What is Calcium Stearate?
Calcium stearate is obtained from the reaction of stearic acid and lime.
2 C17H35COOH + CaO → (C17H35COO) 2Ca + H2O
- It is a white and silky fine powder to the touch.
- It is very stable in high temperature conditions.
- It is non-toxic and is even used as a food additive.
- It is highly water resistant and has water repellent properties.
- It acts as a lubricant, release agent, stabilizer and thickener in various processes.
It is an excellent process facilitator used in injection and extrusion processes. It increases product homogeneity, reduces energy consumption and saves on raw material. It is also used as a stabilizer where it is possible to achieve better transparency, good color retention, long term stability and weather resistance properties.
It is used as an anti-caking agent in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food and chemical formulations due to its lubricating and water-repellent properties. It prevents the products from absorbing moisture and sticking, and increases plasticity. Calcium stearate is added to increase efficiency in production by extruding and laminating plastics and metals.