Various

Various

There is virtually no limit to the number of uses for starch. It is suitable for any purpose where you require a high level of viscosity, or the ability to provide good gelling or adhesive properties. These are just some more of the applications where starch is used:

Gypsum board

Starch plays an important role in the manufacture of gypsum wallboard, protecting the gypsum crystals that form the bond between the gypsum core and the paper. These crystals, located at the edges of the wallboard, are subject to dehydration and breakage during high temperature exposure in the drying kilns. The starch holds water during kiln drying and protects these bonding crystals from dehydration. Severe dehydration causes the paper to peel off of the board core.

Pharmaceutical industry

The major use of starch in pharmaceutical formulation is as a binder and filler for tablets and capsules, coating and dusting media for various types of coatings such as sugar and entric coating. It is widely accepted in the areas of dry granulation techniques where the active ingredients are hygroscopic.

Textiles

Starch is us as sizing agent within the textile industry. The purpose of sizing is the strengthen of the yarn, to prevent it from breaking during weaving. It improves the printability and it makes the material water resistant. In the textile industry starch is used as a clothing stiffener, also know as laundry starch.

Oil drilling

Starch is used for reducing fluid loss in a variety of water based drilling fluids and has beneficial secondary effects on mud rheology. In drilling wells, a liquid (mud) is pumped into the hole to clean and cool the drill bit and to flush to the surface the drill bit cuttings and suspending the drill cuttings while drilling is paused.

Yeast filtration

A potato starch solution forms a layer on the vacuum drum, thus preventing the yeast cells from being sucked out.

Biodegradable packaging

Industrial grade starch is used in combination with biodegradable polymers to produce biodegradable packaging, which allows this product to be broken down by natural means into common elements such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.