Fatty Acid

Fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail (chain), which is either saturated or unsaturated.

Fatty acids are merely carboxylic acids with long hydrocarbon chains. The hydrocarbon chain length may vary from 10-30 carbons.

Fatty acid demand is expected to continue to be strong , fuelled by growth in consumer products such as cosmetics and plastics. Prices of fatty acids in Asia are dependent on feedstock palm kernel, palm stearin and crude palm oil prices and tend to follow the price trends of these raw materials.

The rubber industry consumes large quantities of fatty acids. Mostly, saturated fatty acids are used as activators, accelerators and softening agents.

The textile industry uses fairly large quantities of fatty acids, largely in the form of derivatives. Because of the diversity of the industry and the numerous forms in which fatty acids