CastorBlog

Castor Beans in Brazil' - B5 Biodiesel Test Starts Using Soy and Castor Bean

2009-02-05T21:11:00.001-08:00

An old, April 2007 article, but thought it could be of interest to some

Brazilian government-controlled oil company Petrobras began testing its B5 Biodiesel, a conventional diesel oil containing 5% of biodiesel.

The project, jointly developed by the government of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, Ford, the University of Salvador (Unifacs - Bahia), Siemens VDO, MWM International, TI Automotive, Mahle, and Michelin, forecasts that six Ford Ranger vehicles should drive for 100,000 kilometers over a nine-month period in the state of Bahia.

Two types of biodiesel extracted from oleaginous plants will be used, one from castor bean, and another from soy. Two vehicles will test the biodiesel produced from castor bean, two will use soy biodiesel, and two other vehicles will run on regular diesel.

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Biogas from castor cake

2009-02-05T21:08:00.001-08:00

This is one interesting possibility that can be tried out...there are some minor attempts, but for the most part the cake is used either for co-firing or as organic fertilizer

Keetsa sells ecofriendly mattresses made from castor oil

2009-02-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

Keetsa, a San Francisco retailer that calls itself "the eco-friendly mattress store," sells mattresses made from a material it enthusiastically promotes as "BioFoam," 12 percent of the oil for which comes from castor beans. The other 88 percent, though, is still petroleum-based. Joe Alexander, the sales director of Keetsa, says the castor oil component represents a huge step forward and is a significant engineering feat. "It takes a lot of work and experimentation to be able to do that," he said.

Source

Icynene introduces castor-based spray foam insulation – ICYNENE LD-R-50™

2009-02-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Icynene introduces renewable-based spray foam insulation – ICYNENE LD-R-50™

Mississauga, ON (January 21, 2009) – Icynene Inc., the leading manufacturer of opencell foam insulation products, has introduced ICYNENE LD-R-50™, a renewable-based foam insulation and air barrier material that reduces the need for petroleum-based polyols.

ICYNENE LD-R-50™, the next generation of Icynene’s high-performance products, is responsibly made using castor oil and exceeds United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferredSM and International Code Council (ICC) requirements for a rapidly renewable product.

Numerous environmental benefits

Extracted from the castor plant, castor oil is a natural ingredient that is safe enough for use in personal care products such as lip balm. Production of the castor plant has low energy dependence and requires no pesticides, fungicides or man-made irrigation. The castor oil used for ICYNENE LD-R-50™ has a make-up which is extremely consistent year over year, from location to location and has a higher yield by weight (~40%) than soya oil (~17%).

“With the introduction of ICYNENE LD-R-50™, Icynene has moved forward and added another layer of green consciousness to an already superior product,” says Alan Rankin, President & CEO of Icynene Inc. “Homeowners, builders and architects can feel even more confident that the insulation they’re using is helping reduce their environmental impact from production of the product through its contribution in the building envelope.”

Key benefits for homeowners, building professionals, architects

ICYNENE LD-R-50™ offers many advantages for building professionals, architects and homeowners:
It is an environmentally preferable product that is 100% water-blown, free from HFCs and PBDEs.
It insulates and air-seals in one step for maximum energy conservation while minimizing the environmental impact during manufacturing and construction.
By significantly reducing air leakage, ICYNENE LD-R-50™ contributes to a healthier, quieter and more comfortable indoor environment, while reducing energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50%.

Icynene takes green action
As a company dedicated to producing product innovations that reduce our environmental footprint, Icynene is also reducing the environmental impact of its business operations.
The company has established a “Go Green” company-wide initiative to reduce environmental impact in the workplace and offers green improvements employees can make at home.
Icynene is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and educating employees on conservation issues, teaching them how to be greener, and directing them to additional environmental resources.

About the company
Established in 1986, Icynene Inc. is the leading manufacturer of open-cell foam insulation products that are designed to help create Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient® environments. Icynene® is the insulation of choice for green building around the world, setting a standard for energy performance, comfort and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Icynene’s line of insulation/air barrier products is distributed (throughout North America, Australia, Asia and Europe) through a network of Icynene Licensed Dealers and Distributors who perform installation on-site for each custom application.

For more information or to locate Icynene Licensed Dealers across North America, visit www.Icynene.com

Castor Bean a good investment - Johnson Controls

2009-02-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

Johnson Controls is using soya bean-based polyurethane foam for auto interiors
Soya bean-based polyurethane foam blends have been a big hit for auto interiors maker Johnson Controls.

Since their launch, the soyfoam seats have found a place on 11 vehicles platforms in North America. But there was a problem taking the eco-friendly seating globally — the fact that soya bean oil was not available in quite the same way worldwide.

So now JCI is giving some international agricultural flair to its plant-based urethane program.

In Asia, it will make urethane foam with about 5% content from palm oil, while European foams will use a combination of castor oil and canola oil. JCI is calling the foam ‘natural-oil polyols’ or ‘NOPs’, rather than the previous label of ‘soyfoam’.

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Castor Could be the New Biofuel Feedstock?

2009-02-05T02:12:00.000-08:00

Looking for a novel feedstock? Castor could be the answer, according to Dick Auld from Texas Tech. The castor plant is drought tolerant, salt tolerant, grows on marginal land, probably amenable to genetic modification and is quite oily. The plant could yield 63 to 210 gallons of oil an acre-that's low compared to some crops but it would grown on marginal lands, thereby dropping the cost of production. Auld speculated that the Texas Panhandle, the dry 80,000 square miles toward the top of the state, could turn into Castor country.

"We believe we could be the most economical source of biological feedstocks," he said.

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Castor Bean for Polyurethane Foam, Johnson Controls

2009-01-21T20:38:00.001-08:00

Johnson Controls is using soya bean-based polyurethane foam for auto interiors
Soya bean-based polyurethane foam blends have been a big hit for auto interiors maker Johnson Controls.

Since their launch two years ago, the soyfoam seats have found a place on 11 vehicles platforms in North America. But there was a problem taking the eco-friendly seating globally — the fact that soya bean oil was not available in quite the same way worldwide.

So now JCI is giving some international agricultural flair to its plant-based urethane program.

In Asia, it will make urethane foam with about 5% content from palm oil, while European foams will use a combination of castor oil and canola oil. JCI is calling the foam ‘natural-oil polyols’ or ‘NOPs’, rather than the previous label of ‘soyfoam’.

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Morgan Stanley on Reasons for Investing in Biotor

2009-01-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

In its first investment in India, Morgan Stanley Private Equity (MSPE) recently has invested Rs 182 crore for a “significant minority stake” in Biotor Industries, an integrated manufacturer of castor oil and castor derivatives in the world. Last year, MSPE Asia had raised a $ 1.5 billion dedicated fund for Asia and a “significant” amount of the fund will be allocated to India over the next two years. Priya Nadkarni and Shivani Shinde of Business Standard caught up with Morgan Stanley Managing Director Srinivasa Rao Aluri to talk about the private equity unit’s strategy in India. Excerpts:

Question: Why have you chosen to invest in the agriculture sector in your very first deal in the country?

There are two or three things going for Biotor. First, it is in the agri sector, we have been looking at this sector for quite some time and also because of what it can provide in terms of returns. Though the concept of chemurgy (branch of applied chemistry that is concerned with preparing industrial products from agricultural raw materials) has been around since early 20th century, it is now making a comeback.

India grows over 75 per cent of castor seeds, but traditionally has just been crushing and selling it as oil. The value-addition traditionally happened in Europe and the US. We will help the company directly sell to customers in Europe, US and China.

Full interview here

Arkema Rilsan polyamide 11 History and Status

2009-01-14T17:03:00.001-08:00

Castor oil and castor seeds have played a part in the plastics industry for many years, with for example the Rilsan polyamide 11 developed by plastics supplier Arkema in 1942 being 100% based on it. That material, which is available in both extrusion and injection molding grades, was approved two years ago to carry fuel in European-made cars.

DuPont Contribution to the Denso Radiator Tank

2009-01-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

January, 2009

One of the world's leading Tier 1 suppliers of automotive systems, Denso Corp. (Kariya, Japan), has targeted this spring to begin mass volume manufacturing of what will be the first automotive radiator tanks based largely on an organic compound derived from castor oil.

The castor oil-derived portion of the resin accounts for about 40% of the resin by weight, and glass fiber or other reinforcing materials or additives can be compounded into the material. The resin was developed by Denso and DuPont Kabushiki Kaisha, the name since 1993 of DuPont's Japanese business unit, which is headquartered in Tokyo.

DuPont unveiled its Zytel polyamide at the world's largest plastics trade show, the K, in October 2007. The renewably sourced grades of Zytel long-chain polyamides are based on sebacic acid from castor oil. PA 10.10 is 100% renewably sourced and PA 6.10 is more than 60% renewably sourced.

These materials see use in applications such as the Denso radiator tanks, where temperature resistance, low permeability, or mechanical properties are important. Also at that trade show, BASF unveiled Ultramid Balance PA 6.10, a polyamide based 60% on castor-oil-derived sebacic acid. The material is said to offer low density (compared to most polyamides), low-temperature impact resistance, and good dimensional stability due to low water absorption.

DENSO Resin Radiator Tank Material from Castor Oil

2009-01-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

New Release

Kariya, Jan 14, 2009 - DENSO Corporation today announced that it has developed a plant-derived resin radiator tank using an organic compound derived from castor-oil tree*. DENSO will start mass-producing this new product in Spring of 2009 for vehicles sold worldwide.

"In addition to increasing installations of the new radiator tank to more vehicles, DENSO aims to incorporate the new resin into a wide range of products in an effort to reduce the use of limited oil resources, reduce CO2 emissions during a product's life cycle and help prevent global warming," said Akio Shikamura, managing officer responsible for DENSO's Thermal Systems Business Group.

The plant-derived resin, which DENSO jointly developed with DuPont Kabushiki Kaisha, is produced by a chemical reaction between two organic compounds that are derived from castor-oil tree and petroleum. An additive, such as glass fiber, is then added to the substance to produce the resin. Plant derived ingredient comprises about 40 percent of the eco-friendly resin. Since engine compartment components, such as the radiator tank need to be extremely heat resistant and durable, it was previously difficult to develop a resin with a high percentage of plant-derived ingredient.

Compared to conventional products, the new radiator tank releases less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere during its life cycle because it is partially made from material extracted from plants, which absorb CO2 through the photosynthesis process. The new product also helps conserve oil, a fossil fuel which is being depleted.

Generally, the cost increases for on-board devices that need to be resistant to calcium-chloride, which is contained in large amounts in snow-melting agents dispensed on the road in many colder regions. The newly developed radiator tank is more than seven times more resistant to calcium chloride and can be produced at lower cost compared to conventional products designed for cold regions.

* Castor-oil tree: A plant of the euphorbiaceae (spurge) family. Castor oil is extracted from castor bean seeds.

About Denso

DENSO Corporation (TSE: 6902), headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global supplier of advanced technology, systems and components. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company employs approximately 119,000 people in 32 countries and regions, including Japan. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 totaled US$40.2 billion. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com .

Contact:

Miwa Kurokawa,
Goro Kanemasu
DENSO CORPORATION
Phone: 81-566-25-5594
Fax: 81-566-25-4509
miwa_kurokawa@denso.co.jp
goro_kanemasu@denso.co.jp

Castor Oil Research in Gujarat by Dow India & Royal Castor

2009-01-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Jan, 2009

Dow Chemical International Pvt. Ltd. (Dow India), and Royal Castor Products Ltd. (Royal Castor), Sidhpur, Gujarat signed a commitment on the opening day of Vibrant Gujarat to conduct research in environment friendly bio–based products & solutions using Castor Oil. The commitment was signed by Dr. Ramesh Ramachandran, President & CEO, Dow India, and Mr. Haresh Vyas, Director, Royal Castor in the presence of Hon. Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi. At Vibrant Gujarat, the expo is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers for the advancement of business in Gujarat.

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Castor Oil in Cushy Lips Lip Plumper Cream

2009-01-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

Castor oil found in Cushy lips lip plumper contains high levels of ricinoleic acid, an unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. Castor oil is ultra moisturizing.

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Castor-based Plastics Hog Limelight at Detroit Auto Show

2009-01-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Jan 2009

At the Detroit auto show, Japanese and American suppliers promoted their new uses of the castor bean in plastics.

As it turns out, the bean has become a key ingredient in making eco-friendly plastics. Denso, a Japanese auto parts supplier, announced that it will make a castor-plastic radiator tank this year. Johnson Controls said its Power Solutions division would use it to make some battery and seating plastics (this would be using castor-based polyols to produce polyurethane that replaces petro-based PU)

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World Bank Grants N2bn To Yobe For Castor Oil

2009-01-14T09:30:00.001-08:00

January, 2009

Yobe State government is getting N2 billion from World Bank for manufacturing of high temperature resistant oil through castor oil seeds. The cast plant, according to expert is adaptable to wide variety of soil and climate conditions. It is observed to grow very well in Yobe State with its Sahel weather and prolong dry season.

Governor Mamman Ali, in an interactive session with media executive recently said the effort would create over 27,000 farmers across the 17 local government areas in the state with over "Seven to nine thousand hectares" under cultivation.

According to him: "This N2 billion is not proceed from the sales of the seed that will be harvested, it is a carbon credit because we have help in carbon emission worldwide. Castor oil is the only oil of its type that is not being drilled rig or well."

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Mozambique Castor Oil Factory Set to Open in Nampula

2009-01-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

January 2009

António Filipe Miranda from the Miranda Industrial group says that the company's castor oil factory in the district of Meconta in Nampula province will probably be operating shortly. "The factory has a capacity to produce 15,000t/year and our potential markets are SA, Europe, Brazil and the US."

Miranda adds: "We expect our investment in the project to total $4m and to be able to employ 170 workers."

Castor Beans, Cotton Combined to Make Solar Panel Bio-Backing

2008-08-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

You might not think that cotton and castor beans could be the answer to making solar panels less expensive, but that’s just what California-based BioSolar is trying to make happen. The company has just unveiled a new backing for solar panels which it hopes manufacturers will find financially and functionally more compelling than the petroleum-based backing sheets currently used for most panels.

Renewable and Less-Expensive, BioSolar Says

Announced at the Solar Energy + Applications conference in San Diego this week, BioSolar says the new backing sheet is made of a mixture of cotton and a nylon resin made from castor beans. Not only will these be a more environmentally friendly option, but according to BioSolar, will sell for 25-50% less than current backing sheets.

Source

Castor Oil: Fascist Tool of Death By Diarrhea

2008-01-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Castor Oil: Fascist Tool of Death By Diarrhea

In Fascist Italy, under rule of Mussolini, political dissidents were force-fed large quantities of castor oil, often causing the victims to experience death by diarrhea. If they wanted to make sure a fella died, they spiked the castor oil with gasoline.

Source: Wikipedia

A Castor Post by a Biochemistry Professor

2008-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Prof Larry Moran from the University of Toronto writes a brief but nice post on castor oil (and equally on castor seeds)...he dwells a bit on the fact that castor seeds are poisonous, but of course what is equally true is that the oil is one of the most useful oils!

Prof Moran's post here

Japan's ITOH acquires 5% in Jayant Ago Organics

2008-01-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Japan's ITOH acquires 5% in Jayant Ago

25 Dec, 2007

MUMBAI: Japan's Itoh Oil Chemicals (ITOH) is picking up a 4.8% stake in Mumbai-based Jayant Agro Organics (JAOL), a leader in castor oil and castor derivatives. India produces nearly 70% of the world consumption of castor oil. Jayant Agro, an Udeshi group company, produces castor oil worth Rs 450 crore a year.

The board of Jayant Agro last week approved the issue of 6 lakh shares (4.76%) to the Japanese company for Rs 105 each. The total investment by ITOH, a leading manufacturer of castor oil derivatives in Japan, would amount to over Rs 6.3 crore.

Full report here

Castor oil plant: Tropical but poisonous

2008-01-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

A good and detailed description of the castor oil plant in the San Francisco Chronicle...see full report here

Repel Squirrels with Castor Oil

2008-01-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

You can deter squirrels naturally and organically by taking advantage of their hatred of castor oil. Mix one-half cup of castor oil with two gallons of water, and use it to water the affected plants. If you’re trying to protect tree crops, be sure to saturate the branches with the castor oil solution, too. The squirrels will stay away, and you’ll enrich your soil in the process!

Source: Clean Air Gardening Blog

Prospects and risks of the use of castor oil as a fuel

2007-10-29T10:20:00.003-07:00

Prospects and risks of the use of castor oil as a fuel

Volkhard Scholza, , and Jadir Nogueira da Silvab
aLeibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V., Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany

bDepto. Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Universitário, 36570-00 Viçosa, Brazil

Received 18 December 2006; revised 14 August 2007;

Abstract
Castor oil is more than just a raw material in great demand by the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. In several southern countries its use as a fuel is also being discussed in connection with social and ecological aspects. A few properties, in particular the extremely high viscosity and high water content, complicate the use of straight castor oil as a fuel for internal combustion engines. A better perspective may be possible by transesterification and the addition of this biodiesel to fossil diesel fuel. This, however, calls for considerably lower castor oil prices than are at present being paid on the world market.

DOI Citation: doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071

Castor oil may not make eyelashes grow longer

2007-10-29T10:19:00.003-07:00

Castor oil may not make eyelashes grow longer

Eyes are one of the most expressive features of the face and naturally thick, long eyelashes enhance their beauty.

The most popular advice offered by all and sundry is the application of castor oil. It is generally believed that an external application of castor oil.
* on sparse eyebrows makes them to grow thicker and
* on the eyelashes makes them to grow longer.

But does castor oil have this property? This post feels perhaps it does not

Genital warts treatment with castor oil

2007-10-29T10:17:00.003-07:00

Genital warts treatment with castor oil

Castor oil is a natural treatment for genital warts. Not only warts, but this fabulous oil is also proven to be very effective in the treatment of many other skin diseses and many digestive problems, says this post