IL109814A

IL109814A - Solid oil based candles

Info

Publication number: IL109814A
Application number: IL10981494A
Authority: IL
Original assignee: Eini Meir
Priority date: 1994-05-29
Filing date: 1994-05-29
Publication date: 1996-06-18
Also published as: IL109814A0

Description

SOLID OIL-BASED CANDLES SOLID OIL-BASED CANDLES FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to oils and, more particularly, to olive oils and similar oils used for burning to provide illumination.

Olive oil and various other oils as well as various waxes, and the like, have for centuries been used as method to provide illumination. With the advent of electricity, the use of these materials for illumination has decreased dramatically in the modern world so that the major uses of these materials is currently largely ceremonial, for example as part of religious ceremonies, or sentimental, for example, to add a certain atmosphere to a restaurant, and the like. For ease of presentation, all uses of candles involving the production of light, whether strictly for illumination purposes or for various ceremonial purposes, will be referred to hereinafter in the specification and claims as "illumination".

The use of oils, such as olive oil, enjoys certain advantages over candles, such as wax candles, in that oils typically burn very cleanly with a clear and strong flame. For this and other reasons oils, such as rose hip oil, wheat germ oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, jojoba oil, corn germ oil, mineral oil and especially olive oil are, in many applications, the preferred medium.

Unfortunately, oils, being liquid at room temperature, suffer from a major disadvantage relative to candles in the realm of convenience. Thus, 2 109814/3 while wax candles can be easily transported and installed for lighting, the oils, such as olive oil, by virtue of their being a liquid, require great care in transportation and, more importantly, requires a great deal of attention on the part of the user to pour the desired amounts of oil into the receptacle and to insert the wick in such a way that it will be effective.

The use of oils thus requires considerable attention and is very time-consuming, at best, and may produce quite a mess if due care is not taken.

There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a way of obtaining the benefits of oils, such as olive oil, without having to suffer from its disadvantages. That is, it would be desirable to be able to use oils to produce a clean and clear flame without having to spend an inordinate amount of time in preparations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a composition for use in illumination, comprising: (a) at least one oil; and (b) at least one gelatinizing agent having 15 or more carbons, selected from the group consisting of fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives, in a sufficiently high concentration to gelatinize the at least one oil.

According to further features in preferred embodiments of the invention described below, the gelatinizing agent is a fatty alcohol which is selected from the group consisting of 1-Pentadecanol, Cetyl Alcohol, 1- 3 109814/3 Heptadecanol, Stearyl Alcohol, Nonadecanol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Heneicosanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1-Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, l-Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH).

The present invention successfully addresses the shortcomings of the presently known configurations by providing olive oil in a solid, or gelatinized, state which is easy to transport and easy to deploy for lighting.

The olive oil, which is normally liquid at room temperature, is gelatinized through the addition at elevated temperatures of suitable quantities of one or more fatty alcohols, saturated or unsaturated fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives and similar other compounds which serve to dramatically raise the oil's viscosity causing it to behave essentially as a solid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is of an article of manufacture which includes an oil, such as olive oil, and a gelatinizing agent. The resulting article is a high viscosity oil which is candle-like in its properties and which can, as a result, be handled in a way which is similar to the handling of a conventional wax candle. 4 109814/3 The preferred oil is olive oil and, for ease of presentation and convenience, the description which follows is largely concerned with olive oil. Olive oil is a fixed oil obtained from ripe olives, the fruit of the cultivated olive tree Olea europaea L., Oleaceae. Olive oil is produced almost exclusively in the countries adjoining the Mediterranean Sea, with Spain being the largest producer. To produce olive oil, whole olives are crushed in edge runner mills and the oil is expressed in open hydraulic presses.

The composition of olive oil varies slightly but generally is made up primarily of mixed glycerides of oleic acid (83.5%), of palmitic acid (9.4%), of linoleic acid (4.0%), of stearic acid (2.0%) and of arachidic acid (0.9%). Minor constituents of olive oil are squalene (up to 0.7%) and phytosterol and tocopherols (about 0.2%).

Olive oil is used primarily as food in salads, with sardines, for cooking and baking. It is also used in the manufacture of soaps, textile lubricants, sulfonated oils, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations. The present invention involves the use of olive oil for illumination, which is today a relatively minor use of olive oil.

It has been surprisingly found that the addition to olive oil of relatively small amounts, in many cases less than 1.6 mass%, of certain fatty alcohols, saturated or unsaturated fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives and similar other compounds dramatically increases the viscosity of the 5 109814/3 olive oil. The increase in vesicate is so dramatic that the resultant composition acts in many ways as a solid candle-like structure which can be easily transported and readily deployed for lighting.

A composition according to the present invention is formed by mixing olive oil with one or more saturated fatty alcohol, saturated or unsaturated fatty acid or fatty acid derivative and similar other compounds having 15 or more carbons in a sufficiently high concentration to gelatinize the olive oil.

The mixing of the olive oil and the one or more fatty alcohols and the like preferably takes place at an elevated temperature, such as about 60- 120°C, depending on the melting point of the gelatinizing additive, and is accompanied by suitable mixing. When the mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature the viscosity of the mixture increases.

It was found that the gelatinization of the olive oil depends on the length of the fatty alcohol or alcohols, saturated or unsaturated fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives and similar other compounds added and the amount of fatty alcohol, saturated or unsaturated fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives and similar other compounds added to a given amount of olive oil, i.e, the concentration of the gelatinizing compound.

Various fatty alcohols are suitable according to the present invention. These include, but are not limited to 1-Pentadecanol, Cetyl Alcohol, 1-Heptadecanol, Stearyl Alcohol, Nonadecanol, Arachidyl 6 109814/3 Alcohol, Heneicosanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1- Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1- Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH^CH^HJlPCHjOH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH).

Preferably, one or more of the following fatty alcohols is or are used: Nonadecanol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Heneicosanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1-Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1 -Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH). More preferably, one or more of the following fatty alcohols are used: Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1-Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1-Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH). Most preferably, one or more of the following fatty alcohols are used: 1- Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1-Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH).

Various unsaturated fatty acids and derivatives are suitable according to the present invention. These include, but are not limited to Stearic acid, Hexacosanoic acid, Stearic acid ethyl ester, Stearic acid methyl ester, Stearic acid propyl ester, Stearic anhydride, Alpha hydroxy stearic acid, 7 109814/3 CI 6-24 Triglycerides, 12 Hydroxy stearic acid, 1-Monopalmitoyl-rac-glyceride, 1,3 Dipalmitin, 1,2 Dipalmitoyl-3-myristoyl-rac-glycerol and hexdecanedioic acid.

Various saturated fatty acids and derivatives are suitable according to the present invention. These include, but are not limited to Linoleyl alcohol.

Various other compounds are suitable according to the present invention. These include, but are not limited to Ceteareth-30 R(OCH2CH2)nOH n=30, R-Mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols, Cetearyl alcohol & Ceteareth 33 wherein cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols and Ceteareth 33 is R(OCH2CH2)nOH where n=30 and R is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols, a mixture of Palmitic acid, Stearic acid and 12 Hydroxy stearic acid, and hydrogenated castor oil.

EXAMPLE 1 Olive oil was heated to about 60-120°C, depending on the melting point of the gelatinizing additive. A pre-determined amount of one of ten fatty alcohols was added to the olive oil while mixing. Mixing was continued at the elevated temperature until a homogeneous solution was obtained. The mixing was then stopped and the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature. The mixture was checked to see whether it gelatinized (Tables 1 , 1A and IB). In those cases where the composition 8 109814/3 gelatinized, The amount of time that it took to get viscous was measured (Tables 2 and 2A). Finally, the viscosity of the various compositions was measured (Table 3).

As can be seen from Table 1 , of the five fatty alcohols tested, Cetyl Alcohol was found to be effective at a mass percentage of more than about 4 percent, Stearyl Alcohol was found to be effective at a mass percentage of more than about 2 percent and 1-Hexacosanol was found to be effective at a mass percentage of more than about 0.05 percent.

TABLE 1 Gelatinization CONCENTRATION 2 4 6 8 10 (mass%) FATTY ALCOHOL Lauryl Alcohol No No No No No Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9 109814/3 TABLE 1A Gelatinization TABLE IB Gelatinization NAME OF CHEMICAL MINIMAL CONCENTRATION FOR GELATINIZATION Arachidyl alcohol (C20) >1% Behenyl alcohol (C22) >1% 1-Triacontanol (C30) >0.3% C-40 straight chain Fatty >0.3% Alcohol CH3(CH2CH2)19CH20H 10 109814/3 TABLE 2 Time (min) of gelatinization of the oil CONCENTRATION 2 4 6 8 10 (mass%) FATTY ALCOHOL Lauryl Alcohol - - - - - Myristyl Alcohol - - - - - Cetyl Alcohol - - 220 90 60 Stearyl Alcohol - 80 50 35 25 11 109814/3 TABLE 2A Time (min) of gelatinization of the oil TABLE 3 VISCOSITY (cps) CONCENTRATION (mass%) 2 4 6 8 10 FATTY ALCOHOL Lauryl Alcohol -100 -100 -100 -100 -100 Myristyl Alcohol -100 -100 -100 -100 -100 Cetyl Alcohol -100 -100 6000 8000 11000 Stearyl Alcohol -100 5000 10000 14000 49000 12 109814/3 EXAMPLE 2 In a second set of experiments fatty alcohols were used to gelatinize different kinds of oils of both natural and syntectic origin. The procedure was as described above with the results tabulated in Table 4.

TABLE 4 NAME OF CONCENTRATION 2 4 6 8 10 (mass%) FATTY OIL ALCOHOL Rose Hip Oil Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Wheat Germ Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Oil Cetyl Alcohol No No No Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Apricot Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Kernel Oil Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Avocado Oil Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes 13 109814/3 Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Sunflower Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Oil Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Evening Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Primrose Oil Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Jojoba Oil Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Corn Germ Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Oil Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes Mineral Oil Myristyl Alcohol No No No No No Cetyl Alcohol No No Yes Yes Yes Stearyl Alcohol No Yes Yes Yes Yes 14 109814/3 EXAMPLE 3 Shown in Table 5 are a number of gelatinizing agents including saturated or unsaturated fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives and similar other compounds along with their approximate experimentally determined minimum effective gelatinizing concentration in olive oil.

TABLE 5 NAME OF FUNCTIONA MINIMAL CONCENTRATION FOR GELATI IZATION CHEMICAL L GROUP Saturated fatty acids and derivatives Stearic acid Free acid >10% Hexacosanoic acid Free acid >5% Stearic acid ethyl ester Ethyl ester >10% Stearic acid methyl Methyl ester >10% ester Stearic acid propyl ester Ethyl ester >10% Stearic anhydride Anhydride >10% Alpha hydroxy atearic Hydroxy fatty >3% acid acid C 16-24 Triglycerides Glyceride >1.5% 12 Hydroxy stearic acid Wax >3% I 1 -Monopalmitoyl-rac- Monoglyceride >3 glyceride 1,3 Dipalmitin Diglyceride >5% 1,2 Dipalmitoyl-3- Triglyceride >3% myristoyl-rac-glycerol Hexadecanediodic Acid Diacid >1 12 Hydroxy Stearic Acid >0.5 Unsaturated fatty acids and derivatives Linoleyl alcohol Alcohol >10 Others Ceteareth-30 R(OCH2CH2)nOH >10% n=30, R-Mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols Cetearyl alcohol & Ceteareth 33 >10 cetearyl alcohol=Mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols Ceteareth 33 = R(OCH2CH2)nOH n=30, R=Mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols Palmitic acid 1% + Stearic acid 11% X).7% + 12 Hydroxy stearic acid 88% Hydrogenated Castor Oil >3% While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made.

Claims

17 109814/3 WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A composition for use in illumination, comprising: (a) at least one oil; and (b) at least one gelatinizing agent having 15 or more carbons, selected from the group consisting of fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives, in a sufficiently high concentration to gelatinize said at least one oil.

2. A composition as in claim 1 , wherein said at least one gelatinizing agent is a fatty alcohol.

3. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said at least one oil includes an oil selected from the group consisting of, rose hip oil, wheat germ oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, jojoba oil, corn germ oil, mineral oil and olive oil.

4. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said at least one oil includes an oil selected from the group consisting of, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, corn germ oil, mineral oil and olive oil.

5. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said at least one oil includes olive oil. 18 109814/3

6. A composition as in claim 2, wherein said fatty alcohol is selected from the group consisting of 1-Pentadecanol, Cetyl Alcohol, 1-Heptadecanol, Stearyl Alcohol, Nonadecanol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Heneicosanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1-Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1 -Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CHjtCHjCH^CHjOH).

7. A composition as in claim 2, wherein said fatty alcohol is selected from the group consisting of Nonadecanol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Heneicosanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1-Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1 -Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CHj(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH).

8. A composition as in claim 2, wherein said fatty alcohol is selected from the group consisting of Behenyl Alcohol, Lignoceryl Alcohol, 1- Pentacosanol, 1-Hexacosanol, 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1 -Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)24CH2OH).

9. A composition as in claim 2, wherein said fatty alcohol is selected from the group consisting of 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Octacosanol, 1 -Triacontanol, C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CH2)19CH2OH) and C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CHj(CH2CH2)24CH2OH). 19 109814/3

10. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said fatty acid or fatty acid derivative is C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH3(CH2CHj)19CH2OH).

11. 1 1. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said fatty acid or fatty acid derivative is C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol

12. The composition as in claim 1, wherein: (a) said at least one oil is olive oil; and (b) said at least one gelatinizing agent is at least one fatty alcohol selected from the group consisting of C-40 straight chain fatty alcohol (CHj(CH2CH2)19CH2OH), C-50 straight chain fatty alcohol (CH (CH2CH2)24CH2OH) and 12 Hydroxy stearic acid.

13. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said at least one gelatinizing agent is a saturated fatty acid or fatty acid derivative.

14. A composition as in claim 13, wherein said saturated fatty acid or fatty acid derivative is selected from the gToup consisting of Stearic acid, Hexacosanoic acid, Stearic acid ethyl ester, Stearic acid methyl ester, Stearic acid propyl ester, Stearic anhydride, Alpha hydroxy atearic acid, CI 6-24 Triglycerides, 12 Hydroxy stearic acid, 1-Monopalmitoyl-rac-glyceride, 1,3 Dipalmitin, 1,2 Dipalmitoyl-3-myristoyl-rac -glycerol and hexdecanedioic acid.

15. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said fatty acid or fatty acid derivative is 12 Hydroxy stearic acid. 20 109814/3

16. A composition as in claim 1, wherein said at least one gelatinizing agent is selected from the groups consisting of Ceteareth-30 R(OCH2CH2)nOH, where n=30, and R is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols; Cetearyl alcohol & Ceteareth 33, where cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols and Ceteareth 33 is R(OCH2CH2)nOH, where n=30 and R is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohols; and a combination of Palmitic acid, Stearic acid and 12 Hydroxy stearic acid.

17. The composition as in any of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one gelatinizing agent is present in an amount of less than 1.6 mass percent.

18. A candle, comprising: (a) at least one oil; and (b) at least one gelatinizing agent having 15 or more carbons, selected from the group consisting of fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives, in a sufficiently high concentration to gelatinize said at least one oil. 21 109814/3

19. A composition for use in illumination, comprising: (a) at least one oil; and (b) at least one gelatinizing agent having 15 or more carbons, selected from the group consisting of fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives, in a sufficiently high concentration to gelatinize said at least one oil so as to form a candle-like structure. dvocate, atent ttorney Beit Amot Mishpat 8 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard 64733 Tel Aviv