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The Story of Natural Soy Wax from Field to Candle

   Soy beans have been grown in China for use in food for thousands of years. In the early 1990's soy beans were tested for their ability to be used as an alternative to petroleum based waxes. Soy beans are now grown in many places across the world the main producers being Brazil, Argentina, the United States of America, China, Canada and India. Soy beans grow well in most soils, and grow best on the moist alluvial flood plains next to rivers. They need a hot Summer climate where temperatures are an average of between 20 and 30 degrees centigrade. As they are from the legume family of plants they use a bacteria to turn Nitrogen in the air into useful Nitrogen compounds to make the protiens they need. This bacteria is mixed in with the seeds at the time of sowing. After 3 to 4 months they reach a height of around 1 metre tall and can then be harvested. The soy beans grow in hairy pods that contain 2-4 beans. They can be harvested using a mechanical combine harvester.
   Responsible manufacturers that use soy beans and products based on soy beans have to take several factors into consideration when choosing a supplier. The first thing to check is whether the soy beans are genetically modified (GM). As the European Union requires extensive additional certification for GM products and the general reluctance to use GM products in Europe, a high proportion of the European imports are not GM, and as contaminated shipments are refused, the non-GM soy products carry a higher price. Another consideration is the geographical source of the soy beans. Soy beans from America and Canada are grown in a government regulated industry. Some problems occur when sourcing from South American countries. Manufacturers need to be sure that Amazonian rainforest hasn't been cleared to grow the beans. In other areas of South America there is concern that many land owners are turning to the relatively more profitable soy beans and away from other types of farming like horse and cattle ranches. The soy beans can be sown and harvested mechanically which can dramatically reduce the demand for local labour, devastating the local economy and increasing poverty.
   The soy beans are taken to processing plants where soybean oil is extracted. One way to do this is to use a mechanical press to squeeze the oil out of the solid parts of the bean. Soybean oil accounts for around 17% of the beans total mass. The soy bean solids are not wasted and are used as cattle feed. The soybean oil needs to be purified and then processed to turn it into a solid wax. The process used is called Hydrogenation. This is very similar process to the Hydrogenation of vegetable oils to produce margarine. The soybean oil is heated and mixed with Hydrogen with a catalyst that changes the structure of the oil which makes it a solid wax.
   As soy wax is a soft wax, it is often mixed with additives to make it firmer. Candles that are in containers, like glass or tin need only a little or no additives, as the wax is supported by the container. Pillar candles that have to stand on their own need additives. The additives used can vary greatly from natural botanical oils, that keep the candles natural and plant based, to beeswax, which is still natural, and through to paraffin, which defeats the whole object of a natural wax.
   Any fragrancing or dying of the soy wax means using more additives. Fragrance oils are often used, but as these are chemical based it means the candle is no longer natural, even if the manufacturer focusses on the natural wax used. Essential oils make excellent natural fragrances but are relatively expensive and need higher quantities to obtain the same strength of scent as fragrance oils. Essential oils have a very different quality to their bouquet which is softer and easily detected. With soy wax having a natural creamy texture, adding dyes is seen by most manufacturers as being unneccessary and detracts from the natural look of the candle, even if natural dyes are used.

Originally published at I Conjure Candles
Written by Greenangrymonster

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<center><h2>The Story of Natural Soy Wax from Field to Candle</h2></center>
 
<p>   Soy beans have been grown in China for use in food for thousands of years. In the early 1990's soy beans were tested for their ability to be used as an alternative to petroleum based waxes. Soy beans are now grown in many places across the world the main producers being Brazil, Argentina, the United States of America, China, Canada and India. Soy beans grow well in most soils, and grow best on the moist alluvial flood plains next to rivers. They need a hot Summer climate where temperatures are an average of between 20 and 30 degrees centigrade. As they are from the legume family of plants they use a bacteria to turn Nitrogen in the air into useful Nitrogen compounds to make the protiens they need. This bacteria is mixed in with the seeds at the time of sowing. After 3 to 4 months they reach a height of around 1 metre tall and can then be harvested. The soy beans grow in hairy pods that contain 2-4 beans. They can be harvested using a mechanical combine harvester.
<br>   Responsible manufacturers that use soy beans and products based on soy beans have to take several factors into consideration when choosing a supplier. The first thing to check is whether the soy beans are genetically modified (GM). As the European Union requires extensive additional certification for GM products and the general reluctance to use GM products in Europe, a high proportion of the European imports are not GM, and as contaminated shipments are refused, the non-GM soy products carry a higher price. Another consideration is the geographical source of the soy beans. Soy beans from America and Canada are grown in a government regulated industry. Some problems occur when sourcing from South American countries. Manufacturers need to be sure that Amazonian rainforest hasn't been cleared to grow the beans. In other areas of South America there is concern that many land owners are turning to the relatively more profitable soy beans and away from other types of farming like horse and cattle ranches. The soy beans can be sown and harvested mechanically which can dramatically reduce the demand for local labour, devastating the local economy and increasing poverty.
<br>   The soy beans are taken to processing plants where soybean oil is extracted. One way to do this is to use a mechanical press to squeeze the oil out of the solid parts of the bean. Soybean oil accounts for around 17% of the beans total mass. The soy bean solids are not wasted and are used as cattle feed. The soybean oil needs to be purified and then processed to turn it into a solid wax. The process used is called Hydrogenation. This is very similar process to the Hydrogenation of vegetable oils to produce margarine. The soybean oil is heated and mixed with Hydrogen with a catalyst that changes the structure of the oil which makes it a solid wax.
<br>   As soy wax is a soft wax, it is often mixed with additives to make it firmer. Candles that are in containers, like glass or tin need only a little or no additives, as the wax is supported by the container. Pillar candles that have to stand on their own need additives. The additives used can vary greatly from natural botanical oils, that keep the candles natural and plant based, to beeswax, which is still natural, and through to paraffin, which defeats the whole object of a natural wax.
<br>   Any fragrancing or dying of the soy wax means using more additives. Fragrance oils are often used, but as these are chemical based it means the candle is no longer natural, even if the manufacturer focusses on the natural wax used. Essential oils make excellent natural fragrances but are relatively expensive and need higher quantities to obtain the same strength of scent as fragrance oils. Essential oils have a very different quality to their bouquet which is softer and easily detected. With soy wax having a natural creamy texture, adding dyes is seen by most manufacturers as being unneccessary and detracts from the natural look of the candle, even if natural dyes are used.
</p>

<p>   Originally published at I Conjure Candles<br>   Written by Greenangrymonster</p>

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The Story of Natural Soy Wax from Field to Candle

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