Crambe oil is an inedible seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the ''
Crambe abyssinica
''Crambe abyssinica'' is an annual oilseed crop of the family Brassicaceae. It is mainly cultivated due to the high levels of erucic acid that are contained in its seeds. The crambe oil is used for industrial purposes and its side products can be ...
'', a multibranched annual plant that is native to the Ethiopian Highlands also known as
Abyssinia.
The oil has been shown to consist of 55-60%
erucic acid. The Australian Farm Diversification Information Service writes:
:Intermediate product derived from high erucic acid oil include:
triglycerides;
erucamides;
amines,
behenic acid;
erucyl alcohol;
behenyl alcohol
1-Docosanol, also known as behenyl alcohol, is a saturated fatty alcohol containing 22 carbon atoms, used traditionally as an emollient, emulsifier, and thickener in cosmetics.
In July 2000, docosanol was approved for medical use in the United ...
;
wax esters;
fatty acids;
brassylic acid and
pelargonic acid. These products are used to manufacture a multitude of industrial consumer items such as
lubricant
A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...
s;
heat transfer fluids;
surfactant
Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming ...
s and coatings;
cosmetics;
polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...
s;
plastics and
nylons.
is traditionally derived from older varieties of
rapeseed. Crambe oil is considered to be a possible replacement for
rapeseed oil
Close-up of canola blooms
Canola flower
Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, i ...
in this capacity. The market for crambe oil is particularly developed in the United States.
References
Vegetable oils
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