Citrus Growers Forum

Millet · Posted: Sat 16 Feb, 2008 4:13 pm

Currently there are 52 citrus processing plants in the state of Florida. Besides citrus juice, citrus processing plants also produce several important byproducts, including citrus pulp, meal, molasses which are sold as livestock feed, and the essential oil d-limonene. Pulp, meal and molasses are marketed as a cattle feed supplement. D-limonene is used for a variety of chemical products such as cleaners, disinfectants, flavors and fragrances. Florida citrus processors produced 1,370,000 tons of pulp and meal, 31,000 tons of molasses, and 35 thousand pounds of D-limonene. Collectively, these byproducts were valued at $123 million, with pulp and meal accounting for nearly $88 million (71%), followed by d-limonene at $33 million (27%), and molasses at $2 million - Millet

bastrees · Posted: Sat 16 Feb, 2008 7:06 pm

We used to use pure d-limonene as a refrigerant. Boy could you tell when you had a leak. Barbara

Millet · Posted: Sat 16 Feb, 2008 8:42 pm

Thanks for the information, I did not know that d-limonene was used as a refrigerant. Barbara

Skeeter · Posted: Sat 16 Feb, 2008 9:25 pm

bastrees wrote:

We used to use pure d-limonene as a refrigerant. Boy could you tell when you had a leak. Barbara

Amazing! I would have never thought it possible--though I don't know that much about the chemical properties-- I would think it is a fairly large molecule. I will have to look it up!

I did -- here is a good link about it's properties: http://www.floridachemical.com/whatisd-limonene.htm

_________________
Skeet

A.T. Hagan · Posted: Sun 17 Feb, 2008 11:47 pm

When I was in high-school one of the science teachers accidentally broke a liter bottle of d-limonene on the floor of the chemical storage area in the science building. It cleared the building in nothing flat! Left a clean spot on the terrazzo floor that you could still see four years later.

.....Alan.