Turkey Red Oil (Sulfonated Castor Oil / TRO)

What Turkey Red Oil Does & Buyer Problems It Solves

What It Does:

• Functions as a complete water-dispersible anionic surfactant – unlike regular castor oil, Turkey Red Oil disperses completely and uniformly in water to form stable, transparent or translucent solutions, making it useful in any application where an oil-water system needs to be stabilized.
• Acts as a levelling, wetting, and penetration agent – in textile dyeing and finishing, TRO ensures uniform dye distribution across fibres, prevents streaking and patchiness, and improves the penetration of chemical auxiliaries into fabric structures.
• Serves as an emulsifier and lubricant in leather and industrial applications – TRO is used in leather fat-liquoring as a dispersing and softening agent, and as a wire drawing lubricant, metal processing aid, and antistat agent in industrial applications.

Buyer Problems It Solves:

• If your textile dyeing operations suffer from uneven colour, poor penetration, or fabric damage – Turkey Red Oil improves dye bath uniformity and fibre penetration, resulting in more consistent, higher-quality dyeing and printing output.
• If you need a natural, bio-based anionic surfactant that is water-soluble and does not leave an oily residue – TRO’s unique water-miscibility makes it a superior choice over regular castor oil or mineral oil-based emulsifiers.
• If your bath oil or cosmetic preparation needs an emulsifier that solubilizes essential oils and fragrances in water cleanly without synthetic emulsifiers – TRO is a well-established solution for bath oil preparations and soap making.
• If your current sulfonated oil source has inconsistent active content or pH – Nova Industries controls TRO production parameters tightly, ensuring consistent Total Fatty Matter, active content (50% or 70%), and pH per batch.

Key Properties & Performance Characteristics

• Chemical Type: Anionic surfactant – sulfated castor oil
• Available Grades: 50% Active and 70% Active (Total Fatty Matter basis)
• Appearance: Amber to reddish-brown viscous liquid with a characteristic sulfated oil odour
• pH (2% aqueous solution): 7.0–8.5
• Water Miscibility: Completely miscible with water – forms transparent to translucent solutions
• Specific Gravity: ~1.05–1.10 at 25°C
• Iron (Fe) Content: ≤ 0.01%
• Electrolyte Stability: Good stability in softwater; may require testing in hard water
• Foam Profile: Moderate foam – manageable in textile and industrial applications
• Temperature Stability: Effective across a broad temperature range used in textile processing

Stability, Shelf Life & Storage

• Shelf Life: 24 months from production date under correct storage conditions
• Storage Temperature: Store between 10°C–35°C – avoid freezing (may cause separation or crystallization) and extreme heat
• Cold Temperature Behaviour: At temperatures below 10°C, TRO may show turbidity or sediment – this is a physical effect and does not affect quality; warm to 30–40°C and stir to restore homogeneity
• Avoid: Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight; contact with strong acids (below pH 4) which can cause hydrolysis of the sulfate groups
• Container: Store in lined MS drums, HDPE containers, or stainless-steel tanks – avoid unlined carbon steel
• Packaging: Available in 200 kg sealed drums – custom quantity and packaging on request

Manufacturing & Quality Control

Turkey Red Oil at Nova Industries is produced through a carefully controlled sulfation and neutralization process:

• Castor Oil Base: Refined castor oil with controlled acid value and moisture content
• Sulfonation: Concentrated sulphuric acid added dropwise to castor oil under controlled temperature and agitation to achieve the target degree of sulfation
• Washing & Neutralisation: Product washed and neutralized with caustic soda to achieve pH 7.0–8.5
• Active Content Control: Process controlled to achieve target 50% or 70% Total Fatty Matter
• Quality Testing: pH, Specific Gravity, Appearance, Iron content, Active Content, and Water Dispersibility tested per batch
• Documentation: Batch CoA, MSDS, and export documents provided