Fractionation and Characterization of Waxes

By using short path molecular distillation (SPD) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) techniques, petroleum waxes have been fractionated into different fractions. These wax fractions were analyzed for their composition and phase transitions by gas chromatography (GC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). GC data and the DSC thermograms indicated that the waxes vary significantly in their properties and composition.