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General Introduction
What does agriculture have to do with the development of new drugs,
fine chemicals, polymers and fuels? As there are now more and more
concerns about the environment, the trade balance and reliable sources
of supply, non-food uses of agricultural products are being looked
at with a new set of eyes. Plants obtain energy from the sun to recycle
carbon and hydrogen into organic matter. Hence, products obtained
from agriculture are renewable, since agriculture can provide crops
every year as long as there is land, water and sunlight, while the
oil and gas that are extracted from the ground cannot be 'grown back'.
This section is an overview of some current and potential applications
of farm products for fibers, fuels, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals,
polymers, personal hygiene products.
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