Abstract: Sulfonated Castor Oil is a versatile anionic surfactant valued for its wetting, emulsifying, penetrating, dispersing, and solubilizing capabilities. As a modified castor oil derivative also known as Turkey Red Oil, it can help formulators improve process stability and product performance in textile processing, leather treatment, metalworking fluids, agrochemical formulations, and industrial cleaning. Polykem supplies Sulfonated Castor Oil with controlled solids, pH, and SO3 content, supported by technical documentation and sample evaluation services.
Table of Contents
- What Is Sulfonated Castor Oil?
- What Are the Key Properties of Sulfonated Castor Oil?
- What Are the Typical Technical Specifications?
- Where Is Sulfonated Castor Oil Used?
- What Benefits Does It Bring to Industrial Formulations?
- How Should Buyers Select Sulfonated Castor Oil?
- Why Consider Polykem as a Sulfonated Castor Oil Supplier?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Sulfonated Castor Oil
- Conclusion
What Is Sulfonated Castor Oil?
Sulfonated Castor Oil is an anionic surfactant produced through the chemical modification of castor oil. It is commonly known as Turkey Red Oil and is designed to provide enhanced water compatibility compared with conventional castor oil. Its surfactant structure enables it to interact effectively with water, oils, and solid surfaces, making it useful when wetting, emulsification, penetration, and dispersion are required in a formulation.
One of its major advantages is its ability to support stable processing in applications where oil and water need to work together. The material is typically supplied as a yellowish-brown to light brown transparent viscous liquid and can be readily dispersed in water.
For industrial buyers, the value of Sulfonated Castor Oil is not simply its surfactant activity. Consistent chemical characteristics are equally important because variations in solids, pH, or active SO3 content can affect the performance of a finished formulation.
What Are the Key Properties of Sulfonated Castor Oil?
Sulfonated Castor Oil combines several functional properties in one material, allowing formulators to use it as more than a conventional wetting agent. Its main performance characteristics include:
- Wetting performance: Helps liquids spread over and interact with solid surfaces more effectively.
- Emulsification: Supports the formation and stabilization of oil-in-water systems.
- Penetration: Facilitates the penetration of dyes, treatment chemicals, and other formulation components.
- Dispersibility: Helps distribute components more uniformly throughout a formulation.
- Water compatibility: Can be readily dispersed or dissolved in water, supporting convenient formulation.
- Lubricating effect: Can contribute lubricity in selected industrial applications.
- Softening effect: Useful in applications where a softer or smoother material finish is desirable.
These combined characteristics explain why the material remains relevant to industries that require dependable surface activity and formulation flexibility.
What Are the Typical Technical Specifications?
When purchasing Sulfonated Castor Oil, technical specifications should be reviewed together rather than relying on appearance alone. The following parameters represent typical product information provided by Polykem:
| Test Item | Specification / Detection Index | Typical Test Result |
|---|---|---|
| CAS No. | 8002-33-3 | 8002-33-3 |
| Chemical Formula | C18H32Na2O6S | C18H32Na2O6S |
| Appearance at 25°C | Yellowish-brown liquid | Qualified |
| Solids | 65–72% | 66.32% |
| pH | 6.0–8.0 | Qualified |
| SO3 Content | ≥1.8% | Qualified |
In practical procurement, these values should be considered together with the customer's formulation requirements. Buyers should also request relevant technical documents such as a TDS, SDS, COA, and applicable compliance documentation before commercial production.
Where Is Sulfonated Castor Oil Used?
The functional versatility of Sulfonated Castor Oil allows it to serve different roles across multiple industries. Its typical applications include:
Textile Processing
In textile manufacturing, Sulfonated Castor Oil can act as a wetting, penetrating, and dyeing auxiliary. Its surface-active properties can help processing liquids interact more effectively with textile fibers, supporting more uniform treatment and dye penetration.
Leather Processing
Leather manufacturers can use it as a component of fatliquoring formulations. Its emulsifying and dispersing properties can help distribute oily components throughout leather, contributing to flexibility, softness, and a more consistent finished feel.
Metalworking Fluids
In cutting fluids and related metalworking formulations, Sulfonated Castor Oil can function as an emulsifier and lubricity additive. It can help maintain a useful relationship between oil-based components and water while contributing to lubrication during machining operations.
Agrochemical Formulations
For agricultural chemical formulations, the material can serve as an emulsifying and dispersing agent. This functionality can help improve the distribution of formulation components and support more consistent product handling.
Industrial Cleaning
Its emulsifying properties also make Sulfonated Castor Oil useful in industrial cleaning formulations where oily contaminants need to be dispersed and removed from surfaces.
What Benefits Does It Bring to Industrial Formulations?
Choosing an appropriate surfactant can directly affect formulation stability, processing efficiency, and final product consistency. Sulfonated Castor Oil offers several practical advantages:
- Improved wetting: Better surface contact can support more efficient treatment of fibers, leather, metals, and other substrates.
- Effective emulsification: Helps combine oil and water phases in suitable formulations.
- Enhanced penetration: Useful where processing agents need to enter porous or fibrous substrates.
- Good dispersing performance: Supports more uniform distribution of formulation components.
- Multifunctional performance: One material can contribute wetting, emulsifying, dispersing, and lubricating functions.
- Formulation flexibility: Its broad application profile makes it suitable for different industrial systems.
For manufacturers, this multifunctionality can simplify formulation design and reduce the need to combine too many individual functional additives.
How Should Buyers Select Sulfonated Castor Oil?
Not every Sulfonated Castor Oil grade will deliver exactly the same performance in every formulation. Before placing a bulk order, purchasing teams and technical engineers should evaluate several factors.
- Application compatibility: Confirm that the grade is appropriate for textile, leather, metalworking, agrochemical, cleaning, or another intended application.
- Solids content: Check whether the solids range matches the formulation's dosage calculations.
- pH characteristics: Confirm compatibility with other ingredients and the target processing conditions.
- SO3 content: Review the active chemical specification when formulation performance depends on surfactant activity.
- Batch consistency: A reliable supplier should have appropriate quality-control procedures and provide test documentation.
- Sample evaluation: Conduct laboratory or pilot-scale trials before approving a new supplier for large-volume production.
- Documentation: Request COA, TDS, SDS, and other applicable technical or compliance documents.
One important handling consideration is compatibility with multivalent metal ions. Sulfonated Castor Oil should be evaluated carefully in systems containing high-valence metal ions because precipitation may occur under unsuitable conditions.
Why Consider Polykem as a Sulfonated Castor Oil Supplier?
For international chemical buyers, supplier reliability is just as important as product performance. Polykem provides Sulfonated Castor Oil with controlled solids, pH, and SO3 content to support consistent production requirements.
Its supplier advantages include:
- Quality control: Laboratory testing supports batch-to-batch consistency.
- Technical documentation: COA, SDS, TDS, and relevant compliance documents can be provided for product evaluation.
- Sample support: Samples are available for qualified testing and formulation trials.
- Flexible supply: Packaging, labeling, and export arrangements can be adapted to different purchasing requirements.
- Competitive pricing: Pricing can be evaluated according to grade, order quantity, and purchasing requirements.
For buyers evaluating suppliers in China, these factors can make the qualification process more efficient. Instead of judging a chemical solely by its name or price, buyers can compare measurable specifications, documentation, samples, and supply capabilities.
To learn more about the product specifications, buyers can visit the Sulfonated Castor Oil product page and review the available technical information.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sulfonated Castor Oil
What is Sulfonated Castor Oil also called?
Sulfonated Castor Oil is commonly known as Turkey Red Oil. It is an anionic surfactant derived from chemically modified castor oil and is widely used for wetting, emulsifying, penetrating, and dispersing functions.
What is the CAS number of Sulfonated Castor Oil?
The CAS number listed for Polykem's Sulfonated Castor Oil is 8002-33-3.
Is Sulfonated Castor Oil soluble in water?
Yes. Sulfonated Castor Oil has good water compatibility and can be readily dispersed in water, which contributes to its usefulness in aqueous industrial formulations.
What industries use Sulfonated Castor Oil?
Typical applications include textile processing, leather treatment, metalworking fluids, agrochemical formulations, and industrial cleaning. The exact dosage and formulation role depend on the specific application.
What specifications should buyers check before purchasing?
Important parameters include appearance, solids content, pH, and SO3 content. Buyers should also evaluate COA, TDS, SDS, samples, packaging requirements, and compatibility with the final formulation.
Can Sulfonated Castor Oil be used with metal ions?
Care is required when the formulation contains multivalent metal ions. Unsuitable combinations may increase the risk of precipitation, so compatibility testing is recommended before commercial-scale production.
Conclusion
Sulfonated Castor Oil remains a valuable multifunctional surfactant for manufacturers looking to improve wetting, emulsification, penetration, dispersion, and lubricity in industrial formulations. Its application across textiles, leather, metalworking, agrochemicals, and industrial cleaning demonstrates its formulation flexibility. For procurement teams, however, successful sourcing depends on more than price: consistent specifications, technical documentation, samples, quality control, and reliable supply should all be considered. If you are looking for a dependable China supplier for Sulfonated Castor Oil and need technical specifications, samples, or customized purchasing support, contact us at Polykem to discuss your application and obtain a suitable solution.
