Vegetable Derived Waxes for Candles Steve Russell Cargill Nature - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Vegetable Derived Waxes for Candles

Steve Russell Cargill Nature Wax Alafave Latin American Conference of Candle Manufacturers June 26-28, 2002

Who is Cargill? Fact List:

• Largest privately held company in the US
• Founded in 1865, Cargill is 90,000 employees
• perating businesses in 57 countries on 6

continents

• Sales in excess of $49 billion for 2000-01 we

are an international marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products and services

CARGILL GLOBAL OIL REFINING FACILITIES CARGILL GLOBAL OIL REFINING FACILITIES Venezuela - 1 Malawi - 1 USA - 8 Brazil - 4 Malaysia - 1 Mexico - 1 E U R O P E England 1 Germany 1 Spain 1 Belgium 1 France 1

Cargill Logistical Capabilities

• Cargill Refined Oils has

+ 2000 tank cars in our fleet and contracts w/ all four major rail carriers for the most competitive rates

• We have dedicated truck

lines which service each of

• ur plants
• We can package the same

products in convenient 50# boxes and offer competitive LTL rates for smaller orders

Risk and Managing Uncertainty

• Cargill is an innovator in developing unique risk

management strategies

• Through various cash and futures strategies we can
• ffer multi-year price stability for the candle industry
• Vegetable based waxes are from renewable sources

and can be produced around the world reducing risk in terms of long term supply

Crude Soybean Oil Volatility vs.. Crude Petroleum Futures and Cash Prices

Price Comparison History SBO vs Crude Petroleum 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

196001 196201 196401 196601 196801 197001 197201 197401 197601 197801 198001 198201 198401 198601 198801 199001 199201 199401 199601 199801 200001 SBO cents/lb

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

CrudePetro $/Barrel

AvgMonthly CBOT NrbySBO AvgMonthly CrudePetro Futrs AvgMonthly Cash Crude Petro Px Series

Vegetable Waxes

• Vegetable waxes can be derived from vegetable,

animal, and mineral sources. Originally, tallow and beeswax were used in candles, followed by fat derived vegetable waxes in recent years. Usage had been limited to brittle stearine taper candles or expensive beeswax candles.

• Pillar taper and votive candles were very difficult to

produce due to brittleness and cracking upon cooling.

Vegetable Waxes

• Recently, segments of the candle industry have expressed

interest in vegetable waxes. The push for more natural ingredients led to the use of expensive beeswax or hydrogenated fats and fatty acids. The advantages of renewable resource and clean burning has driven the use of vegetable derived waxes for candles.

• Animal waxes such as tallow, lard, lanolin, etc. have similar

properties to certain vegetable waxes and are often labeled as “natural” products, but often confuse customers into believing that such products are vegetable derived.

• Recently, developments from several world wide sources have

led to improved vegetable waxes for candle use.

Vegetable Wax

• New vegetable waxes have been developed

by Cargill as well as other producers. These new waxes have addressed many of the problems encountered with the use of previous vegetable products.

Vegetable Wax

• Vegetable derived candle waxes now have

excellent properties for use in Pillar, Votive, and Container Candles. Candles made from these waxes can vary in appearance from smooth and creamy to rough and crystalline.

• These waxes have excellent fractional melt

properties that offer large melt diameters with reduced side blowouts experienced with

• ther vegetable waxes.

Petroleum vs. Vegetable Waxes

• Vegetable Wax

– Renewable resource – Polar chemistry – Excellent compatibility – Limited shrink – 1 pour – Narrow melt – Brittle – Clean burn – Low energy costs

• Petroleum Wax

– Finite resource – Nonpolar chemistry – Limited compatibility – High shrink – cavity – Broad fractional melt – Plastic – Soot when uncontrolled – High energy costs

Vegetable Wax Sources

• Seed Oils

(hydrogenated)

– Soybean (US & elsewhere) – Cottonseed (US) – Palm (Malaysia & other Asian) – Coconut (Philippines &

• ther Asian)

– Rapeseed/Canola (Canada & UK) – Castor (South America) – Corn (North & South America) – Sunflower (US)

• Other Vegetable Waxes

– Bayberry (Scarce) – Carnauba (Brazilian leaf wax) – Candelilla (Mexican plant wax) – Rice Bran (Asia & US) – Jojoba (SW US)

Fragrance and Oil Compatibility

• Exotic fragrances and essential oils are considered to

be in chemical terms as “highly polar” materials, containing esters, aldehydes, ketones, etc.

• Petroleum waxes, on the other hand, are non-polar.

Because of this polarity difference, certain fragrances are less compatible in petroleum wax. These fragrances will not go completely into solution, settling on the bottom of the mixing kettle. Co- solvents are often used by fragrance companies to help aid compatibility, but often lead to other problems.

Fragrance and Oil Compatibility (cont.)

• Co-solvents dilute the fragrance and are

limited in the concentration that can be used in a candle formula. Co-solvents also affect fragrance throw.

• Vegetable waxes on the other hand are much

more polar than petroleum waxes. The high ester content of vegetable waxes make them very compatible with exotic fragrances and

• ils, including many essential oils.

Fractional Melt

• Fatty materials are narrow cut products with

very narrow melt distributions. This can make candles difficult to burn properly because they lack a broad fractional melt

• distribution. Candles made with many

vegetable product available today often result in small burn diameters because they have not reached fractional melting of the wax. Attempts to adjust the wick to provide a hotter flame, often results in candle side blow

• uts (especially votives) because all the wax

melts at once.

Fractional Melt

Hydrogenated palm stearine Petroleum wax Melt Distribution Temperature

Wick Considerations

• Vegetable waxes have higher viscosity's than

typical paraffin waxes. In fact, the viscosity is similar to that of beeswax. Larger wicks, similar to those used with beeswax candles should be used with these waxes.

• Wick choice should be made through
• experimentation. The emphasis should

center on the desired burn diameter and burn

• quality. Most wick suppliers are developing

wicks specifically designed for vegetable wax candles and should be consulted about wick selection.

Crystal Structure

• Soy Products have a Beta Prime crystal
• structure. This crystal structure has a

dramatic affect on the wax solidifies after burning. Cauliflower growth and whitening often occurs. The crystal structure of soy products must be modified to be used properly in candle applications.

Shrinkage

• Vegetable derived materials comprise a

completely different crystal structure than paraffin waxes. This results in lower more uniform shrinkage than

• paraffin. For most applications, a single

pour feature is obtainable, but can vary due to processing conditions, candle size, shape, and surface area.

Opacity

• The small crystal size of vegetable derived

waxes result in a completely opaque candle without the use of additives like Vybar and high melting opacifiers.

• Colors of vegetable candles tend to be more

pastel in appearance with few if any deep colored candles.

Burn Properties

• In general, vegetable waxes have been found

to burn cleaner with less soot than petroleum waxes in candles.

• The linear ester functionality seems to

promote more efficient burn with less problematic by-products.

• Wick considerations are very important for
• ptimal burn properties of any candle.

Energy Savings

• Vegetable waxes have lower heats of fusion

than paraffin waxes (which means less energy is required to melt vegetable waxes).

• Vegetable waxes have a tendency to super

cool when solidifying resulting in much lower solidifying points than melting points (10 to 20 deg C lower).

• Lower storage and processing temperatures

can be achieved, resulting in reduced energy requirements.

Vegetable Wax

Summary

• All Vegetable Wax

– Renewable, natural source – All vegetable – no animal products

• Compatibility with exotic fragrances & oils
• Good Fractional Melt – for melt diameter
• Low Shrinkage – Single Pour
• Clean Burning
• Low Energy Costs