Industrial Applications of Chemistry

80 real-world industrial processes powered by chemistry

All Sectors Pharmaceutical & Drug Manufacturing Petrochemical & Refining Food Processing & Preservation Materials Science & Polymers Electronics & Semiconductors Agriculture & Fertilizers Environmental & Water Treatment Energy & Battery Technology Cosmetics & Personal Care Metallurgy & Metal Processing
All Scales Laboratory Scale Pilot Plant Commercial Production Global Industrial Scale

Citric Acid Production by Aspergillus niger Fermentation

The world's most widely used organic acid in food

Citric acid is the most produced organic acid globally, manufactured primarily through submerged fermentation of Aspergillus niger on sugar-based substrates. …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $3.6 billion

Ethanol Fermentation for Beverage and Industrial Use

The oldest biotechnological process in human history

Ethanol fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the oldest and most widely practiced biotechnological process. While beverage alcohol (beer, wine, spirits) …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $95 billion

Food-Grade Phosphoric Acid Production

The tangy acid behind cola beverages

Food-grade phosphoric acid is produced by the thermal (furnace) process, burning elemental phosphorus in air and absorbing the resulting P₂O₅ …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $3.8 billion

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) Enzymatic Production

Converting corn starch into America's most consumed sweetener

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced by enzymatic isomerization of glucose derived from corn starch. The three-enzyme process converts cornstarch …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $4.5 billion

Lactic Acid Production for Food Preservation

The natural preservative powering the fermented food revolution

Lactic acid is produced commercially by fermentation of glucose or sucrose using Lactobacillus species, serving as a food preservative, acidulant, …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $3.0 billion

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Production by Fermentation

The umami flavor enhancer produced by bacterial fermentation

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is produced by aerobic fermentation of Corynebacterium glutamicum on sugar substrates, followed by crystallization of the sodium …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $6.2 billion

Sugar Refining and Crystallization

Converting raw sugarcane into pure white sucrose crystals

Sugar refining transforms raw cane or beet sugar into refined white sucrose through a series of dissolution, purification, and recrystallization …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $45 billion

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Industrial Synthesis

From glucose to the world's most consumed vitamin

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is manufactured through the Reichstein process or its modern two-step fermentation variant, converting D-glucose into L-ascorbic …

Food Processing & Preservation · Global Industrial Scale · $1.2 billion