本文的前提是润滑基础油的法规和技术的变化，这为生物产品提供了更诱人的市场，也为植物蜡创造了一个明显持续开放的市场。但是，植物蜡必须克服作为石蜡的替代品的局限性。
Cargill 公司已经研制出了一种基于石蜡置换的加工方法。这种方法对植物蜡的内在变化有重大的影响。置换的结果是不饱和双键的重组。
R-C=C-R 和 R’-C=C-R’ 变为 R-C=C-R’ 和 R-C=C-R’
在此之前，置换反应通常只局限于非重要功能团的分子之间。新催化剂的研发打开了植物油的化学应用之门。
在置换过程中，两摩尔的豆油与油中某个C9脂肪酸的烷基相交换，油的两个分子成为C9双键的一部分，烷基成为脂肪酸的一部分，形成了一个C18烯烃的不饱和双键处于C9和C10烯烃之间。
在置换反应之后再将油加氢成为蜡产品，这种蜡在弹性和塑性方面有明显的提高，同时在熔点、极性、模拟蜂蜡和棕榈蜡等天然蜡的能力，硬度等方面也有明显的改善。
利用置换反应所获得的产品潜质和预期经济效应是明显的和令人兴奋的。在这一队列中的新产品包括高熔点的蜡，延展性较好的豆蜡，蜡冻，石油替代品，轻质油和脂类。
The paper is based on the premise that lubricant base oil regulations and technology changes are making the wax market more attractive for bio-based products.
Cargill has developed a process based on the metathesis of olefins that can have a significant impact on the potential for vegetable waxes, Metathesis is the rearrangement of unsaturated double bonds:
R-C=C-R and R’-C=C-R’ yields R-C=C-R’ and R-C=C-R’
Historically, metathesis reactions were limited to molecules without important functional groups. The development of new catalysts has opened the chemistry to be applied to vegetable oils.
In the metathesis process, two moles of soy oil exchange alkyl groups attached at the C9carbon of one of the fatty acid, now form a C18 olefin with the unsaturated double bond located between C9 and C10 of the olefin.
The metathesized vegetable oil can then be hydrogenated to w waxy product. These waxes show significant improvement in flexibility and plasticity. Also there appear to be improvements in melt point range, polarity, and ability to mimic natural waxes such as beeswax, carnauba and hardness.
The potential to take product performance and achieve desired economics by introducing metathesized wax is significant and exciting. A number of new products in the pipeline including high melting waxes, more malleable soy based waxes, gels, a petrolatum substitute, light oils and esters.
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