Castor Oils
TCC’s Castor Oil is a pale yellow liquid extracted from castor seeds (Ricinus Communis). It is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that has been used for centuries for its therapeutic and medicinal benefits. Most of the benefits of castor oil are believed to derive from its high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids. Although castor oil has a strong and rather unpleasant taste, it is used in cosmetics, soaps, textiles, medicines, massage oils and many other everyday products.
Applications
TCC’s Castor Oil is the raw material for the production of a number of chemicals, notably sebacic acid, undecylenic acid, and nylon-11. The production of lithium grease consumes a significant amount of castor oil.
Castor oil is also widely used as a bio-based polyol in the polyurethane industry.
In the food industry, food grade castor oil is used in food additives, flavorings, candy, chocolate, as a mold inhibitor, and in packaging. Polyoxyethylated castor oil is widely used in the food industry.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved castor oil as a safe and effective laxative and for over-the-counter use on skin disorders. It is an excipient or additive in many modern drugs.
Castor oil has numerous applications in transportation, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries. It is used in the manufacture of adhesives, brake fluids, caulks, dyes, electrical liquid dielectrics, humectants, hydraulic fluids, inks, lacquers, leather treatments, lubricating greases, machining oils, paints, pigments, polyurethane adhesives, refrigeration lubricants, sealants, textiles, washing powders, and waxes.
Castor oil, like currently less expensive vegetable oils, can be used as feedstock in the production of biodiesel. The resulting fuel is superior for cold winters.
Specifications
Castor oil Spec TCC – Click Here To Download
Shipping Information
TCC’s Castor Oil is available for shipping throughout the continental United States with one (1) week lead time. Please call (401) 360-2800 for details. Castor Oil is a liquid packed in bulk (rail, tanktruck, Isotank), totes (IBC tanks), and drums. Special packaging available on request.
Description
TCC’s Castor Oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean (technically the castor seed, as the castor plant, Ricinus Communis, is not a member of the bean family). Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with a mild or no odor and somewhat unpleasant taste. It is a triglyceride in which approximately 90 percent of fatty acid chains are ricinoleic acid. Oleic and linoleic acids are the other significant components.
The castor oil plant is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbaceae. It belongs to a monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. Its seed is the castor bean, which despite its name, is not a true bean. Castor is indigenous to the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, but is widespread throughout tropical regions and widely grown elsewhere as an ornamental plant.
Castor oil has a wide variety of uses. The seeds contain between 40 percent and 60 percent oil that is rich in triglycerides, mainly ricinolein. The seed contains ricin, a toxin that is also present in lower concentrations throughout the plant. Ricin is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein that is one of the world’s most lethal poisons. A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult human.
In addition to its therapeutic applications, castor oil has numerous commercial uses in transportation, cosmetics, and manufacturing industries for making adhesives, brake fluids, caulks, dyes, lubricants, and many other products that play integral roles in everyday life.
