Oleochemicals

Introduction Soap, in its diverse forms and compositions, has an evolving market worldwide. Laundry soap, toilet soap, medicated soaps, translucent soaps, high-lather soaps… the varieties are endless. Underlying all these varieties are soap noodles – the basic building blocks of soap manufacturing. Driven by growing consumer awareness and the consequently growing market for soaps of […]

Introduction The oleochemicals industry is growing at a tremendous rate – and with good reason. Given their source in plant- and/or animal-based raw materials, oleochemicals are becoming increasingly popular. This popularity is driven by today’s trends towards sustainability, limiting fossil fuel use, and high crude oil prices. Compared to petrochemicals, oleochemicals are cheaper, minimise the

Introduction In the edible oils industry, hydrogenation is a fat modification process which transforms the physical characteristics of natural oils and fats, lending them improved texture and stability. The chemical reaction involves the addition of hydrogen to natural oils and/or fats in the presence of a nickel catalyst. The hydrogen gets attached to the carbon-carbon