PEG-26 Castor Oil is a surfactant that is used as an emulsifier, dispersant, solubiliser and softening agent. Due to its properties, it is readily chosen by formulators in industrial branches for a wide range of applications. It is used for example in the textile, leather, paper, beauty or pharmaceutical industries.
PEG-26 Castor Oil (INCI name) is an ethoxylated derivative of castor oil. It belongs to the group called polyoxyethylene castor oil fatty acid esters. The CAS number of the compound is 61791-12-6. In products, it primarily acts as a dispersant and an agent with cleaning properties.
The pure substance is a light yellow clear liquid with a characteristic odour. The colour of PEG-26 Castor Oil reaches a maximum value of 10 in the iodine scale. A marketed product, such as ROKAcet R26 (included in the product range offered by the PCC Group) features the main ingredient content exceeding 99.5%. Water is most frequently an impurity and its content is up to 0.5%. The molar mass of PEG-26 Castor Oil is approx. 2030 g/mol. The compound is well soluble in water. It also dissolves readily in organic solvents such as acetone, benzene, ethanol or carbon tetrachloride. The aqueous solutions of PEG-26 Castor Oil exhibit an exceptional resistance to acids, hard water and partially to alkalis as well. It may be combined with other components such as non-ionic, cationic or anionic agents. The density of PEG-26 Castor Oil, at the temperature of 30ᵒC, is 1.03 g/mL, while its solidification point is approx. 0ᵒC. PEG-26 Castor Oil is biodegradable in the natural environment.
PEG-26 Castor Oil is used as an ingredient of cutting fluids based on soluble oils, semi-synthetic coolants and neat oils. Such fluids are a popular solution for e.g. machining processes on CNC machines. Their primary role is to dissipate the heat generated during rubbing of the processed materials and also to reduce friction. They contain cutting oils, synthetic fluid concentrates, corrosion inhibitors, biostatic ingredients or greasing substances. Their different chemical characteristics make it necessary to add surfactants such as PEG-26 Castor Oil to cutting fluids, as it would be very difficult to produce a stable emulsion and evenly disperse all components.
Besides its use in cutting fluids, PEG-26 Castor Oil is an ingredient of fire resistant hydraulic fluids of the HFA type. Their basic task is to transmit energy and control signal, dissipate heat and lubricate movable elements. Surfactants such as PEG-26 Castor Oil are required to combine the ingredients of such fluids (glycols, functional additives, colours etc.) and obtain the right consistency. HFA hydraulic fluids are primarily used by the mining industry.
The emulsifying property of PEG-26 Castor Oil is also used in liquid pesticide formulations, such as EC, SC, EW and ME.
Products containing PEG-26 Castor Oil:
