Palm acid oil (PAO) is a by-product of chemically refining palm oil. The soapstock removed during alkali neutralisation is split with acid to recover the fatty acids, giving an oil with more than 50% free fatty acids. It is used in laundry soap, oleochemicals, biodiesel and animal feed fats such as calcium soaps. This guide
Maize germ is the oil-rich embryo separated from the maize kernel during milling. Wet-milled germ carries about 45% to 50% oil and goes to oil mills for corn oil extraction, while dry-milled germ holds roughly 18% to 27%. After the oil is pressed or extracted, the de-oiled cake, sold in India as makka khal, becomes
Corn (maize) husk is the fibrous outer layer that surrounds the cob. Its main industrial uses are cattle feed, paper and biodegradable packaging, textile-grade cellulose fibre, nanocellulose and composites, adsorbents, biomass fuel, compost, and food wrapping and handicrafts. Its high cellulose content and low cost make it one of the most useful by-products of maize.
Skatole (3-methylindole, CAS 83-34-1) is an indole that smells faecal at full strength but warm, floral and jasmine-like when heavily diluted. Perfumers use it in trace amounts, often around 0.001% to 0.01% of a formula, to add animalic depth to jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose, civet and leather accords. Few materials show as clearly how concentration
Aroma chemicals are single, defined molecules, either synthetic or nature-identical, that perfumers and flavourists blend to build a scent or taste. Common families include benzenoids, quinolines, indoles, acetals, ketones, esters, alcohols and musks. India’s aroma chemicals market was valued at USD 299.2 million in 2025, according to IMARC Group. This guide explains what aroma chemicals
Perlite is expanded volcanic glass that you mix into potting soil to create air pockets and improve drainage while still holding some moisture. It is sterile, close to pH neutral and does not break down over time. Most container mixes use 20% to 40% perlite by volume, rising to about 50% for cuttings, succulents and
Manganese sulphate (MnSO4·H2O, CAS 10034-96-5) is the most widely used manganese fertiliser. Farmers apply it to the soil or as a 0.2% to 0.5% foliar spray to correct manganese deficiency, and manufacturers use it in micronutrient mixtures, agrochemical intermediates and animal feed. A good monohydrate grade carries 30.5% to 32% manganese. This guide explains how
Para cresol (p-cresol, 4-methylphenol, CAS 106-44-5) is a phenolic intermediate consumed mainly to make the antioxidant BHT. It is also the starting point for anisaldehyde-based fragrance chemicals, sunscreen UV absorbers, the antibiotic trimethoprim, dye intermediates and resins. Buyers choose between technical, perfumery and ultra-high-purity grades depending on the end use. Below, we cover where para
Ortho cresol (o-cresol, 2-methylphenol, CAS 95-48-7) is a phenolic intermediate used mainly to make MCPA and other herbicides, epoxy cresol novolac resins, cresol-based disinfectants such as Lysol, dye intermediates and antioxidants. Industrial buyers usually specify 99.5% minimum purity by GC, with tight limits on meta cresol, para cresol and phenol. This guide covers what ortho
A filter aid is an inert, porous powder, usually diatomaceous earth (DE) or expanded perlite, that is coated onto a filter or added to the liquid being filtered. It builds a permeable cake that traps fine and slimy solids which would otherwise clog the filter cloth. Filter aids are used in edible oil refining, beer,