| Commercial fats
produced by organic processes in plants are palm, coconut, palm kernel,
sunflower, soybean, and other oils. Their main components are triolein and
triglyceryl esters of stearic (C18), palmitic (C16), myristic(C14), lauric
(C12), oleic (C18:1), and other fatty acids. Tallow is a refined hard fat
extracted from fatty deposits of animals, especially from suet (fatty tissues
around the kidneys of cattle and sheep). The molecules of most natural fatty
acids have an even number of carbon chains due to the linkage together by ester
units. Analogous compounds of odd numbers carbon chain fatty acids can be made
synthetically. All fats are insoluble in water and have lighter weight than
water. Industrial fats can be sub-classified as fat, grease or oil depending on
melting point. Fats that are liquid at room temperature are referred to oil.
Grease has a higher initial viscosity than oil. It is used as a lubricant. The
organic processes to convert fats to fatty acids (or esters) and glycerol is
called oleochemistry. Fatty acids and glycerol are produced by hydrolysis
(addition reaction of water molecule with cleavage of parent molecules) of the
triglycerides. Fatty esters are produced by esterification reaction. Coconut or
palm oils are better source to get saturated fatty acids than sunflower, soybean
or rapeseed oils which have more unsaturated fatty acids composition of
triglycerides. Tall oil is a source of low boiling point fatty acids. Generally,
commercial coconut fatty acid has carbon chain composition of; C10 (5% max) +
C12 (45 - 55%) + C14 (20 - 25%) + C16 (10 - 15 %) + C18 (10 - 15% max, including
unsaturated fatty acids). Fats are used to make soap, food products, cosmetics,
and candles, and lubricants. They are wisely used in producing synthetic
surfactants.
Fatty Acids are aliphatic carboxylic acid with varying hydrocarbon lengths
at one end of the chain joined to terminal carboxyl (-COOH) group at the other
end. The general formula is R-(CH2)n-COOH. Fatty acids are
predominantly unbranched and those with even numbers of carbon atoms between 12
and 22 carbons long react with glycerol to form lipids (fat-soluble components
of living cells) in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Fatty acids all have
common names respectively lauric (C12), myrIstic (C14), palmitic (C16),
stearic (C18), oleic (C18, unsaturated), and linoleic (C18, polyunsaturated)
acids. The saturated fatty acids have no double bonds, while oleic acid is an
unsaturated fatty acid has one double bond (also described as olefinic) and
polyunsaturated fatty acids like linolenic acid contain two or more double
bonds. Lauric acid (also called Dodecanoic acid) is the main acid in coconut oil
(45 - 50 percent) and palm kernel oil (45 - 55 percent). Nutmeg butter is rich in
myristic acid (also called Tetradecanoic acid ) which constitutes 60-75 percent
of the fatty-acid content. Palmitic acid(also called Hexadecylic acid )
constitutes between 20 and 30 percent of most animal fats and is also an
important constituent of most vegetable fats (35 - 45 percent of palm oil).
Stearic acid (also called Octadecanoic Acid) is nature's most common
long-chain fatty acids, derived from animal and vegetable fats. It is widely
used as a lubricant and as an additive in industrial preparations. It is used in
the manufacture of metallic stearates, pharmaceuticals, soaps, cosmetics, and
food packaging. It is also used as a softener, accelerator activator and
dispersing agent in rubbers. Oleic acid (systematic chemical name is cis-octadec-9-enoic acid) is the
most abundant of the unsaturated fatty acids in nature. Stearic
Acid is widely used as a lubricant and as an additive in industrial preparations.
It is used in the manufacture of metallic
stearates, pharmaceuticals, soaps, cosmetics, and food packaging.
It is also used as a
softener, accelerator activator and dispersing agent in rubbers.
Tallow based products
are widely used in the synthesis of organic chemicals
and cationic
and amphoteric surfactants.
End uses are:
- Corrosion
inhibitor
- Detergent
- Ore floating agent
- Fabric softener
- Antistatic agent
- Germicide, insecticide
- Cationic
emulsifier
- Anticaking agent
- Lubricants
- Water treatment agent
- Asphalt
emulsifiers
- Pigment
modification
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