View source for Carnauba wax

{{short description|Natural plant wax from leaves of the carnauba palm}}
[[File:Carnauba wax.jpg|thumb|right|Carnauba wax]]

'''Carnauba''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɑːr|ˈ|n|ɔː|b|ə|,_|-|ˈ|n|aʊ|-|,_|-|ˈ|n|uː|-|,_|-|n|ɑː|ˈ|uː|-}};<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chambers Dictionary|publisher=Chambers|year=2003|isbn=0-550-10105-5|edition=9th|chapter=carnauba}}</ref><ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Carnauba "Carnauba"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''</ref> {{langx|pt|carnaúba}} {{IPA|pt|kaʁnaˈubɐ|}}), also called '''Brazil wax''' and '''palm wax''', is a [[wax]] of the leaves of the carnauba palm ''[[Copernicia prunifera]]'' (synonym: ''Copernicia cerifera''), a plant native to and grown only in the northeastern [[Brazil]]ian states of [[Ceará]], [[Piauí]], [[Paraíba]], [[Pernambuco]],  [[Rio Grande do Norte]], [[Maranhão]] and [[Bahia]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Steinle |first=J. Vernon |date=September 1936 |title=Carnauba wax: an expedition to its source | journal=Industrial & Engineering Chemistry |volume=28 |issue=9 |pages=1004–1008 |doi=10.1021/ie50321a003}}</ref> It is known as the "Queen of Waxes".<ref>{{cite book |last=Parish |first=Edward J. |author2=Terrence L. Boos |author3=Shengrong Li  |editor=Casimir C. Akoh, David B. Min. |title=Food lipids: chemistry, nutrition, and biochemistry |edition=2nd |year=2002 |publisher=M. Dekker |location=New York |isbn=0-8247-0749-4 |page=103 |chapter=The Chemistry of Waxes and Sterols }}</ref> In its pure state, it is usually available in the form of hard yellow-brown flakes. It is obtained by collecting and drying the leaves, beating them to loosen the wax, then refining and bleaching it.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.acaatinga.org.br/wp-content/uploads/carnauba_production_chain_-_good_practices_manual.pdf |last=Associacao Caatinga |first=BMU-IKI/GIZ |date=2019 |title=Good Practices Manual for the Carnauba supply chain |access-date=2019-12-05 |archive-date=2019-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205165403/https://www.acaatinga.org.br/wp-content/uploads/carnauba_production_chain_-_good_practices_manual.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
As a food additive, its [[E number]] is '''E903'''.

==Composition==
[[File:Carnauba.jpg|thumb|right|Carnauba palm]]
Carnauba consists mostly of aliphatic esters (40 wt%), [[diester]]s of [[4-hydroxycinnamic acid]] (21.0 wt%), ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids (13.0 wt%), and [[fatty alcohol]]s (12 wt%). The compounds are predominantly derived from acids and alcohols in the C26-C30 range. It is distinctive for its high content of diesters and its methoxycinnamic acid.<ref name=Ullmann>{{Cite book|doi = 10.1002/14356007.a28_103|chapter = Waxes|title = Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry|year = 2000|last1 = Wolfmeier|first1 = Uwe|last2 = Schmidt|first2 = Hans|last3 = Heinrichs|first3 = Franz-Leo|last4 = Michalczyk|first4 = Georg|last5 = Payer|first5 = Wolfgang|last6 = Dietsche|first6 = Wolfram|last7 = Boehlke|first7 = Klaus|last8 = Hohner|first8 = Gerd|last9 = Wildgruber|first9 = Josef|isbn = 3527306730}}</ref>

It is sold in grades of T1, T3 and T4 according to its purity level, which is accomplished by filtration, [[centrifugation]] and bleaching.

[[File:Suikerbonen De Bock Lentilles - Assortie.JPG|thumb|right|Chocolate [[dragée]]s coated with carnauba wax]]

==Properties==
As it creates a glossy finish, carnauba wax is used in automobile waxes, [[shoe polish]]es, [[dental floss]], food products (such as [[sweets]]), [[polishing|polishes]] for musical instruments, and floor and furniture waxes and polishes. It is commonly used for [[coated paper|paper coatings]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mapleholistics.com/blog/dangers-carnauba-wax/|title=The Dangers of Carnauba Wax Explained: Stay Safe!|date=2017-11-17|website=Maple Holistics|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-19}}</ref>

It is also used to make [[cutler's resin]] for attaching handles to bladed tools and weapons.

Although too brittle to be used alone, carnauba wax is often combined with other waxes (principally [[beeswax]]) to treat and waterproof leather products, where it provides a high-gloss finish and increases leather's hardness and durability.

In 1890 carnauba wax was patented as a replacement for the standard [[Paraffin wax|paraffin]]/beeswax mixture used in [[phonograph cylinder]]s.

Carnauba wax may be used as a mold [[release agent]] for manufacturing [[fibre-reinforced plastic]]s. An aerosol form is made by dissolving it in a solvent. Unlike [[silicone]] or [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|PTFE]], carnauba is suitable for use with liquid [[epoxy]], epoxy molding compounds (EMC), and some other plastic types. It is not very soluble in [[chlorinated hydrocarbons|chlorinated]] or [[aromatic hydrocarbons]].<ref name="Apps">
{{cite book
 | last = Apps
 | first = E. A.
 | title = Printing Ink Technology
 | publisher = Leonard Hill Books ltd
 | date = 1958
 | location = London
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/printinginktechn00apps/page/86 86]
 | url =https://archive.org/details/printinginktechn00apps
 | url-access = registration
 }}
</ref>

It is used in melt/castable explosives to produce an insensitive explosive formula such as [[Composition B]], which is a blend of [[RDX]] and [[Trinitrotoluene|TNT]].

==Production and export==
In 2006, Brazil produced 22,409 tons of carnauba wax, of which 14% was [[solid]] and 86% was in [[powder]] form.
There are 20 to 25 exporters of carnauba wax in Brazil who, after buying it from middlemen or directly from farmers, [[refine]] the wax before shipping it to the rest of the world. 
The four largest exporters are [http://pontes.ind.br Pontes], [https://brasilceras.com.br/ Brasil Ceras], Foncepi, and Carnauba do Brasil, who together account for around €25 million of the export market. According to the German television program [[:de:Markt (WDR)#Markencheck|''Markencheck'']], conditions for many carnauba production workers are quite poor; one [[Ministry of Labour and Employment (Brazil)|Brazilian Labor Ministry]] official found conditions "that could be described as slavery."<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Der Haribo-Check|url=http://www.daserste.de/information/ratgeber-service/markencheck/sendung/markencheck-folge-2-102.html|work=Markencheck|publisher=[[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]]|date=October 16, 2017|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Haribo gummy bear ingredients made by modern slaves, documentary shows|url=http://www.dw.com/en/haribo-gummy-bear-ingredients-made-by-modern-slaves-documentary-shows/a-41036821|date=October 19, 2017|access-date=October 29, 2017|last=Knight|first=Ben|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref>

According to the Brazilian [[Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade]], the major destinations for exported carnauba wax are:
* United States (25%)
* Japan (15–25%)
* Germany (10–15%)
* Netherlands (5%)
* Italy (5%)
*China (5%)
* Other countries (13%)
The [https://www.ethicalbiotrade.org/initiative-for-responsible-carnauba Initiative for Responsible Carnauba (IRC)] was founded in 2018 as part of the [https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/40693.html Private Business Action for Biodiversity] project, in association with the [[Union for Ethical Biotrade|Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT)]]. Its aim is to foster responsible production that respects workers’ rights and preserves biodiversity. In an established working group with 20 local manufacturers and international distributors and brands, the IRC has set social, traceability and biodiversity standards and helped local producers implement them, with the UEBT's support.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Initiative for Responsible Carnauba|url=https://www.ethicalbiotrade.org/initiative-for-responsible-carnauba|access-date=2020-10-20|website=The Union for Ethical BioTrade|language=en-US}}</ref> In collaboration with the local NGO Associação Caatinga, the Initiative has created a manual of good practices for the sector<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manual of good practices for the Carnauba production chain|url=https://www.ethicalbiotrade.org/resource-pages/manual-good-practices-carnauba|access-date=2020-10-20|website=The Union for Ethical BioTrade|date=20 October 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> and 12 short learning videos,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Boas Práticas na Cadeia Produtiva da Carnaúba|url=https://www.acaatinga.org.br/boas-praticas-na-cadeia-da-carnauba/|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Associacao Caatinga|language=pt-BR}}</ref> available on YouTube and sharable via WhatsApp, to inform field workers of their rights and about good biodiversity practices.

==Technical characteristics==
{{Prose|section|date=January 2025}}
*[[INCI|INCI name]]: ''Copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax''
*Melting point: {{convert|82|-|86|C|F}} (among the highest of natural waxes; higher than [[beeswax]], {{convert|62|–|64|C|F}})<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wu |first=X. |date=July 2020 |title=Hybrid Graphene/Carbon Nanofiber Wax Emulsion for Paper-Based Electronics and Thermal Management | journal=Advanced Electronic Materials |volume=6 |issue=7 |article-number=2000232 |doi=10.1002/aelm.202000232|doi-access=free |arxiv=2004.11476 |s2cid=216144540 }}</ref>
*Relative density: ~0.97
*Among the hardest of natural waxes
*Practically insoluble in water or [[Ethanol|ethyl alcohol]]
*Soluble by heating in [[ethyl acetate]] or [[xylene]]

==References==
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{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060512191150/http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Copernicia/index.html Botanical description] - from the [[Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden]]
*[http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/jecfa_additives/docs/Monograph1/Additive-109.pdf Carnauba wax data sheet] - from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
*[http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/portals/0/downloads/carnaubawax.pdf Carnauba Wax Background Paper] - published report from field work
*[https://www.acaatinga.org.br/ Associacao Caatinga]
*[https://www.acaatinga.org.br/wp-content/uploads/carnauba_production_chain_-_good_practices_manual.pdf Good Practices Manual for the Carnauba supply chain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205165403/https://www.acaatinga.org.br/wp-content/uploads/carnauba_production_chain_-_good_practices_manual.pdf |date=2019-12-05 }} - Associacao Caatinga/BMU-IKI/GIZ (2019)
*[https://www.ethicalbiotrade.org/initiative-for-responsible-carnauba Initiative for Responsible Carnauba] - IRC
*[https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/40693.html Private Business Action for Biodiversity] - BMU-IKI/GIZ
*[https://www.ethicalbiotrade.org/ Union for Ethical BioTrade - UEBT]

{{E number infobox 900-909}}
{{Non-timber forest products}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnauba Wax}}
[[Category:Waxes]]
[[Category:Food additives]]
[[Category:Cosmetics chemicals]]
[[Category:Non-timber forest products]]
[[Category:E-number additives]]