SOME ASPECTS OF BEESWAX HYDROLYSIS

Abstract

Beeswax is the secretion of a bee's abdominal glands. According to its chemical composition, beeswax belongs to the group of lipids and it is formed a very complex composition of about 300 organic substances. It mostly contains different classes of esters, of which the majority are monoesters. Alkaline hydrolysis of esters (saponification) is a significant chemical reaction in the chemical industry. The saponification value together with the melting point, the acid value and the ester value represent the basic physico-chemical parameters for determining the quality, authenticity and potential faking of beeswax. Saponification has not been fully researched, nor is it an efficient process. Many researchers examine the reaction of ester hydrolysis in order to obtain a process with as little energy consumption as possible, a higher yield and a shorter duration of the hydrolysis process. The main factors that affect the wax saponification process are the size and structure of the alcohol and acid that make up the ester, the wax/alkali mass (molar) ratio, the duration of the process and the temperature of the reaction. With an increase in the mass of the wax sample, i.e. an increase in the wax/alkali mass ratio, the saponification value, i.e. the degree of hydrolysis, decreases. With an increase in the duration of hydrolysis and temperature, the degree of hydrolysis of wax esters, increases. The highest saponification value (SV=79.3; degree of hydrolysis 76.5%) was achieved by the hydrolysis of 0.5 g of wax at a temperature of 105°C for 150 minutes.