Emulsification for castor biomass oil

The effect of the emulsifier formula on the stability of castor oil-water system was studied through compounding three groups of emulsifiers from the aspects of stability factor of absorbance, centrifuge stability, demulsification time in quiescence, appearance of the droplets, and viscosity. The best emulsifier formula for castor biomass oil was the composite formula of sorbitan monooleate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate. Correlation exists between the stability of emulsion and the viscosity/particle size of the droplets, with better stability in the case of greater viscosity or narrower distribution of particle size in the emulsion of castor oil-water system. Methanol added to the castor oil-water system may decrease the viscosity of the emulsion. Comparing the castor oil-water emulsion with methanol-castor oil-water emulsion, the optimal hydrophilic and lipophilic balance (HLB) value based on castor oil-water system was acquired between 6.6 and 7.5, while the optimal HLB value based on the methanol-castor oil-water system was between 5.5 and 6.0. The optimal HLB value of methanolcastor oil-water system gradually moved to that of castor oil-water emulsion with adding more water.