The Jojoba plant is considered to be native to desert areas of Mexico, Arizona and California. Arabian countries are rapidly creating new farms for jojoba. Jojoba oil is actually a wax ester produced from the seeds of the jojoba shrub. Recent studies of the composition and properties of jojoba oil have several industries already competing for supplies of this versatile material and other industries are jumping to research this novel substance.
ALI M. EL Halawanay, of Cairo University, published a paper in 2004, estimating that 20,000 tons of jojoba oil was being produced, of which approximately two-thirds is sold to the cosmetic industry and one third to the pharmaceutical industry. He estimated the potential world market to be three times that amount.
Cosmetics Industry
According to a Time Magazine article (“Go Go Jojoba,” July 7,1981) the 1973 ban on interstate commerce of sperm whale oil forced the cosmetic industry to turn to jojoba oil, a substance with similar properties. The first industry to try the properties of jojoba oil, the cosmetic industry acheived a huge success with jojoba as an additive for cosmetics. Because jojoba was a wax ester, it closely resembled the body’s own natural moisturizer, called sebum. It proved to be the perfect emollient for skin care products because it is a natural ingredient, odorless, easily absorbed, non-greasy hypoallergenic and extremely stable.
Alternative Therapies
For the very same reasons, jojoba is a popular additive for fragrances and lotions that are used in aroma and massage therapy. According to Robert Grantor, Director, Australian College of Soft Tissue Therapy, jojoba - although not an oil - is one of the finest of carrier oils due to its ease of absorption, its moisturizing, non-greasy properties, and its long shelf life.
Pharmaceutical Industry
The pharmaceutical industry requires hundreds of raw materials to incorporate medications taken in the form of creams, gels, pills, patches and liquids. Dry emollients, such as jojoba, function as a carrier for the delivery of vitamins, sun screens, insect repellents and creams. Jojoba is a preferred additive because of its ability to blend with a material without changing its chemical composition, taste or smell.
Alternative Fuel
Research is being conducted in the process of converting jojoba into a biodiesel as a replacement for fossil fuels. According to Dr. Mohamed Younes El-Saghir Selim (Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University), early results show jojoba oil to be superior to petroleum-based diesel with fewer emissions and less noise. Jojoba is already being planted in Egypt for future use as an alternative fuel.
Industrial Lubricant
It is predicted that the greatest growth in demand for jojoba oil will be for use as an industrial lubricant. There is a vast unfilled need for new industrial lubricants since the banning of whale oil (see Time Magazine, above). In addition, the quest for alternatives to petroleum has propelled great interest in jojoba for use as an industrial lubricant.
The National Research Council, in its book, Jojoba: New Crop for Arid Lands, New Raw Material for Industry (2002), states that either as an additive or a derivative, jojoba oil is an excellent lubricant with a long performance life. The Council foresaw the use of jojoba as a plasticizer, resin surfactant and protective coating for industrial uses. Jojoba oil may be superior to sperm oil in its ability to withstand high temperatures and extreme friction. Jojoba oil is under consideration as a lubricant in the automotive industry as well as for metal working, gears and other high friction processes.
Chemical Industry
The chemical industry also requires raw materials for the creation of new classes of products and to improve diverse products. The National Research Council predicted that jojoba oil would have use in detergents, disinfectants, anti-foaming agents and pesticides. The chemical industry relies heavily on liquid petroleum and is searching for an alternative renewable raw material for economic reasons as well as to protect the environment.
Jojoba’s debut in the chemical industry has come via polyvinyl chloride(PVC). According to Greenpeace, PVC is one of the most valuable products of the chemical industry. PVC is used in products ranging from construction materials to clothing and toys. The demand for PVC is expected to grow rapidly. PVC’s can be made more flexible and smooth by the addition of substances called plasticizers. As early as 1960, jojoba oil proved its superiority as a plasticizer of PVC even under the strictest low temperature requirements of the aircraft industry (Fore et. al., 1960).
Another Triumph for the Desert
Countries all over the world are seeking independence from petroleum and from the desert nations that control its flow. Jojoba oil is coming forth as a new, versatile raw material for numerous industries. In the future, industries may be competing for yet another fruit of the desert – jojoba oil.
References:Baumann et. al., “Natural Fats and Oils - Renewable Raw Materials for the Chemical Industry” Wiley Interscience, 1987.
Fore SP, Pastor HP, Hughes JP, Bickford WG, " Derivatives of Jojoba Oil as Plasticizers for Vinyl Polymers and Bun-N Rubber," 1960.
National Research Council, Jojoba: New Crop for Arid Lands, New Raw Material for Industry, 2002.
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