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Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules containing between 20 and 40 carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and begins to melt above approximately 37 °C (99 °F), [ 2 ] and its boiling point is above 370 °C (698 °F). [ 2 ]
Wax emulsions based on beeswax, carnauba wax and paraffin wax are used in creams and ointments. The emergence of soybean waxes with varying properties and melt points has led to the use of vegetable wax emulsions in applications such as paper coatings, paint and ink additives, and even wet sizing for pulp and paper applications.
Polyethylene (PE) is a petroleum-based coating on paper cups that can slow down the process of biodegrading of the paper it coats. [27] Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable bio-plastic coating used on some paper cups.
A wax coating makes this Manila hemp waterproof. A lava lamp is a novelty item that contains wax melted from below by a bulb. The wax rises and falls in decorative, molten blobs. Sealing wax was used to close important documents in the Middle Ages. Wax tablets were used as writing surfaces.
Pitch produced from petroleum may be called bitumen or asphalt, while plant-derived pitch, a resin, is known as rosin in its solid form. Tar is sometimes used interchangeably with pitch, but generally refers to a more liquid substance derived from coal production, including coal tar , or from plants, as in pine tar .
Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a common class of brown, wax-like petroleum-based corrosion inhibitors, typically conforming to United States Military Standard MIL-C-11796C Class 3. [1] They are viscous when freshly applied, have a slight fluorescence , and solidify over time with exposure to air.
Natural wax was largely replaced for the making of waxed paper (or paraffine paper) after Herman Frasch developed ways of purifying paraffin and coating paper with it in 1876. [2] Waxed paper is commonly used in cooking for its non-stick properties, and wrapping food for storage, such as cookies , as it keeps water out or in.
Microcrystalline waxes are derived from the refining of the heavy distillates from lubricant oil production. This by-product must then be de-oiled at a wax refinery. Depending on the end use and desired specification, the product may then have its odor removed and color removed (which typically starts as a brown or dark yellow).