Sugarcane wax is a wax extracted from sugarcane.
| Identifiers | |
|---|---|
| |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
| Infobox references | |
The production of sugarcane wax is difficult and economically intensive. Sugarcane is used almost exclusively to produce sugar. More importantly, there is just about 0.1% of sugarcane wax in sugarcane. Therefore, economic productions can only be found in the major cultivation countries Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico. During the production of sugar remains a filter residue, the so-called bagasse. The sugar cane wax is obtained from this filter residue. In that process, plant residues and chlorophyll are separated from the sugarcane.
Around 1840, for the first time the American pharmacist Avequin was able to produce sugarcane wax out of the bagasse in a relatively pure form. In his quantitative analysis he found that there is just 0.1% of the whitish to dark yellow wax in sugarcane. [1] In 1909, more than 60 years later, the Frenchman A. Wynberg was granted a patent for the production of sugarcane wax by extracting it out of the bagasse. [2] During World War I, one of the first companies that produced large amounts of sugarcane waxes established in the South African province Natal. Already in 1924, 6000 tons of dark sugarcane wax were produced there. This amount was mainly used for the production of candles for the Russian Orthodox Church. Because of the Russian Revolution and the associated war against the church the consumption of sugarcane wax decreased so much that the company had to be closed. In the following period, sugarcane wax was produced in the US, mainly in Louisiana where there were up to 22 sugarcane wax producers. Already in 1922, M. Rindl described applications for sugarcane wax in detail, for example as substitute for Carnauba, Bee and Montan waxes. [3]
Sugarcane wax consists of the following ingredients: about 70% of alcohols of long-chain hydrocarbons having chain lengths of C 18 to C 32, wax acids having chain lengths of C 18 to C 32, ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids and aromatic carboxylic acids. Also fatty alcohols (wax alcohols) and diols are alcohol components. Besides that, about 5 to 10% consist of unesterified diols, long-chain wax acids such as behenic, cerotic, lignoceric or melissic acid and saturated hydrocarbons. Untreated sugarcane wax contains up to 25% of resin and moreover, up to 60% polycosanol (octacosanol) which can be extracted from sugarcane wax in the pure form.
Sugarcane wax is indigestible and harmless to health. In case of accidental consumption it is excreted. In its refined form it has a light yellowish colour. Due to the high melting point of 75 to 80 °C it remains stable even if exposed to direct sunlight. Sugarcane wax offers a good oil and solvent retention for anionic bright emulsions.
Until the 1960s, sugar cane wax was added to the production of chewing gum as an edible wax. In this process the sugar cane wax acted as elastomer or as plasticizer and consistency regulator. [4] In 1943, J. W. Schlegel and L. Lang were granted a patent to flour donuts with sugar. [5] The ground sugar was mixed with 0.4% of sugar cane wax. Thus, the donuts became fat- and water-repellent and kept their fresh appearance longer. Also chocolate was thinly coated with sugarcane wax. The gloss durability improved, the melting reduced and the packing was relieved as well. In order to keep vegetables and fruits fresh or to make it look fresh emulsions from sugarcane wax mixed with other natural waxes were prepared. The vegetables or fruits were immersed in the emulsions or sprayed with wax emulsions. [6]
In the 1970s, a further field of application for polycosanols made from sugarcane wax was found in the medical industry, the lowering of the cholesterol level. This had been pursued with various investigations by the Cuban laboratory Dalmer S.A. in Havana, especially against the background of the fall of the Iron Curtain. During this time, there were many - also controversial - patent applications. The last known patent was applied in 1998 by S.A. Dalmer. [7] Those results were analysed, summarised and developed further by I. Gouni-Berthold and H. K. Berthold. [8] From 2004 to 2007 the cholesterol-lowering effect of polycosanols made from sugarcane wax was transferred to montan waxes because of their very similar chemical structure by E. Krendlinger and M. Neumaier. [9] Currently, nutritional supplements containing polycosanols for lowering the cholesterol levels are offered in a wide range.
Sugarcane wax is not only suitable for technical applications but also for applications in the food industry. So, sugarcane wax can be used as care product (shoe, floor and car care), in the leather and plastics industry as well as for applications in the additive and cosmetics industry. Furthermore, it is applicable in the paints and printing inks industry and for the production of candles.
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic bond. Common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Table sugar, granulated sugar, and regular sugar refer to sucrose, a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. In the body, compound sugars are hydrolysed into simple sugars.
Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan polysaccharide extracted from guar beans that has thickening and stabilizing properties useful in food, feed, and industrial applications. The guar seeds are mechanically dehusked, hydrated, milled and screened according to application. It is typically produced as a free-flowing, off-white powder.
Sucrose is a type of sugar made up of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose joined together. It is a disaccharide, a molecule composed of two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose. Sucrose is produced naturally in plants, from which table sugar is refined. It has the molecular formula C
12H
22O
11.
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low viscosity liquids. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents. Natural waxes of different types are produced by plants and animals and occur in petroleum.
Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It is similar to the Latin American panela, also known as piloncillo in Mexico. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese cuisine and British cuisine. The Kenyan Sukari ngutu/nguru has no fibre; it is dark and is made from sugar cane and also sometimes extracted from palm tree.
Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane or sorghum stalks to extract their juice. It is used as a biofuel for the production of heat, energy, and electricity, and in the manufacture of pulp and building materials. Agave bagasse is similar, but is the material remnants after extracting blue agave sap.
A biorefinery is a refinery that converts biomass to energy and other beneficial byproducts. The International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 42 defined biorefining as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of bio-based products and bioenergy ". As refineries, biorefineries can provide multiple chemicals by fractioning an initial raw material (biomass) into multiple intermediates that can be further converted into value-added products. Each refining phase is also referred to as a "cascading phase". The use of biomass as feedstock can provide a benefit by reducing the impacts on the environment, as lower pollutants emissions and reduction in the emissions of hazard products. In addition, biorefineries are intended to achieve the following goals:
Panela or rapadura is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Central and Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other names in Latin America, such as chancaca in Chile and Peru, piloncillo in Mexico. The name piloncillo means little loaf, because of the traditional shape in which this smoky, caramelly and earthy sugar is produced. Just like brown sugar, there are two varieties of piloncillo; one is lighter (blanco) and one darker (oscuro). Unrefined, it is commonly used in Mexico, where it has been around for at least 500 years. Made from crushed sugar cane, the juice is collected, boiled and poured into molds, where it hardens into blocks. Panela is also known as rapadura in Portuguese. Elsewhere in the world, the word jaggery describes a similar foodstuff. Both of them are considered non-centrifugal cane sugars.
Fatty alcohols (or long-chain alcohols) are usually high-molecular-weight, straight-chain primary alcohols, but can also range from as few as 4–6 carbons to as many as 22–26, derived from natural fats and oils. The precise chain length varies with the source. Some commercially important fatty alcohols are lauryl, stearyl, and oleyl alcohols. They are colourless oily liquids (for smaller carbon numbers) or waxy solids, although impure samples may appear yellow. Fatty alcohols usually have an even number of carbon atoms and a single alcohol group (–OH) attached to the terminal carbon. Some are unsaturated and some are branched. They are widely used in industry. As with fatty acids, they are often referred to generically by the number of carbon atoms in the molecule, such as "a C12 alcohol", that is an alcohol having 12 carbons, for example dodecanol.
Policosanol is the generic term for a mixture of long chain alcohols extracted from plant waxes. It is used as a dietary supplement.
Iogen Corporation is a Canadian company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and was founded by Patrick Foody Sr. in 1975.
Brazil is the world's second largest producer of ethanol fuel. Brazil and the United States have led the industrial production of ethanol fuel for several years, together accounting for 85 percent of the world's production in 2017. Brazil produced 26.72 billion liters, representing 26.1 percent of the world's total ethanol used as fuel in 2017.
The bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels can be accomplished using the MixAlco process. Through bioconversion of biomass to a mixed alcohol fuel, more energy from the biomass will end up as liquid fuels than in converting biomass to ethanol by yeast fermentation.
Lignocellulose refers to plant dry matter (biomass), so called lignocellulosic biomass. It is the most abundantly available raw material on the Earth for the production of biofuels, mainly bio-ethanol. It is composed of carbohydrate polymers, and an aromatic polymer (lignin). These carbohydrate polymers contain different sugar monomers and they are tightly bound to lignin. Lignocellulosic biomass can be broadly classified into virgin biomass, waste biomass and energy crops. Virgin biomass includes all naturally occurring terrestrial plants such as trees, bushes and grass. Waste biomass is produced as a low value byproduct of various industrial sectors such as agriculture and forestry. Energy crops are crops with high yield of lignocellulosic biomass produced to serve as a raw material for production of second generation biofuel; examples include switchgrass and Elephant grass.
Vinasse is a byproduct of the sugar or ethanol industry. Sugarcane or Sugar beet is processed to produce crystalline sugar, pulp and molasses. The latter are further processed by fermentation to ethanol, ascorbic acid or other products. Juice sugarcane can also be processed directly by ethanol fermentation. After the removal of the desired product the remaining material is called vinasse. Vinasse is sold after a partial dehydration and usually has a viscosity comparable to molasses. Commercially offered vinasse comes either from sugar cane and is called cane-vinasse or from sugar beet and is called beet-vinasse. Vinasse produced from sugar cane is also called dunder.
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, perennial grass that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sugarcanes belong to the grass family, Poaceae, an economically important flowering plant family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum, and many forage crops. It is native to the warm, temperate tropical regions of India, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. The plant is also grown for biofuel production, especially in Brazil, as the canes can be used directly to produce ethyl alcohol (ethanol).
A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar.
The Guitang Group is a state-owned conglomerate operating China's largest sugar refinery with over 3,800 workers and 14,700 ha land for cultivating cane. Cost of sugar production in Guigang is high due to a multitude of small farms growing canes with low sugar content, resulting in large amounts of by-products that go un-utilized by small-scale refineries and generate high levels of emissions to the air, water, and soil.
Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is the technical name given to traditional raw sugar obtained by evaporating water from sugarcane juice. NCS is internationally recognized as a discrete and unique product by the FAO since 1964 and by the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 2007. WCO defines NCS as "cane sugar obtained without centrifugation". It also states that "the product contains only natural anhedral microcrystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by residues of molasses and other constituents of sugar cane". NCS is produced in most sugarcane growing regions of the world, being known by many different names such as panela, jaggery, or gur. Some varieties of muscovado are non-centrifugal.
Sugar has been produced in India since ancient times and then it spread to other parts of the world. Sugarcane is a native of tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. In India, sugarcane is planted thrice a year in October, March and July depending on part of the country. Most of the sugar production in India takes at local Cooperative Sugar mills. After gaining Independence, India made serious plans for overall industrial development of sugar industry.
