Purification
Introduction
1. Natural Waxes
Animal Waxes
Vegetable waxes
Mineral waxes
Mineral waxes
Mineral waxes are paraffin waxes which are obtained from petroleum.
For example:
Paraffin wax - made of long-chain alkane hydrocarbons
Microcrystalline wax - with very fine crystalline structure
Petroleum jelly-Petrolatum or petroleum jelly is essentially a mixture
of microcrystalline wax and oil.
Ceresin waxes -wax like the paraffin consists of a group of
hydrocarbons relates to methane with low acid number so that it's
important in rubber compounding.
Mountain wax - extracted from lignite and brown coal
Ozocerite - found in lignite beds
Peat waxes-dark waxy substance extracted from peat using organic
solvents.
Paraffin wax
Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20
n 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature
and begin to enter the liquid phase past approximately 37C.
Paraffin wax is a mixture of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons (with
the general formula CnH2n+2). Pure paraffin wax is an excellent
electrical insulator, with an electrical resistivity of between 1013 and
1017 ohm meter.
Microcrystalline waxes
Microcrystalline waxes are a type of wax produced by de-oiling
petrolatum, as part of the petroleum refining process. In contrast to
the more familiar paraffin wax which contains mostly unbranched
alkanes, microcrystalline wax contains a higher percentage of
isoparaffinic (branched) hydrocarbons and naphthenic hydrocarbons
Petrolatum (petroleum jelly )
Petrolatum is usually a soft product containing approximately 20%
oil and melting between 38C (100F) and 60C (140F). Petrolatum
or petroleum jelly is essentially a mixture of microcrystalline wax
and oil.
It is produced as an intermediate product in the refining of
microcrystalline wax or compounded by blending appropriate waxy
products and oils.
Petrolatum colors range from the almost black crude form to the
highly refined yellow and white pharmaceutical grades.
2. Synthetic Waxes
Polyethylene waxes
Polypropylene wax
Tetrafluoroethylen (PTFE)
Ethylene-Acrylic Acid (EAA)
An important operation in the production of lubricating oils is the
dewaxing of the corresponding petroleum fractions and residues,
since it is only possible to manufacture lubricating and industrial
oils with low pour points and with viscosities, suitable for use at
low temperatures, from crudes containing paraffin. The
manufacture of petroleum waxes includes the following
technological processes :
Production of slack waxes and petrolatum's by dewaxing
petroleum products.
De-oiling and fractional crystallization of slack waxes and
petrolatum's.
Purification of crude paraffin waxes.
Blending of paraffin waxes with additives.
Dewaxing Processes Methods
Dewaxing Crystallizer
1. Large and well-developed crystals can be readily pressed and
filtered.
2. The needle-shaped crystalline types can be easily sweated
3. Microcrystalline paraffin waxes cannot be separated by filter
pressing, but are readily separated by centrifuging.
High solvent power for oil & low solvent power for wax
Low visc. at operating temperature to get low pressure drop & to help in
precipitation /crystallization
Good filterability
Low freezing point & temperature effect of dewaxing
High thermal/chemical stability
Boiling point much lower than that of feed
Low latent heat/specific heat
De-oiling and fractional crystallization of slack
waxes and petrolatums
Oil and low-melting fractions removed from the slack wax. The
process is called de-oiling.
De-oiling is fractional crystallization of slack or paraffin waxes
by their melting point.
Slack waxes obtained from light distillates by cooling and
pressing were formerly-oiled exclusively by a
process called sweating.
Slack Wax, feedstock, is obtained from the dewaxing of refined
or unrefined vacuum distillate fractions. If the material has been
separated from residual oil fractions it is frequently called
Petrolatum.
MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX
Microcrystalline waxes consist of odorless, tasteless, non-polar hydrocarbons
with relatively high melting points. Multi wax grades vary in color from white to
yellow, and in such physical properties as hardness and melting point.
The sweating chamber, a steel structure covered with insulation, contains rectangular
trays with cone shape bottom, which are equipped with approx. 50 mesh screen plate in
its lower part and coils for alternate cooling and heating purpose. These trays are
installed inside of the sweating chamber by an arrangement of several vertical lines of
which each has approx. 8 ~10 trays.
In the first step of this process, the fresh water is filled in each tray until the level
reaches slightly over the screen mesh before the feed wax feeds to keep 10 ~ 20 cm
thick beds and then the cooling water is circulated through the coil. After the feed is
completely crystallized, the filled water is drained off.
The crystallized wax is then sweated while simultaneously draining the liquid
drippings, so called foot oil, from each tray in the sweating chamber. The later fractions
of foot oil is recycled through sweating process.
When the congealing point of the liquid drippings indicates that
melting temperature of desired wax product has been obtained,
sweating and drainage are stopped. Consequently, the remaining
solid bed of wax in the sweating chamber is rapidly melted by
heater and then flows to semi-finished product tanks.
To produce refined wax from a product wax requires that the
wax should be treated with activated clay for color and odor
removal is filtered in filter press or rotary drum filter. In order to
obtain the low oil content required in final wax products,
sometimes two or three repeated treatments are required.
Process Flow Diagram (Wax-Sweating Process)
PROCESS FLOW DESCRIPTION - II
Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly)
In the process, either petrolatum and lube base oil from oil refinery or
paraffin and micro wax produced from the sweating process as
described are used as feedstock.
The process, as semi-continuous process, can be divided either by the
blending ratios of the feedstock or treatment methods.
Polishes
Paste types , used for
i. Floors
ii. Furniture
iii. Cars
iv. footwear
Waxes are also used for
candle making
Coatings for waxed paper or cloth.
Food-grade paraffin wax
Food packing industry is the largest consumer of wax today
Coating of fruit and cheese
For lining of cans and barrels
Manufacturing of anti-corrosives
Due to thermoplastic nature used for molding and making of
replicas
Blends of waxes are used for dentists when making dentures
Used engineers when mass-producing precision casting
Shiny coating used in candy -making although edible
Coating for many kinds of hard cheese, like Edam cheese
Sealant for jars, cans, and bottle
Solid propellant for hybrid rocket motors
Component of surf wax, used for grip on surfboards in surfing
Component of glide wax, used on skis and snowboards.
Bone wax is used to help mechanically control bleeding from
bone surfaces during surgical procedures
Chewing gum additive
Wax baths for beauty and therapy purposes .
Micro wax: food additive, a glazing agent.