss why each area was important to American empire building—political, economic, and social. †¢ Explain America’s expansionist ideals. What were some factors that justified American imperialist actions? †¢ Identify the current political status of these places in relation to the United States. Age of

Changing Word of Oleochemicals free essay sample

Basic oleochemicals are fatty acids, fatty alcohols, methyl esters and glycerine (Figure 1). RAW MATERIALS FOR BASIC OLEOCHEMICALS The worldwide production and consumption of fats and oils are shown in Figure 2. Although only 14% of the total production of fats and oils is used for oleochemicals, there are some selective MARKETS FOR BASIC OLEOCHEMICALS Figures 4, 5 and 6 show that basic oleochemicals are used in many different industries. Until a few years ago, methyl esters had only limited use as intermediates for the production of fatty alcohols. With the development of biodiesel in Europe, they have become by far the fastest growing basic oleochemicals. GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OLEOCHEMICALS INDUSTRY In this section, the most important developments that have affected the oleochemicals industry in the last 25 years will be discussed. ASEAN Growth The rapid growth in production of palm oil and palm kernel oil in ASEAN has made the development Figure 2. Worldwide production and consumption of oils and fats in 2003 (million tonnes). riglycerides, like coconut, palm kernel and high erucic rapeseed oil that are mostly so used (Figure 3). In the future, the growth of oleochemicals based on these raw materials may be limited by their availability, if the right corrective measures are not taken in time. Figure 1. Basic oleochemicals. * Karl-Marx-Dam 99 D-15526-Bad Saarow, Germany. E-mail: [emailprotected] com ** Malaysian Palm Oil Board P. O. Box 10620, 50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Figure 3. Raw materials for oleochemical. see page 21 1 The Changing World Of Oleochemicals from page 15 f the oleochemicals industry in this part of the world possible. ASEAN is constantly increasing its world market share of fatty acids and fatty alcohols (Figures 7 and 8). Until 2003, the same phenomenon was observed with glycerine. This situation is now changing dramatically, since Europe is strongly increasing the production of glycerine, a co-product of the biodiesel manufacturing process. Exit of the Traditional Players Figure 4. Market for oleochemical fatty acids. Figure 5. Market for oleochemical fatty alcohols. Figure 6. Market for oleochemical glycerine. Figure 9 shows that the prominent western producers of basic oleochemicals are either selling or limiting their activities in this area. Henkel, Unilever and Petrofina have sold all their oleochemicals activities. Procter Gamble has closed or sold their fatty acid production plants in the USA, but continues to expand in fatty alcohols and glycerine. Akzo announced the intention to sell its fatty acid activities. From the traditional global companies which developed the oleochemicals industry more than 100 years ago, only Kao Corporation remains fully committed. The driving force behind this exit strategy is in large part the low profitability and the large capital required for world scale operations. Companies like Henkel, Unilever and Procter Gamble are focusing their activities on consumer goods, a business which in general is less capital intensive and more profitable than basic oleochemicals. The fast development of oleochemicals production capacity in ASEAN, with its very strong raw material integration, is the most important reason for the drastic reorganization taking place in the global oleochemicals 21 Palm Oil Developments 44 scenario. The increased pressure on margins, coming from modern large scale and highly productive manufacturing units in ASEAN, will continue to influence the global picture. It is only a matter of time until the dominant players in ASEAN look at the possibility of buying the existing production capacity in Europe and the United States. Consolidation of the Customer Basis As it is the case in most mature business, the customer basis for basic oleochemicals is also consolidating. Figure 10 shows some examples of these developments. Smaller companies are acquired by multinational companies which, with their superior purchasing power and global purchasing organizations, are affecting negatively the profitability of the oleochemicals business. On the other hand, this development offers the opportunity for ASEAN producers to enter into direct contact with their customers. Biodiesel The European Union (EU), with its effort to support the local farming industry and the aim of developing environmental friendly fuels independent from petroleum, is heavily supporting the production of biodiesel based on canola oil methyl ester (low erucic rapeseed acid methyl ester). Since petroleum diesel has a tax of around â‚ ¬ 0. 60 per litre, biodiesel, which is not taxed at all, is becoming an attractive business (Figure 11). In 2005, the EU will produce more than 8 6 4 2 1 0 Amerca Europe Asa Total 18 2000 2001 2002 200 2006f Figure 7. Global fatty acid production capacity (million tonnes). 2 00 2 000 1 00 1 000 00 0 Amerca Europe Asa S. Afrca Total 14 18 2002 2006f Figure 8. Global fatty acid production capacity synthetic and natural (‘000 tonnes). Figure 9. The exit of traditional players. 22 The Changing World Of Oleochemicals million tonnes of biodiesel in around 50 production units. The smallest plants produce only a few thousand tonnes, the largest around 200 000 t per year. While in the past there were few incentives to develop improved processes for the production of methyl esters, new technologies are being developed today to satisfy the demands for environmental friendly biodiesel plants. The process, described in Figure 12 and used in several large biodiesel plants in Europe, produces only biodiesel, glycerine and powdered potassium sulphate which is sold as fertilizer. The only advantage that 100% biodiesel made from canola oil offers as fuel is that it is CO2 neutral (Figure 13). In the meantime, most of the biodiesel produced is added to petroleum diesel (up to a maximum of 5%) by the large petroleum companies. The goal of EU is to reduce the tax exemption for biodiesel in a few years. The large budget deficit of Germany and France will probably also place expensive environmental projects on lower priority. The rapid expansion of biodiesel is affecting negatively the overall profitability of oleochemicals, since it has led to a dramatic reduction in the glycerine margin. Availability of Manufacturing Technology With the development of the oleochemicals industry in ASEAN, specialized engineering companies were able to finance the development of competitive manufacturing technology, which originally was only available to the pioneer companies in the USA, Figure 10. Consolidation of the customer. Figure 11. The success of biodiesel in Europe. Europe and Japan. In some cases, the technology available through the engineering companies today is superior to the technology practiced by the traditional industry leaders. A typical case is the fatty alcohol technology developed by Lurgi (Figure 14). While in the past in general there was only one supplier of technology for a specific process, today there is intensive competition between different engineering companies. An example is fatty alcohols where Lurgi and Davy are offering two different technologies for their production (Figure 15). This competition will guarantee that in the future there will be continuous improvement in the technology. The situation in methyl esters production is very similar, where due to the rapid expansion of biodiesel; several companies are offering efficient transesterification technology. Figure 16 shows the different technologies available for the production of synthetic alcohols which in certain markets, are competing with natural alcohols. The only synthetic alcohols identical to natural alcohols are those made from ethylene and aluminium alkyls by the Ziegler technologies. Since this process 2 Palm Oil Developments 44 Crude Triglycerides Refined Triglycerides Methyl Ester Fertilizer Biodiesel Figure 12. Environment friendly methyl ester process for biodiesel. s expensive and the intermediate aluminium alkyls difficult to handle, it is highly unlikely that new capacity will be built on this basis. Preference for Vegetable Oils Over Tallow Due to the BSE situation in Europe, many uses of tallow have been replaced by vegetable oils. Manufacturers of tallow fatty acids started to produce vegetable tallow fatty acid from palm oil or vegetable oleic fatty acid from palm kernel, coconut or canola oil. Although tallow is slowly recovering from its negative image, it is un likely that it will fully regain the position it had in specific markets, like personal care. SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR BASIC OLEOCHEMICALS The global developments described are having important impacts on the supply and demand of basic oleochemicals. Fatty Acids Different sources estimate the global capacity utilization of fatty acid plants at 70% to 75%. Since 24 %-10% less performance than petroleum desel Figure 13. Used properties of biodiesel 100% canola methyl ester. Figure 14. Development of fatty alcohol technology (Lurgi). Figure 15. Technologies for the production of fatty alcohols. Figure 16. Technologies for production of synthetic alcohols. The Changing World Of Oleochemicals several new plants are coming on stream in the next few years in Malaysia, Indonesia and China with a total capacity of nearly 500 000 t per year, the situation will not improve. This excess capacity is, as expected, having a negative impact on the profitability of fatty acids (Figure 17). Fatty Alcohols The supply and demand situation for fatty alcohols is much less transparent than that for fatty acids, since long chain alcohols are also made from petrochemicals and coal (Figure 18). The synthetic alcohols manufactured via Ziegler technology are identical to natural alcohols, and can replace them in all applications. Those manufactured via hydroformylation technology have a variable degree of branching depending on the catalysts and olefins used, and compete with natural fatty alcohols in some of the largest markets (for example, detergents, dishwashing liquids, etc. ). In 2003, the low profitability of fatty alcohols, a result of excess capacity, forced several producers in Europe, the USA and Japan to close inefficient manufacturing units. At this moment, it is estimated that the worldwide supply and demand situation is in equilibrium. Since there are several new fatty alcohol projects under planning or construction (with a total capacity of nearly 400 000 t per year), it is estimated that from the beginning of 2006 there will be again excess capacity. It is interesting to note that while natural fatty alcohols nearly disappeared from the market before the petroleum crisis in 1974, they have since continuously Figure 17. Impact of overcapacity on lauric fatty raw material margin in Europe (Euro per tonne). 000 1 800 1 600 1 400 1 200 1 000 800 600 400 200 0 Figure 18. Natural fatty alcohols are growing faster than synthetic alcohol (in ‘000 t). regained market share at the expense of petrochemically made alcohols. At this moment, it is still too early to forecast the future of synthetic alcohols produced from coal in South Africa. Glycerine The world of glycerine was quite in order until biodiesel came about. If the political environment in Europe does not change, we can expect up to 500-700 thousand tonnes of additional glycerine per year from the biodiesel plants within a few years. There will be an outlet for this additional glycerine, but at a low price (Figure 19). Experts expect a further decline in the price, in spite of the fact that the petrochemically made polyols are already more expensive than glycerine (for example, ethylene glycol is at around â‚ ¬ 1000 per tonne). This development has had a profound influence on the overall profitability of oleochemicals. A long-term low price of glycerine can also affect other oleochemical processes, since its recovery and purification may not be economically justified. There are already some oleochemical derivatives in the market, like alkanolamides or betaines, which contain glycerine and made directly from triglycerides without going through the fatty acid or methyl ester route. Cognis has also developed a technology to manufacture fatty alcohols through direct hydrogenation of triglycerides, in which glycerine is transformed to propylene glycol. The search for new uses of glycerine is one of the most urgent areas of innovation in the oleochemicals industry. 2 Palm Oil Developments 44 INVESTMENT IN WORLD SCALE OLEOCHEMICALS PLANTS Modern oleochemicals plants are very capital intensive, no matter where they are built. While in the early 1980s, the oleochemicals plants built in ASEAN were relatively small when compared with the plants in Europe or the USA, today the largest and most modern plants are being erected in Malaysia and Indonesia. This modern plants and excellent raw material integration, gives producers in ASEAN an important competitive advantage over their competitors overseas. Figure 20 shows some examples of the scale of investment made in the last 15 years. As an approximation, it can be said that for a capacity of 100 000 t per year of fatty acid/ glycerine to be made from fats and oils (including infrastructure), an investment of around USD 100 million is required. Due to increased competition between the engineering companies (especially in the area of methyl ester, glycerine and fatty alcohols), there is a tendency for the investment costs to fall. Investments in basic oleochemicals in ASEAN are very often by palm oil plantations, either alone or with a jointventure partner, who brings in the technology and a marketing and sales organization. The aim for the plantation is to have an additional market for its palm and palm kernel oils buffered from the price fluctuations in the food market. For example, a plantation which produces around 500 000 t of oil per year, by investing around USD 100 million in fatty acids and glycerine, will still be selling 400 000 t per year of oil in the 26 2 000 1 000 800 600 400 200 0 Figure 19. Impact of overcapacity on the selling price of glycerine (in Euro t-1). 100 000 60 000 60 000 (hydrogenation, distillation, fractionation, refining) 0 000 t yr-1 Figure 20. Estimated investment cost for world scale plants for producing basic oleochemicals. food market and 100 000 t of oleochemicals. ALTERNATIVE OLEOCHEMICALS STRATEGIES FOR ASEAN In view of the existing overcapacity, the low profitability and the large investments required for basic oleochemicals (Figure 21), other strategies for growth should be considered. For companies producing fatty acids, fatty alcohols and glycerine, the most lo gical growth strategy is to integrate forward into more specialized derivatives. This route is already being taken by several companies, and the production of esters is expanding rapidly in the region. The main hindrance for the growth of specialties from basic oleochemicals in ASEAN is the fact that the manufacturing know-how is generally not in the hands of the engineering companies which build the plants. These specialties are, generally, from the tonnage point of view, smaller products made in multipurpose batch reactors. Their manufacture is, even in modern The Changing World Of Oleochemicals anufacturing units, not totally computerized and special attention and intervention from experienced personnel is required during their production processes. Additionally, these products very often cannot just be sold by specifications, like basic oleochemicals, and a specialized applied research and marketing organization is needed. In view of the high price of lauric oils, more focus should be given to the use of palm oil as raw material for oleochemicals. A few examp les of alternative oleochemicals strategies for ASEAN will be discussed in the following section. Methyl Ester Sulphonate The production of methyl ester sulphonate (MES) from palm stearin (Figure 22) offers the possibility to replace alkyl benzene sulphonate (worldwide production of over 3 million tonnes per year), the workhorse of the detergent industry. With palm stearin prices below USD 400 per tonne, it should not be a problem to compete with alkyl benzene at more than USD 1000 per tonne. The economic potential of this product class can be seen by the fact that in 2003, an 80 000 t methyl ester sulphonate plant was built in Texas, USA, the last place one would expect a petrochemical product to be replaced by an oleochemical product. The fact that MES is produced as a waterfree powdered or flaked solid makes its transport over long distances possible. Therefore, a large scale production unit in a region where the raw materials palm stearin, methanol, hydrogen, sulphur, hydrogen peroxide and Figure 21. Global situation of basic oleochemicals. sodium hydroxide are available, will not only satisfy the needs of the local markets, but also allow for export overseas. Another attractive raw material for the production of MES can be the C16 methyl ester, a by-product from the production of biodiesel of the quality required for European climatic conditions. Raw Materials for Polymers Even without investing in large scale plants to produce basic oleochemicals, it is possible to produce specialties directly from palm oil (Figure 23). It is possible to produce a broad range of chemicals as intermediates for the polymer industry from epoxidized palm oil. A typical example is polyols, by reacting epoxidized palm oil with ethylene or propylene glycol. The palm oil polyols obtained can be used to replace petrochemical polyols in the manufacture of polyurethanes. The total world market for polyols for polyurethanes is in the range of 5 million tonnes per year, and growing at around 5% per year. In Europe and the USA, this class of polyols, based on soya oil, is already being used in large scale in the polyurethane industry. Figure 22. Methyl ester sulphonate from palm stearin. 2 Palm Oil Developments 44 The epoxidized palm oil itself can be used as a plasticizer for PVC or as extender in rubber. Nonionic Surfactants from Methyl Esters Methyl esters of diverse chain lengths are becoming readily available materials since they re produced in large scale and used as biodiesel. Since the biodiesel market is, for the moment, strongly predicated on tax incentives, it is reasonable to develop additional uses for methyl esters. A relatively young technology is their ethoxylation. (Figure 24). The products differentiate themselves from fatty alcohol ethoxylates in their foaming behaviour and solubility. They can be produced in conventional ethoxylation units using special catalysts, and their total production cost should be lower than that for fatty alcohol ethoxylates. Especially, the large price difference between unsaturated fatty alcohols Figure 24. Nonionic surfactants through ethoxylation. and unsaturated methyl esters should make this technology economically very attractive. The only limitations for the use of methyl ester ethoxylates is the reduced hydrolytic stability of the ester bond. On the other hand, several surfactants with similar ester bonds, like esterquats or MES, have found large markets in commercial detergents CONCLUSION The global industry of basic oleochemicals is changing at a dramatic pace. While in Europe, the United States and Japan, the production of fatty acids and fatty alcohols remains constant or is even decreasing, ASEAN, with its strong raw material base, is expanding with world scale plants and increasing rapidly its global market share. In glycerine, even stronger growth is taking place Figure 23. Raw material for polymers from palm oil. in Europe, where large amounts are produced as co-product in biodiesel production. The future of biodiesel (canola methyl esters) will depend strongly on the fiscal policies of the EU. With growing fiscal deficits of most of the EU countries, it is very likely that its tax exemption will be reduced step by step. It can be expected in ASEAN, that the existing producers of basic oleochemicals will gradually direct their future growth to the development of derivates of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, methyl esters and glycerine. New entrants into the industry should consider other strategies than the production of basic oleochemicals. Opportunities for the development of products from palm and palm kernel oils, without going through basic oleochemicals, should be carefully evaluated. 28