Castor Oil Polyoxyethylene Ether EL-60 (PEG-60 Castor Oil) is a nonionic surfactant produced by ethoxylating natural castor oil, appearing as a light yellow paste. With its unique molecular structure, this product exhibits efficient emulsifying, dispersing, and solubilizing abilities in various industrial and daily chemical formulations. It also possesses excellent chemical stability and broad compatibility, allowing it to be used in combination with anionic, cationic, and amphoteric surfactants, maintaining good performance in acidic, alkaline, and hard water systems.
In industrial applications, EL-60 serves as an efficient oil-in-water (O/W) emulsifier, capable of stably dispersing various oil-phase components. It is widely used in formulations such as metalworking fluids, industrial cleaners, and hydraulic fluids, providing long-lasting emulsification stability and thermal stability. In the textile printing and dyeing industry, it acts as a leveling agent and dispersant in high-temperature high-pressure dyeing and room temperature dyeing processes, helping dyes evenly adhere to fibers, effectively preventing color spots and streaks, and significantly improving dyeing uniformity and color fastness.
In the daily chemical field, EL-60 is used for solubilizing and emulsifying fragrances, essential oils, and fat-soluble active ingredients in water-based systems. It is commonly found in formulations such as transparent shampoos, body washes, makeup removers, facial cleansers, and creams. It has extremely low irritation to human skin and eyes (confirmed non-irritating by OECD 404/405) and is readily biodegradable (>60% BOD/COD under OECD 301B standard), meeting the sustainable development requirements of modern green chemicals.
| Parameter | Value/Description |
|---|---|
| Product Name | Castor Oil Polyoxyethylene Ether EL-60 |
| Alias | PEG-60 Castor Oil, Ethoxylated Castor Oil (60 EO), Castor Oil Polyether EL-60 |
| CAS Number | 61791-12-6 |
| Product Type | Nonionic Surfactant |
| Appearance | Light Yellow Paste |
| Emulsion Type | O/W (Oil-in-Water) Emulsifier |
| Raw Material Source | Natural Castor Oil |
| GHS Classification | Non-Hazardous Substance |
| Acute Oral Toxicity (LD₅₀, Rat) | > 5000 mg/kg (Practically Non-toxic) |
| Skin Irritation (OECD 404, Rabbit) | Non-irritating |
| Eye Irritation (OECD 405, Rabbit) | Non-irritating |
| Skin Sensitization (OECD 406, Guinea Pig) | Non-sensitizing |
| Ecotoxicity (Fish, 96h LC₅₀) | > 100 mg/L |
| Biodegradability (OECD 301B) | Readily Biodegradable (>60% BOD/COD) |
1. Industrial Emulsifier: Used in emulsion polymerization, metalworking fluids, industrial cleaners, hydraulic fluids, etc., as an efficient O/W emulsifier. It exhibits outstanding emulsifying performance for oils, waxes, and various organic phases, significantly reducing oil-water interfacial tension and endowing emulsions with excellent long-term stability.
2. Textile Printing and Dyeing: Used as a leveling agent and dispersant in high-temperature high-pressure dyeing or room temperature dyeing, helping dyes evenly adhere to fibers, preventing color spots and streaks. It can also serve as an antistatic agent, improving fabric hand feel and processing performance.
3. Pesticide Formulations: Used in formulating emulsifiable concentrates, emulsion concentrates, microemulsions, and other formulations, acting as an emulsifier and wetting agent to enhance the spreading and penetration of the spray liquid on plant leaves and targets, thereby improving efficacy.
4. Metalworking Fluids: In emulsified cutting fluids, grinding fluids, and rolling oils, it provides synergistic effects of emulsification, lubrication, and anti-corrosion, endowing the working fluid with good cooling performance and helping extend tool life.
5. Daily Chemical Products: Used in makeup removers, facial cleansers, transparent shampoos, body washes, creams, and other formulations as a solubilizer and emulsifier. It solubilizes fragrances, essential oils, and fat-soluble active ingredients, maintaining product transparency and stability.
6. Emulsion Polymerization: Participates in polymerization reactions such as acrylates, styrene-acrylic, vinyl acetate-acrylic systems, providing micellar nucleation and monomer emulsification, helping control the particle size distribution and polymerization stability of latex, imparting excellent mechanical stability.