Crambe oil is an inedible seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the Crambe abyssinica, a multibranched annual plant that is native to the Ethiopian Highlands also known as Abyssinia. The oil has been shown to consist of 55-60% erucic acid. The Australian Farm Diversification Information Service writes:
- Intermediate product derived from high erucic acid oil include: triglycerides; erucamides; amines, behenic acid; erucyl alcohol; behenyl alcohol; wax esters; fatty acids; brassylic acid and pelargonic acid. These products are used to manufacture a multitude of industrial consumer items such as lubricants; heat transfer fluids; surfactants and coatings; cosmetics; polyesters; plastics and nylons.
Erucic acid is traditionally derived from older varieties of rapeseed. Crambe oil is considered to be a possible replacement for rapeseed oil in this capacity. The market for crambe oil is particularly developed in the United States.
References
- Mascia, P.N.; Scheffran, J.; Widholm, J.M. (2010). Plant Biotechnology for Sustainable Production of Energy and co-products. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 231. ISBN 978-3-642-13440-1. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Crambe". Australian Farm Diversification Information Service. September 2002. Archived from the original on 6 September 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2006.
- Economic Research Service (September 1996). "Crambe, Industrial Rapeseed, and Tung Provide Valuable Oils" (PDF). Industrial Uses. United States Department of Agriculture. pp. 17–23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2006.
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