Epoxidised Soybean Oil (ESBO)

About This Product

Epoxidised soybean oil, CAS 8013-07-8, is made by treating soybean oil with peracid so the double bonds in its unsaturated fatty acid chains are converted into epoxide rings. It is supplied as a light yellow sticky oily liquid. It performs two jobs at once, which is unusual. As a plasticiser the triglyceride structure separates PVC chains and gives flexibility in the ordinary way. As a secondary stabiliser the epoxide rings open to consume hydrogen chloride as it is released, and also scavenge the zinc chloride that causes mixed-metal systems to fail suddenly. That is why ESBO is a near-universal component of calcium-zinc and barium-zinc formulations rather than an alternative to them. It is bio-based and has broad regulatory acceptance in food contact, which explains its declared applications: transparent bottles, food packaging, medical blood transfusion bags and waterproof rolls. The supplier also lists it as a chewing gum base component and cosmetic plasticiser. Packed 70 kg flexitank tote (23,000 kg/20' container), 200 kg drum (16,000 kg/container) or 1000 kg IBC tote (20,000 kg/container).