Dehydrated Castor Oil (DCO)

Dehydrated Castor Oil (DCO) from CanCastor is a high-performance, bio-based drying oil engineered for modern paints, coatings, and inks that demand fast drying, excellent gloss, and long-term color stability. It is an ideal choice for resin manufacturers, paint producers, and ink formulators seeking a sustainable, castor-based alternative to conventional drying oils.

Dehydrated Castor Oil (DCO) is produced by chemically dehydrating refined castor oil derived from Ricinus communis seeds, converting its hydroxyl-rich ricinoleic structure into a more highly unsaturated, conjugated system. This transformation gives DCO semi-drying to drying characteristics comparable to soya or tung oil, but with superior flexibility and non-yellowing behavior, making it particularly suitable for light-colored and clear coatings.

At CanCastor, DCO is manufactured with tight control over color, acid value, and viscosity to ensure excellent batch-to-batch consistency in alkyd, epoxy-ester, and polyurethane resin production. Formulators benefit from a renewable, low-VOC-enabling raw material that supports high gloss, good flow and leveling, and durable films in demanding end-use environments.

Typical Applications

Paints, coatings, and varnishes

Key raw material for DCO-based alkyd resins used in industrial and decorative paints, metal coatings, wood finishes, and baking enamels requiring fast drying, good hardness, and weather resistance. Ideal for white and pastel shades, appliance finishes, and architectural trim where low yellowing, strong gloss retention, and long-term color stability are critical performance requirements.

Printing inks and overprint varnishes

Used in offset, gravure, and flexographic ink systems to improve pigment wetting, gloss, flexibility, and rub resistance on paper, board, and flexible substrates. Incorporated into clear overprint varnishes and lacquers to enhance adhesion, scuff resistance, and anti-blocking properties in high-speed printing and packaging applications.

Industrial resins and specialty systems

Serves as a bio-based component in epoxy esters, polyurethane dispersions, and hybrid resin systems for coil coatings, can coatings, and protective coatings exposed to chemicals and outdoor weathering. Applied in selected plasticizers, sealants, and adhesive formulations where a balance of flexibility, toughness, non-yellowing behavior, and sustainability is required.