Chemical Forums
Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: Nalu on June 24, 2018, 12:06:16 PM
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Hi, we are developing a new organic surf wax that is eco friendly. Our main goal is to get rid of generic surf wax that pollute our ocean. We have perfected it but have a huge problem with the color. It is now a baby nappy brown and we need it to be white or colorless. The main ingredients are beeswax and coconut oil. We are trying our best to keep it organic but at the very least we want it echo friendly. We have tried: titanium oxide but it changes the consistency too much, peroxide but it doesn't change the color. Any suggestions?
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Could try to add some hypochlorite bleach, as simplistic as that sounds. However you should be aware for aging affects on the product even if there isn't an immediate problem.
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@wildfyr
Bleach was my first thought.
But, I stopped short of suggesting it because so many compounds that are considered unfriendly to the environment have Chlorine in them.
Your knowledge of organic chemistry is far better than mine, so I would like your thoughts.
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Is it possible to use charcoal to decolorize at some point in the process?
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Interesting. Are the ingredients each white or nearly colorless? If not, then can you use a better grade or purify? If they change colors when mixed, maybe they are oxidizing. One of the common ways to prevent fats and waxes from oxidizing is to use tocopherol, also known as Vitamin E. I said common -- it didn't say it worked well, in my experience it doesn't, but you can try it.
Also, when the appropriate amount is used, does it discolor the board? Or is it just bad for light colored boards? Or only dark in the tin?
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Prolonged boiling seems to discolour coconut oil and palm oil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil
wiki also suggests "bleached" palm oil.
Hydrogenated oils are commercially available, they are thicker than the original unsaturated oils, and should be more stable under sunlight.
Titanium dioxide may become unfashionable in the future. In this use it's harmless, but customers don't make the difference.
What about chalk or limestone as an eco-friendly white pigment?
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Not limestone, it will react with water to give Ca(OH)2, a strong base.
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If this happens quickly it's a serious worry.
What about talc powder as a white pigment?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talc
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Wow thanx guys these are all good suggestion but I think you need more info to help me. The problem is not the beeswax or coconut oil. They are pretty colourless or a lovely honey colour at the end. The problem is we use diatemaceous earth to get rid of the oiliness. That gives it the brown colour that we don't like. The problem with the colour is that if you have a lovely white board you don't want a brown wax on it because it will just look like dirty wax that you need to remove. So we either need a bleach like substance that strip the colour or a whitening agent or a substitute for the diatemaceous earth or a organic dye that will give us a colour that is cool like ocean blue.
We have tried:
1.Chalk to replace the diatemaceous earth but it does not mix with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Peroxide but it does not change the colour at all.
3. Boiling it longer but it does not change the colour.
4. I have not tried hypochlorite bleach because it have googled it and it seems that if it reaches boiling point it give of a poisonous gas? Is this true?
5. We have tried some dyes but without success.
Thank you so much
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Diatomaceous earth is sometimes called Celite, and its most common use is to filter away unwanted particulate matter. I would contact the manufacturer to ask if they can recommend a way to remove the color.
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What if you put something through the diatomaceous earth/celite first to absorb the color (like acetone, or some sacrificial wax) then put your product through?
I always found celite to be colorless. Perhaps the grade you are using is low?
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Hi Nalu,
did you find the correct ingredient ?
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Try peracetic acid. It is an organic peroxide.
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Hello
Quick question
Did you succeed and how
I am working on this same product development now.
Cheers