Industrial Applications of Renewable Plastics

5.16. Drying Vegetable Oils

Drying oils such as soybean oil, linseed oil, tung oil harden to a tough, solid film after a more or long time of exposure to air. Their components cross-link and polymerize by the action of oxygen at more or less high temperature in presence of oxidation promotors. Drying oils are used to obtain linoleum, paints, and some varnishes. Some applications are also reviewed elsewhere. Their use has declined over the time, as they have been replaced by PVC for floor covering or by alkyd resins and other binders for paints and varnishes.

For information, linoleum is a floor covering composite made of a canvas and an organic matrix made out from natural materials including oxidized linseed oil, pine rosin, ground cork dust, ...