Castor Oil is natural oil obtained from castor seeds. Its long chain oleic acids offer unique chemical properties
Castor oil is produced from castor seeds. It contains at least 85% of ricinoleic acid a unique vegetal unsaturated oleic acid with hydroxy acid and hydroxyl functionality. Ricinoleic acid imparts specific properties to oil which made it the choice lubricants for race cars and planes rotary engines for years. It is used as mold inhibitor for the protection of food grains such as rice or wheat. Transesterification will allow recovering the ricinoleic acid which will be used in many downstream chemical applications.
Examples of applications
In the Chemical industry, the largest application field for Castor oils will be Nylons. It is the starting material for Nylon 11 and of Nylon 10 via the sebacic acid derived from ricinoleic acid. The Sebacic acid will also be used in greases and lubricants as well as plasticizers. Once hydrogenated, castor oils will be used as rheology modifier of solvent-borne paints or as release additive of stamp foil. Due to its natural and hence renewable origin, it also allows improving the carbon footprint of the products it is incorporated into.
