Rosin, also called colophony or Greek pitch, is a solid form of Pine oleoresin from pine trees, mostly conifers, produced by heating fresh liquid resin to vaporize the volatile liquid terpene components. It is semi-transparent and varies in color from yellow to black. At room temperature rosin is brittle, but it melts at stove-top temperatures. It chiefly consists of different resin acids, especially abietic acid.

Rosin was identified as gum rosin, wood rosin, tall oil rosin. The production of rosin is 1,270,000 metric tons on 2011. As the data of 2011 from Gum rosin from Forcast, China contributed 68% of production, and wood rosin from and tall oil rosin from EU and USA were contributed 1% and 31%.

Gum rosin appears yellow color such as the picture in the right. In China, they were produced from Pine oleoresin of pines. The species of pine tree include P.massoniana, P.yunnanenisis and P.elliottii. Main forest areas on provinces of Yuanan, Guangzhou, Fujian, Jiangxi and Sichuan, southern of China.

Chinese gum rosin based products are used for the manufacturing of paper, paint, soap and printing ink. Since rosin is easily softened and oxidized, in the oil paint industry, the carboxylation reaction of resin acid is usually employed to produce resinate for further use. While in the producing of synthetic rubber and printing ink, resin acid is changed into disproportionate rosin, polymerized rosin, hydrogenated rosin, etc for further use by its double bond reaction.

Gum rosin is an organic compound of monoterpene, turpentine and resin acid. Monoterpene is compounded by α-Pinene, β-pinene, camphene, myrcene, carene, dipentene, β-Phellandrene and other monoterpenes. Resin acid is compounded by levopimaric acid, palustric acid, abietic acid, neoabietic aicd, dehydroabietic acid, pimaric acid, isopimaric acid, sandaracopimaric acid, dicarboxylic acid and abietic type acid.

You can learn the compound on the different of species of pine trees here.

Market Reports About Gum Rosin

- A detail analysis of Chinese Gum Rosin, Rosin Resins and Hydrocarbon Resins Exports

- Brazilian Gum Rosin world export record / July 2015

- Gum Rosin Price – BRAZIL vs. CHINA – FOB Export Price

- Historic Gum Rosin Price

Gum rosin is a kind of crude raw material, has the weakness in high acid value and deep yellow color. It is not suitable for manufacturers applied gum rosin in adhesive and coatings formulas directly.

The modification of gum rosin mainly have hydrogenation, esterification, disproportionation, polymerized and glycerol. We can call the modified rosins as Rosin Derivatives. As the different preparation of specialty processing, they can identified as Modified Rosins, Rosin Esters, Modified Rosin Phenolic Resins. They are have widely application for adhesives, coatings, inks, paints, paper making, food and beverages, personal cares industries.

Get full application guide from Foreverest.cn

-Adhesives & Sealants Industry-

Rosin was widely used as an ingredient of some kind of adhesive; especially in heat melt adhesive, pressure sensitive adhesive and rubber adhesive. Rosin mainly is used to enhance the strength, plasticity and viscosity of adhesive.

-Bactericide Industry-

Rosin can be converted into abietylamine acetate for killing algae, bacteria, mildew, mollusk and others pest.

-Construction Materials Industry-

Rosin mainly is used as concrete frothing agent and floor tiling adhesive.

-Electrical Equipment Industry-

Rosin is used as insulation material in electric equipment industry; China has long history of applying rosin as insulation material in cable industry. Rosin also can mix with bakelite and others artificial resin to soak and besmear electric loop.

-Fine chemicals Industry-

Abietic acid is the main ingredient of rosin, it can be synthesized with others matter to produce series optics reactive materials and biotic reactive materials; these materials have special function for human and others organism.

-Foodstuff Industry-

Rosin firstly converted into hydrogenated rosin, and then used to produce chewing gum.

-Metal Processing Industry-

Rosin mainly is used as solding aid and metal polishing agent. Rosin is a kind of weak acidity matter, it can remove oxidation film from metal surface and slightly erode the surface of metal, and therefore, lots of solding aid agents contain rosin.