Extraction and Clarification of Orange Wax Obtained from Waste of the Citrus Industry

Abstract

The processing of the orange leads to a large generation of waste, which is underutilized or discarded. Thus, this study proposes a route to treat oily waste from the orange juice industry, transforming it into a by-product of higher added value to the chemical industry. The orange wax is obtained by hydrodistillation and solvent extraction, and the clarification of the wax is carried out with the oxidative treatment using H 2 O 2 . A 3 2 Experimental Design confirmed that the factors, temperature, and concentration of the reactant, influence both response variables, the colorimetric changes and yield. The obtained waxes are characterized by chromatographic (CG-MS), thermal, and rheological analysis. The results of the CG-MS indicate that the clarification method is effective as the components responsible for the pigmentation and odor of the wax cannot be identified after the clarification process. Thermogravimetry analysis and differential exploratory calorimetryindicate a slight increase in thermal stability and a decrease in crystallinity after the clarification process. Rheological analyses show that the obtained waxes present similar flow behavior as commercial beeswax. Therefore, it can be affirmed that this work obtains a green wax from a residue for potential replacement of commercial waxes according to its properties analyzed. Practical applications: This work shows the extraction of orange wax from oily industrial wastes for possible applications in the food and cosmetics industries. The orange wax can be a sustainable substitute for nonrenewable products and supply the wax market due to the high demand. In addition, methods for processing and characterization of the waxes are presented in this work.