.::Al Kairawan General Trad & Cont Co::.

	BITUMEN Bitumen is a category of organically-based liquids that are highly viscous, black, and sticky. They are wholly soluble in carbon disulfide. The world's largest deposit of bitumen is in the Orinoco Belt inVenezuela. Naturally occurring or crude bitumen is a sticky, tar-like form of petroleum which is so thick and heavy that it must be heated or diluted before it will flow. At room temperature, it is much like cold molasses. Refined bitumen is the residual (bottom) fraction obtained by fractional distillation of crude oil. It is the heaviest fraction and the one with the highest boiling point, boiling at 525 °C (977 °F). Naturally occurring deposits of bitumen are formed from the remains of ancient, microscopicalgae and other once-living things. These organisms died and their remains were deposited in the mud on the bottom of the ocean or lake where they lived. Under the heat and pressure of burial deep in the earth, the remains were transformed into materials such as bitumen, kerosene, or petroleum.
	BASE OIL The Building blocks of lube oils are known as base oils.generally speaking, base oils are a mixture of various fractions from the crude oil refining process. Additives are then mixed within these base oils to impart additional desirable properties over and above those already present in the base oil. Base oils are refined by solvent extraction (usually with propane at a pressure high enough to keep it in liquid form) and by hydro treatment (reaction with hydrogen). These processes eliminate unwanted heavy hydrocarbons and aromatics (benzene-based chemicals) from the oils and make them suitable for use as base oils. The base oils are then mixed in the correct proportions with the additives package to give the correct viscosity grade for the machinery they will lubricate. For engine oils and some gear oils this is quoted as SAE number. Hydraulic, turbine and sometimes gear oil viscosity (non-automotive) are quoted as ISO viscosity grades.
	GAS OIL - D 2 Gas oil D2 - fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash point of approximately 40 °C (104 °F) and oils burned in cotton or wool-wick burners. In this sense, diesel is a type of fuel oil. Fuel oil is made of long hydrocarbon chains, particularly alkanes, cycloalkanes and aromatics. The term fuel oil is also used in a stricter sense to refer only to the heaviest commercial fuel that can be obtained from crude oil, heavier than gasoline and naphtha.

	L P G Liquefied petroleum gas (also called LPG, LP Gas, or auto gas) is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles, and increasingly replacing chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant to reduce damage to the ozone layer. Varieties of LPG bought and sold include mixes that are primarily propane, mixes that are primarily butane, and the more common, mixes including both propane (60%) and butane (40%), depending on the season—in winter more propane, in summer more butane. Propylene andbutylenes are usually also present in small concentration. A powerful odorant, ethanethiol, is added so that leaks can be detected easily. The international standard is EN 589. LPG is manufactured during the refining of crude oil, or extracted from oil or gas streams as they emerge from the ground. LPG is used as a fuel for domestic (cooking), industrial, horticultural, agricultural, heating and drying processes. LPG can be used as an automotive fuel or as a propellant for aerosols, in addition to other specialist applications. LPG can also be used to provide lighting through the use of pressure lanterns. LPG is a highly efficient and extremely versatile fuel that can be used for a wide variety of applications such as cooking, hot water, space heating, forklifts and automotive fuel.
	MAZUT M 100 Mazut is a heavy, low quality fuel oil, used in generating plants and similar applications. When blended the end product is Diesel Mazut may be used for heating houses in former USSR states. Technical-Information Fuel oil mazut 100 is supplied according to the Russian technical specification GOST 10585-99, section for fuel oil, mazut sort 100. This kind of oil is graded as the heavy furnace oil. The product is produced from the remains of raw oil processing. Differences in the mazut characteristics (sulphur content) The main difference in the different kinds of mazut 100 is the content of sulphur. The grades are:- Very low sulphur mazut with sulphur content 0,5% Low sulphur mazut with sulphur content 0,5-1,0% Normal sulphur mazut with sulphur content 1,0-2,0% High sulphur mazut with sulphur content 2,0-3,5% Information about very low/low sulphur mazut with sulphur content 0,5-1% supply (this information concerns Exclusively 0,5-1% sulphur content mazut) This kind of mazut is produced only from the low sulphur raw oil. Origin country for this kind of mazut is only Russia. It is very limited volume of this mazut available for export from Russia because of the following reasons: Minimum half of the produced volume is sold on the domestic market of Russia and CIS. Most of the volumes for export are sold according to the state quotes to the state companies abroad. This term is dictated by the producer of the product and it is not negotiable. Information about normal sulphur mazut with sulphur content 1-3.5% supply. The difference between the origins is only in price. The origin mazut has higher price.
	CEMENT In the most general sense of the word, cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The name "cement" goes back to the Romans who used the term "opus cementitium" to describe masonry which resembled concrete and was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick additives which were added to the burnt lime to obtain a hydraulic binder were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cäment and cement. Cements used in construction are characterized as hydraulic or non-hydraulic. The most important use of cement is the production of mortar and concrete - the bonding of natural or artificial aggregates to form a strong building material which is durable in the face of normal environmental effects. Cement chemist notation (CCN) was developed to simplify the formulas which cement chemists use on a daily basis. It is a sort of "short hand" way of writing the chemical formula of oxides of calcium, silicon, and various metals. Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general usage in many parts of the world, as it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout. It is a fine powder produced by grinding Portland cement clinker (more than 90%), a limited amount of calcium sulfate which controls the set time, and up to 5% minor constituents (as allowed by various standards). As defined by the European Standard EN197.1, "Portland cement clinker is a hydraulic material which shall consist of at least two-thirds by mass of calcium silicates (3CaO.SiO2 and 2CaO.SiO2), the remainder consisting of aluminium- and iron-containing clinker phases and other compounds. The ratio of CaO to SiO2 shall not be less than 2.0. The magnesium content (MgO) shall not exceed 5.0% by mass." (The last two requirements were already set out in the German Standard, issued in 1909). Portland cement clinker is made by heating, in a kiln, a homogeneous mixture of raw materials to a sintering temperature, which is about 1450 °C for modern cements. The aluminium oxide and iron oxide are present as a flux and contribute little to the strength. For special cements, such as Low Heat (LH) and Sulfate Resistant (SR) types, it is necessary to limit the amount oftricalcium aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3) formed. The major raw material for the clinker-making is usually limestone (CaCO3) mixed with a second materials containing clay as source of alumino-silicate. Normally, an impure limestone which contains clay or SiO2 is used. The CaCO3 content of these limestones can be as low as 80%. Second raw materials (materials in the rawmix other than limestone) depend on the purity of the limestone. Some of the second raw materials used are: clay, shale, sand, iron ore, bauxite, fly ash and slag. When a cement kiln is fired by coal, the ash of the coal acts as a secondary raw material.

SULPHUR

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal.Sulfur, in its native form, is a bright yellow crystallinesolid. In nature, it can be found as the pure element and as sulfideand sulfateminerals. It is an essential element for life and is found in two amino acids: cysteine and methionine. Its commercial uses are primarily in fertilizers,but it is also widely used in black gunpowder,matches,insecticidesand fungicides. Elemental sulfur crystals are commonly sought after by mineral collectors for their brightly colored polyhedronshapes. In nonscientific contexts, it can also be referred to as brimstone.

UREA - 46% N - FERTILIZER

Urea, a white crystalline solid containing 46% nitrogen, is widely used in the agricultural industry as an animal feed additive and fertilizer Here we discuss it only as a nitrogen fertilizer.

Granular and Prilled Urea is a nitrogen-based product that has a nitrogen content of 46%. It is sold into agricultural markets as a fertilizer and into industrial markets as a raw material to produce resins. Urea is the most popular and economical of all nitrogenous fertilizers being used worldwide. Unlike phosphate and potassium fertilizers, which normally require a single application, urea needs to be applied several times during the growing season.

Commercially, fertilizer urea can be purchased as prills or as a granulated material. In the past, it was usually produced by dropping liquid urea from a "prilling tower" while drying the product. The prills formed a smaller and softer substance than other materials commonly used in fertilizer blends. Today, though, considerable urea is manufactured as granules. Granules are larger, harder, and more resistant to moisture. As a result, granulated urea has become a more suitable material for fertilizer blends.

CORN

Corn, also known as maize, is one of the most successful cereal grasses of all time. It has been under human cultivation for over 10,000 years and has spread itself into every niche of commercial agriculture. Like most grain producing grasses, corn is an annual that must be replanted each year. While corn originates in the New World, it is grown all over the world and used for a staggering array of products. Corn is far more productive than most cereal crops and able to sustain a higher population than relatives like wheat, rye, or rice.

Corn grows in warm weather and usually matures in late summer. The stalks can grow between three feet (one meter) and 20 feet (six meters) tall, depending upon the cultivar. At one point, there were thousands of varieties of corn in production, but these numbers have since dwindled to less than one hundred hardy, predictable varieties with large fleshy kernels. Corn grows in ears, tight clusters of kernels around a central core or cob that is covered in a leafy husk. Corn has been bred in such a way that it has difficulty reproducing without human assistance, thanks to this husk.

Archaic forms of corn would be unrecognizable to modern consumers. Corn's ancestor was probably a small grass with ears approximately two inches (five centimeters) long. People determined to eke some sort of nutritional value out of the grass bred corn to the plant we are familiar with today, and it quickly diffused all over the United States. Corn would have been popular among early Americans because it was nutritious, easy to cultivate, tasty, and high yielding.

As a commercial crop, corn is everywhere. It is one of the most intensively genetically modified crops, which has led to serious discussion and comment both inside and outside the agricultural industry. Corn is also one of the most grown crops globally, with thousands of acres being dedicated around the world to the high intensity production of corn crops.

Corn is also used in everything imaginable. In addition to being eaten straight off the cob or popped, corn is used to manufacture corn syrup, a wildly successful artificial sweetener. Corn is also used to synthesize a number of compounds used in manufacturing processes, such as corn starch, which is in everything from cardboard to biodegradable containers. Corn is extensively cultivated to produce animal feed, with all feedlot animals consuming pounds of the crop each day. In addition, corn is used in the manufacture of alcohol and ethanol, a commonly used alternative fuel.

Corn is one of nature's more amazing success stories, beginning life as a nutritionally useless plant and coming to dominate the diets of humans and the animals they eat. Almost all packaged foods contain corn products, no small accomplishment for a humble weed.

	RICE Long Grain Milled Rice is prepared from U.S. long grain rice that has been milled to remove the hull and bran. If enriched, iron phosphate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, and folic acid are added as per 21 CFR 137.350. The product, including raw materials shall be stored, prepared, and packaged in accordance with FDA Good Manufacturing practice (21 CFR, Part 110). The finished product and packaging shall conform to all applicable regulations issued under requirements of the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as amended.
	SUGAR What exactly do we mean when we say sugar? Well, most people would define sugar as a white powdery substance that we use to sweeten our food, but it is actually more than that. Sugar is also known as sucrose and comes from two plant sources. The two plants are cane and beet. There are many forms of sugar. There are brown sugars, Muscovado Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Demerara Sugar, Piloncillo, Panocha, Panela, Jaggery, Superfine Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Sugar cubes, Flavored Sugar, and Decorating Sugar. Brown Sugar- Brown sugar is the same as white sugar except during the process when it was made, it didn't get washed. This causes it texture and taste to change. Muscovado Sugar- Muscovado Sugar is a British specialty sugar. It has slightly sticky crystals, with the colour varying from light to dark brown.It brings deep and dusky flavour of molasses into various dishes and desserts. Turbinado Sugar- Turbinado Sugar is a further refined type of demerara sugar with a pale colour and a mild flavour. Demerara Sugar- Demerara Sugar is an English version of turbinado sugar. The colour of demerara sugar varies from golden brown (eg turbinado sugar) to dark brown, with a strong dark molasses flavour.This sugar can be used to sweeten and flavour various hot beverages, and it is used in fruit and berry desserts or in making candies and toffees. Piloncillo, Panocha, Panela, and Jaggery- Piloncillo, Panocha, Panela, and Jaggery are cones or loaves of Latin American sugars. Superfine Sugar- Superfine Sugar is just the same as sugar except it has been run through a blender for a short while turning it into superfine. Powdered Sugar- Powdered Sugar is the same as white sugar,except it is ground up more thoroughly than superfine sugar. Sugar Cubes- Sugar cubes are the same as it name. It is a cube that is made out of sugar and light small sugar syrup to hold it together. Sugar cubes is mainly used to sweeten various hot drinks and in recipes where sugar is melted, like syrups and caramel. Flavored Sugar- Flavored Sugar is a regular sugar, but has vanilla beans in it to add flavor. It is used instead of vanilla bean to give vanilla flavour to various sweet baked goods, desserts, whipped cream and beverages. Decorating Sugar – Decorating sugar is regular white sugar, but has been sprayed with food coloring to make it look pretty on cookies, cakes, and ect.
	VEGETABLE OIL Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature (saturated oils such as coconut and palm are more solid at room temperature than other oils). Some of the many different kinds of edible vegetable oils include: olive oil, palm oil, soybean oil, canola oil, pumpkin seed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, grape seed oil, sesame oil, argan oil and rice bran oil. Many other kinds of vegetable oils are also used for cooking. The generic term "vegetable oil" when used to label a cooking oil product may refer to a specific oil (such as rapeseed oil) or may refer to a blend of a variety of oils often based on palm, corn, soybean or sunflower oils. Oil can be flavored by immersing aromatic food stuffs such as fresh herbs, peppers, garlic and so forth in the oil for a period of time. However, care must be taken when storing flavored oils to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum (the bacteria that produces toxins that can lead to botulism).
	WHEAT Wheat is a type of grass grown all over the world for its highly nutritious and useful grain. It is one of the top three most produced crops in the world, along with corn and rice. Wheat has been cultivated for over 10,000 years and probably originates in the Fertile Crescent, along with other staple crops. A wide range of wheat products are made by humans, including most famously flour, which is made from the grain itself. Today, wheat is a grass that grows between two and four feet (½ to 1 ¼ meters) tall. The physical appearance of the grain is familiar to most consumers, with a long stalk that terminates in a tightly formed cluster of plump kernels enclosed by a beard of bristly spikes. Wheat is an annual, which means that at the end of each year, fields must be plowed and prepared again to grow the grass. Ancestral wheats probably looked very different, with much smaller kernels. The early domesticators of wheat obviously wanted to select for plants with particularly large kernels, since more nutrition could be eked out from each stalk. Because wheat is generally a self pollinating plant, each plant tends to produce clones of it. When farmers want to hybridize a wheat strain, they must physically pollinate the different plants. Farmers blending wheat for various purposes usually combine different seeds at harvest time and spread them evenly over the field. The wheat grown in the United States falls into two categories: winter wheat, which is planted in the fall and matures in the summer, and spring wheat, which is planted after the danger of frost is over and also matures in the summer. Wheat's characteristic golden color at harvest time is well known and often appears in artwork that uses wheat. When wheat is ready for harvest, the heads of the grain start to bend the stalks with the weight of the kernels. This, in combination with the golden color, indicates that it is time to harvest the wheat. After harvest, the grain is separated from the stalks and chaff. Wheat stalks are used in a variety of applications: mulch, construction material, and animal bedding, for example. On organic farms,livestock are often turned loose on the wheat field after harvest to clean up the leftovers. Once the kernels have been separated, they can be ground into flour. There are many classifications for flour, depending on what part of the seed is used and how hard the endosperm, the largest part of the kernel, is. Wheat kernels have three parts: the small germ, the large endosperm, and the rough outer casing known as the bran. Hard wheats are suitable for making pasta and bread, and soft wheats are used for other wheat products that do not require a high gluten content. If flour is made solely from the endosperm, it is known as white flour. If the germ is ground as well, the product is called germ flour. Flour that uses the whole kernel is called whole wheat. When making flour that doesn't use the whole kernel, the bran and germ are processed and sold separately. After harvest, the field is cleared and prepared for planting again. Farmers using good rotation practices do not plant wheat in sequential years, although they may return to the field later.