Explaining Wax Emulsions: Specialist surfactant manufacture by Manchester’s Lakeland Laboratories🧪

Wax emulsions developed by Lakeland Laboratories benefit from positive environmental qualities thanks to reduced solvent use, bringing broad appeal from clients in industrial and institutional cleaning, mechanical and manufacturing, construction, logistics and textile sectors in particular. 

These versatile, nonionic, anionic and cationic aqueous emulsions are durable and easy to handle, with free-flowing liquid wax emulsions supplied by Lakeland for improved mechanical action.  

What are wax emulsions, how are they used and what benefits do they carry?

What are Wax Emulsion surfactant chemicals?

Wax emulsions are homogeneous blends of wax particles and water, held together by surfactants. When incorporated into formulated products, these wax emulsions help form a protective barrier on any surface it is applied to once dry.

Hydrophobic waxes cannot generally be blended or mixed with water, but the use of surfactants by manufacturers such as Lakeland Laboratories brings waxes and water together through the process of emulsification to create a free-flowing, stable wax emulsion product.

Lakeland’s wax emulsions are solvent-free. Solvent-based products are generally referred to as wax dispersions.

Waxes found in wax emulsions may be natural or synthetic. Natural fossil-based waxes include paraffin wax, microcrystalline and montan wax, whereas non-fossil alternatives often comprise carnauba wax, beeswax or rice bran wax. Each wax type imparts unique properties enabling them to be used in a wide range of applications.

How safe are wax emulsions?

Wax emulsions are stable and easy to handle, manufactured by Lakeland with reduced solvent use for ever-improving environmental profiles which makes our wax emulsion products popular for uses in industrial and institutional cleaning, mechanical, metal working and manufacturing sectors, construction, logistics and textile manufacturing.

What benefits do wax emulsions offer?

Wax emulsions are incredibly versatile, often referred to as surface conditioners or modifiers and offering benefits such as:

• Scratch protection for floors and surfaces
• Resistance to marks and ‘wear and tear’ damage
• Protection of a surface from water damage by preventing water penetration
• Excellent anti-friction, ‘slip’ properties
• Tough anti-slip properties in polypropylene formulas
• Abrasion resistance, such as in inks, primers and metal coatings
• Tactile properties, creating a ‘soft-touch’ feel on surfaces such as car interiors

How are wax emulsions used in industry?

Wax emulsions are incredibly stable, making them highly versatile for use across a huge range of applications depending on their emulsification. Anionic surfactants will make for improved hydrophobicity in the wax emulsion, having the effect of ‘repelling’ water to protect a product from water or other damage. Alternatively, cationic surfactants will create improved adhesive, hydrophilic qualities, for example when protecting textiles.

Lakeland’s customers and other industries use wax emulsions:

• As hard-wearing, scratch-resistant coatings and finishes for floors and other surfaces, preventing scuffs, water damage and abrasion
• As an anti-abrasive coating in metalworking and metal cleaning
• In glossy floor polishes
• In the manufacture of solvent-free paints
• In protective formulations for wood and timber
• To soften textiles
• For the release and cleaning of mould
• In printing inks, including anti-scuff printing inks
• In the manufacturing of anti-slip floor coatings, protecting buildings and preventing injuries
• As anti-slip coatings that secure products during transit
• In wax coatings for fruits, preventing moisture loss and extending shelf life

Wax emulsions manufactured by Lakeland Laboratories

Lakeland Laboratories’ Manchester-based team manufactures our stable and incredibly versatile nonionic, anionic and cationic aqueous wax emulsions, which include homopolymers, polypropylene, copolymers and montan ester surfactants, on site at our dedicated surfactant manufacturing plant.

Backed by over 60 years of chemical expertise and our in-house product research and development laboratory, Lakeland Laboratories has established an outstanding reputation for highly versatile wax emulsions manufacture in Manchester, ensuring the quality of our products and their performance remains up-to-the-minute.

Dedicated to product research, Lakeland’s team is driven to continue to develop our wax emulsions product range to achieve greater performance, suiting ever-changing industry needs and end user demands.

Find out more about Wax emulsion manufacture in Manchester by Lakeland Laboratories

With chemistry at the heart of our business, Lakeland’s wax emulsion and surfactant manufacturing team in Manchester is committed to continuous improvement, delivering reliable, consistent and high-performing wax emulsion, amphoteric, phosphate ester and speciality chemicals which support industry, cleaning, food production, and manufacturing processes worldwide.