Starch and cellulose derivatives: Production route
How a maize kernel is taken apart in a wet mill
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.Most starch is maize starch made by wet milling, a continuous process that also yields gluten feed, gluten meal and corn oil, which keep the economics afloat. Cassava starch, made by simple rasping and washing, dominates in Thailand and Vietnam and is a smaller industry in India around Salem. Wheat and potato starch are European specialities. Value is added by modification and hydrolysis. Cellulose ethers are a separate chemical industry built on pulp, caustic soda and chlorinated or epoxide reagents.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maize wet milling (native starch and co-products) | most world starch (maize starch about 84.5 Mt including derivatives, 2023) | about 1.5 t maize per t starch (indicative) | viable Indian plants 600-800 t/day; Sanstar 1,100 t/day (363 kt/yr) | about 0.65-0.68 t starch per t maize, dry basis (indicative) | gluten meal, gluten feed, germ (corn oil); India co-products about 1.12 Mt and $500 million (2023) | maize is roughly 70-80% of cash cost (indicative); China maize RMB 2,090-2,500/t (2024-2026, Faxian Gongchang) |
| Cassava (tapioca) starch | a large share in Southeast Asia (indicative) | about 4-5 t fresh roots per t starch (cassava tile, indicative) | 100-500 t/day in Thailand; smaller units around Salem, India (indicative) | about 20-25% of root weight (indicative) | pulp for feed, wastewater for biogas | roots dominate cost; Thai starch often undercuts maize starch (cassava tile) |
| Wheat and potato starch | mainly Europe (indicative) | not published | large European plants (Tereos, Roquette, Avebe) | not published | vital wheat gluten, potato protein | gluten credit decisive for wheat starch (indicative) |
| Modified starches and hydrolysates (maltodextrin, glucose, sorbitol) | modified starch $15.6 billion (2023) | starch plus reagents (propylene oxide, sodium hypochlorite, cationic reagents) or enzymes | integrated with wet mills | high | none material | starch plus a processing margin |
| Cellulose derivatives (CMC, MC, HPMC, HEC) | not published | about 0.5-0.7 t cellulose per t CMC (indicative) | 10-100 kt/yr plants (indicative) | not published | sodium chloride and glycolate salts | not published |
How each route works
Maize wet milling (native starch and co-products)Maize is steeped in warm sulphurous water for 30-50 hours, then degermed, ground and separated by screens and hydrocyclones into starch, gluten, fibre and germ.
Large scale, rich co-product credits; water and steam heavy.
Sanstar DRHP industry data via MoneyWorks4Me IPO review (2024); indicative Cassava (tapioca) starchRoots are washed, rasped, starch washed out, dewatered and flash-dried within a day or two of harvest because roots rot within 2-3 days.
Clean taste, clear paste; seasonal supply.
cassava tile; indicative Wheat and potato starchWheat flour is separated into starch and vital gluten; potatoes are rasped like cassava (Avebe in the Netherlands is the largest potato starch maker, indicative).
Regional specialities.
indicative Modified starches and hydrolysates (maltodextrin, glucose, sorbitol)Physical, chemical or enzymatic treatment; hydrolysis with amylases and glucoamylases produces syrups and dextrose; hydrogenation gives sorbitol.
Higher value; specialty grades command premiums.
Sanstar DRHP industry data via MoneyWorks4Me IPO review (2024) Cellulose derivatives (CMC, MC, HPMC, HEC)Alkali cellulose from pulp or cotton linters is etherified with monochloroacetic acid (CMC), methyl chloride (MC) and propylene oxide (HPMC), or ethylene oxide (HEC), then washed and dried.
High-performance thickeners; chlorinated reagents and salt waste.
indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.