Stearic acid (stearic acid production)

Emissions generated by the activity within the product supply chain as described in ecoinvent v3.8. Stearic acid is a fatty acid with C18. Fatty acids are present in nature in fats and oils. Stearic acid is present in a weight concertation between 1 to 7 % in common vegetable oils (cotton seed, peanut, coconut, linseed, palm kernel, olive, rape-seed, castor, soybean, sunflower and palm). Stearic acid is found in very high concentration, 15 to 30% in beef tallow (Anneken et al. 2006). Anneken et al. (2006) lists the following industries as the main application of fatty acids: soaps; detergents; cosmetics; textile; coatings and inks; rubber and tyres; candles and waxes; plastics; paper and leather; lubricants; emulsifiers; food (Anneken et al. 2006). Reference(s): Anneken et al. (2006) Fatty Acids. Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Volume 14, pp. 73-116. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. The cut-off classification is allocatable product. The activity type is ordinary transforming activity. The reference product amount is 1.