Beeswax is a complex organic compound. The substance is produced by honey bees, secreting it from special glands. Due to its natural origin, it is often used not only in the food industry, but also in folk medicine as a medicinal element, in cosmetology and even needlework for creating various toys.
Thermal properties
In its natural form, wax is found in solid form. The material becomes plastic at a temperature above 35 degrees. There are many options for dissolving wax. This is not a problem, because upon cooling it returns to solid state again.
A temperature of 60–80 degrees is sufficient to turn the wax into a liquid. At 100 degrees, the wax begins to boil, and a foam appears on the surface of the molten liquid. So the substance gets rid of water, which in its natural form is in the structure of the material.
A temperature above the boiling level brings the wax to destruction, due to which some of its elements begin to break down. This suggests that if you dissolve the wax to this state, then the material will not be able to return to its original form. Wax starts to burn at temperatures above 300 degrees.
Chemical features
The material is not soluble in water and glycerin. In alcohol, its solubility is also low, therefore, before dissolving the wax, it is necessary to prepare the necessary ingredients for this process.
For a good dissolution of the substance, essential oils in a heated form are needed: paraffin, turpentine, gasoline, chloroform or ether. Each of these elements at a certain temperature begins to affect the wax and dissolve it.
Heated alcohol is also advised. But here you need to be careful before you dissolve the wax in this way, you need to check its naturalness. If there are no additional substances in the composition, then the material will dissolve quickly. If there are other elements there, this can lead to the destruction of the components of the substance, as well as the inability to return to its original state.
Substance classification
Several varieties of wax can be distinguished, each of which has its own advantages. The most popular options are:
- Wax Kapanets, which does not contain emulsified water, which makes the material strong enough and solid. The melting point is higher than conventional wax. It has good characteristics in terms of cleanliness, color and quality. It is used for the manufacture of medicines. There are few possibilities than to dissolve natural wax of this type, in this case, the use of essential oils will be optimal.
- Beeswax from the category of ordinary beeswax. It is used for the manufacture of waxes and in the food industry. The material is more plastic and melts faster.
- Wax obtained by processing apiary merva at high temperatures. The primary qualities of the wax are lost, which is displayed on a cloudy color and uneven texture. Can be used as a waxing material. It is not difficult to dissolve the wax to a liquid state; you need to heat it to a temperature of 60 degrees.
- Extraction wax is obtained by processing raw materials and extracting the main component. Gas can be used in the process. Use this wax only for industrial purposes.
The choice of wax depends on the industry in which the material will be applied. This should be taken into account, as well as the technical characteristics of each type.
Background of creation
Wax is considered one of the mass products in beekeeping, which is also actively used in agriculture. Bees accumulate wax in the process of life. Over time, the walls of the cells begin to darken, the cells decrease, and enough of this substance appears on the surface to release.
By the darkness of the honeycomb, you can determine the quality of the wax and the presence of additional substances and elements inside. In the process of material isolation, the proportion of wax is minimal. Although it depends on how you dissolve the wax, what methods are used for this.
Pure beeswax can be obtained by melting the wax-containing material and additional filtration. On an industrial scale, this is done quite easily thanks to special filters. In agriculture, only numerous re-melting is used as such treatment.
Primary raw materials
Before you ask yourself how to dissolve wax to a liquid state, you need to think about what to use as primary raw materials. It can be scraps of wax that are collected after trimming honeycombs in apiaries. The cells themselves, which are already filled, are also used, and it is difficult to clean them.
By cleaning, you can get about 70 percent of the wax of its total mass on the comb. It is used for melting and zabrus, and wax material from honeycombs, remaining on the surface after eating honey.
Recycling Options
The most popular is the option of solar wax refining, due to which a high-quality product is obtained. This is a good option. And is the answer to how you can dissolve the wax to a liquid state. Thanks to sunlight, it quickly brightens and natural filtration occurs. Steam wax refining is gaining popularity, but interaction with water can adversely affect the concentration of the product itself.
How to dissolve wax or paraffin? This can be accomplished with the help of water flooding, due to which, as a result, most of the filtered wax floats to the surface, from where it is immediately collected. The advantage of the method is that in the end it turns out in a plastic state, and it is easy to give it the desired shape until it cools completely.