Unlike conventional plastics, their ultimate raw material is not oil, but maize.

ECONOMIST: Evanescent or evergreen?

For 3, once nylon had been discovered and proven useful, the race was on, given the supply of cheap oil (the main raw material) post WWII, from the Arabian Gulf.

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Plant oils consist of fatty acids combined with glycerol and these fatty acids (for example, those from palm oil) are the main raw material for the biodiesel already sold today.

ECONOMIST: Advanced biofuels

What appears to be happening is that raw material producers like Russia and some of the oil producers in developing countries, are making a quiet but concerted effort to have a bigger share of the wealth which seems constantly to be radiating from the huge US economy.

BBC: Steel production

Among the mutual fund groups that saw inflows this year as oil prices along with gold and silver have steadily climbed the charts are raw material and commodity-related funds.

FORBES: Mutual Fund Inflows This Year Went To Silver, Gold and Oil