We’ve been working with wax emulsions for long time now. There are many applications that utilize emulsions made with using montan wax, a combination of a montan ester wax, or a Fisher-Tropsch wax. The unfortunate situation is that both of these waxes have experienced reoccurring supply issues over the last decade. Pricing on montan esters has increased dramatically and no longer offers any advantages versus carnauba.
Customers can now consider a possible solution to replacing these waxes, in full or in part.
• The melt point of the GCS-155 wax emulsion is about 25 deg F lower than that of carnauba wax but a factor to consider is the amount of energy necessary to melt the wax, also known as the heat of fusion. It takes about 180 joules to melt one gram of the wax in GCS-155. This is virtually the same amount required to melt one gram of carnauba wax in spite of its higher melt point. Depending on the application, the heat of fusion may be a more pertinent measure to maintain the performance required.
Another thing to consider is the emulsifiers employed to prepare the particular formulation. The emulsifier in GCS-155 wax emulsion has a higher melting point than that of carnauba. Many of the emulsifiers used to prepare emulsions of carnauba wax react with some of the components and depress its melting point. This can also impact the degree of hardness associated with the particles making up the wax emulsion.
• If melt point is critical in your application, a coemulsion with a higher melting wax could be considered to elevate the melt point of the blend. This could be evaluated with a synthetic wax, or perhaps, even partial substitution of carnauba wax into the formulation. The emulsifier system in the GCX-155 wax emulsion is very unique, and unlike other emulsifiers, will enhance the performance of the wax due to its hardness and melt point.