Hydrogenated Castor Oil (HCO)

Hydrogenated Castor Oil is a hydrogenated vegetable oil derived from castor oil. It is used in the chemical industry, as lubricant, and in personal care products.Scope and type: Cradle-to-gate with options. The study was done as a cradle-to-gate, but contains biogenic carbon. According to EN 15804 (section 5.2) an end-of-life has to be taken into account for products that contain biogenic carbon. Therefore, module C and D are also modelled. The product is produced in India and applied in Europe, end-of-life location unknown. The background database is Ecoinvent 3.6. SimaPro software is used. This is a specific EPD from a specific factory dataset.Representativeness: The data in this EPD is representative for Hydrogenated Castor Oil (HCO) produced by Castor International in a single production plant in India, sold on the European market from Deurne, The Netherlands.Calculation rules: In this study, the data flows have been modelled as realisticly as possible within the practical feasibility of the LCA practitioner. The data quality is based on the principle that the primary data used for processes, occurring at the production site, must be of higher quality than background data of other processes. The processes used in the production of Hydrogenated Castor Oil are geographically representative, meaning that the production location of Hydrogenated Castor Oil lies within the region for which the relevant Ecoinvent environmental records have been selected. All environmental impacts and economic flows – from sources such as resources, energy, emissions and waste – were quantified and qualified in environmental effects. The rerelease of biogenic carbon dioxide in C has been modelled to compensate for any stored carbon. All known inputs and outputs - like emissions, energy and materials – have been considered in this LCA. And in accordance with EN15804+A2, the total neglected input flows per module do not exceed 5% of energy usage or mass. The capital goods used (reactor vats, bulk transport containers, factory buildings) have been cut-off, as their contribution to the overall impact per kg is assumed insignificant, considering the amount of kg produced during the lifetime of the factory or the amount of kg transported by a single bulk container. The reference year for the data is 2022.Scenarios and additional technical information Within A1-A3, Castor oil is fully hydrogenated. It is also transported to the factory gate in Deurne, NL. Beyond, it can be used as input for the chemical industry. It can also be used as lubricant or in the personal care product industry. Assumption is made that 34% of the oil is used as secondary fuel in a blast furnace and 66% of oil is incinerated without energy recovery at end of life. MSDS available upon request.Declaration of SVHC: None of the substances contained in the product are listed in the “Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern for authorisation”, or they do not exceed the threshold with the European Chemicals Agency.More information: https://www.castor-international.nl/en/product/hydrogenated-castor-oil-hco

Hydrogenated castor oil is a waxy compound obtained by the hydrogenation of refined castor oil. It is a hard product with a high melting point. It is almost odourless and tasteless. HCO is supplied in flakes and powder. Hydrogenated castor oil is cream to white coloured. It is transported from India to the Netherlands by boat in bulk as flakes. The hydrogenated oil is not an end product and has a wide array of uses. The reference service life depends on the application of the product.