Crude Tall oil, also known as ‘tallolor‘ liquid resin’ is a commercially imported by-product of the Kraft paper making process. It is a by-product from the pulping of coniferous trees and several products can be obtained, such as Tall Oil Fatty Acids, Distilled Tall Oil and Tall Oil Rosin.
These have a wide variety of end uses in the mining, textile, biofuel, printing inks, surface coatings and personal care industries, including cholesterol lowering products. The three major components are resin acids, fatty acids and unsaponifiables or neutral compounds.
Fatty acids make up fats and oils and are found in both hard woods and soft woods and consist of three main types: oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids. Resin acids are a combination of organic acids from oxidation, and polymerization reactions of terpenes found in soft woods, hard woods and conifers. The main resin acid in tall oil is abietic acid.
These are used in Tall Oil Rosin which can replace Gum Rosin for use in resin manufacture for adhesives and printing inks as well as paper size.