Croduret™ 40 is a versatile, nonionic surfactant derived from vegetable sources. It is ethoxylated, meaning it undergoes a reaction with ethylene oxide to enhance its surfactant properties. This surfactant is well-suited for various applications across different industries. One of the key features of Croduret™ 40 is its excellent emulsifying and solubilizing capabilities. It enables the dispersion of immiscible substances, such as oils and water, facilitating the creation of stable emulsions and enhancing the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. This functionality makes it valuable in a wide range of formulations, including personal care, household, and industrial products.

Chemical Name: Castor Oil, Hydrogenated, Ethoxylated, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Functions: Emulsifier, Solubilizer

Labeling Claims: Halal, Naturally Derived, Sustainable

Certifications & Compliance: Halal

HLB Value: 13.0 - 13.0

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Knowde Enhanced TDS

Identification & Functionality

Chemical Family
Cleaning Ingredients Functions

Features & Benefits

Castor Oil Derivatives

Etocas and Croduret are vegetable-derived nonionic surfactants which find widespread use as emulsifiers, wetting agents, dispersants and lubricants. They are commonly used in such diverse applications as textiles and leather processing, printing inks, household products, metalworking fluids, emulsion polymerisation, paper recycling and other auxiliary industries. Etocas and Croduret are ethoxylated castor oil and ethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil respectively. Members within each range have different degrees of ethoxylation (moles) as indicated by their numerical suffix. Members with levels of ethoxylation differing from the standard range may be made available on request, subject to minimum batch quantities. The chemical structure of the Crodurets is analogous to that of Etocas with the exception that the double bond has been saturated by hydrogenation. This results in greater oxidative stability with superior color and odor.

Applications & Uses

Markets
Applications
  • Textiles/leather processing
  • printing inks
  • household products
  • metalworking fluids
  • emulsion polymerisation
  • paper recycling

Textiles/leather processing In synthetic and natural fiber and fabric processing, Etocas and Croduret are useful as dye carriers/solvents, dye leveling and wetting agents, emulsifiers, lubricants, softeners and spin finishes. The intermediate members of the Etocas and Croduret range are employed as emulsifiers and stabilizers for
aliphatic/aromatic solvents, phthalic acid esters, hydrocarbons and other principal dye carriers. In particular, Etocas 29 and 40 are recommended as leveling and wetting agents for disperse dyes on nylon and acetate. Etocas 29, 35 and 40 are known to be excellent emulsifiers for oleic acid and oleic acid/mineral oil blends for wool carding oils. They also find application as water-soluble lubricants used in fiber production, texturing, processing and spin finishes. In leather processing Etocas and Croduret are used as nonionic leveling agents to ensure that the applied dye is evenly dispersed through the leather. 

Printing inks
The Etocas and Croduret range may be used in printing inks as surfactants to improve wetting of pigments and aid ink flow. In duplicator machine inks based on vegetable oils the lower members of the ranges are recommended as emulsifiers and stabilizers. Etocas 10 is particularly useful in textile screen printing inks to help stabilize plastisol resins. In auxiliary market applications Etocas and Croduret are effective vegetable oil emulsifiers in blanket roller cleaners and plate and screen cleaners.

Household products
The Etocas or Croduret range can be used in many household product systems as solubilisers, detergents or emulsifiers. The higher molar ethoxylates are effective solubilisers for the fragrances used in household air freshener products, including gels and liquids. Etocas surfactants are recommended as emulsifiers for the preparation of
aqueous microemulsion household insecticide products. |n particular, Etocas 29 is an effective emulsifier for aqueous microemulsions of pyrethroid and organophosphorous insecticides.

Metal working fluids
The Etocas range of products are used in cutting fluids and other metal working lubricants where they function as emulsifiers, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants and wetting agents. They may also be used in synthetics and semi-synthetics imparting additional lubricating properties and exhibiting lower foaming characteristics than other nonionics.

Emulsion polymerisation
Nonionics are generally used in combination with anionic surfactants as they provide stability in the presence of calcium and aluminum ions. The type of Etocas or Croduret to be used should be determined by the monomer/solvent type, stability of the monomer emulsion, wetting ability and emulsion particle size/viscosity.

Paper recycling
Etocas surfactants may be employed as emulsifiers for fatty acid systems commonly used as de-inking agents in the paper recycling industry.

Emulsification
Etocas and Croduret are effective emulsifiers for oils, solvents and waxes. The less ethoxylated members of the ranges (5-30 moles) have HLB values below 12. Above this level of ethoxylation the products exhibit HLB values ranging from 12-15. When selecting an Etocas or Croduret surfactant using the HLB system, it is necessary to consider the range of materials to be emulsified. In some applications, particularly in more sophisticated systems, a blend of surfactants rather than a single surfactant may be more effective.

Properties

Physical Form
Compatible with
Hydrogen Peroxide
Typical Properties
ValueUnitsTest Method / Conditions
Flash Pointmin. 100°C
pH6-7-
HLB Value13
Solubility

The following tables provide data on the solubility/miscibility of the Etocas/Croduret series at 10% w/w ina range of common solvents and oils at 25°C.

Croduret 40
Water Soluble
Acetone Soluble
Ethanol Soluble
Ethanol/Water (50:50) Soluble
Oleyl Alcohol Dispersible
Propylene Glycol Soluble
Glycerin Dispersible
Isopropyl Myristate Insoluble
Cetostearyl Octanoate Insoluble
Castor Oil Dispersible
Mineral Oil 25cS at 25°C Insoluble
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Dispersible

Figure 3: Solubility characteristics of the Croduret range 

Regulatory & Compliance

Certifications & Compliance

Technical Details & Test Data

Emulsification Characteristics

Figure 2 indicates the quality of emulsions produced at 25°C when 1% surfactant is combined with 9% oil/solvent in deionised water under normal stirring conditions.
The emulsion characteristics judged were:

  1. Ease of dispersion of the surfactant/solvent mixture in water at 25°C
  2. The particle size of the resulting emulsion
Aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent Good
Castor oil Good
Mineral oil (25cS, at 25°C) Poor
Isopropyl myristate Good
Rape methyl esters Good

 Figure 2: Emulsification characteristics

Safety & Health

Health and Safety

Etocas and Croduret are well-established raw materials and are generally considered to present no special hazards.

Packaging & Availability

Regional Availability
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • North America