Kameyama Makes Petroleum-Free Candles

Japan's leading candle maker, Kameyama Co., released new lines of candles made from plants and natural gas through the company's own proprietary technology. As most candles supplied in Japan are made mainly of paraffin wax, refined from crude oil, the recent instability in the Middle East and the threat of depletion of fossil fuels motivated the company to seek technologies to produce candles from non-petroleum materials.

The company borrowed ideas from the making of traditional Japanese candles, which are made of tree wax extracted from wax trees and lacquer trees. The new plant-based candles are made from 100 percent pure vegetable material, including oils extracted from soybean, rapeseed and rice. Although the price is higher than petroleum-based candles, the new candles have steady flames and generate no soot, which are problems with traditional Japanese candles, and give off no odor after being blown out. These features make them popular among environment-conscious customers.

The new line of candles made from wax processed from natural gas also produces no soot and gives off no odor after being blown out. These natural-gas-based candles are being sold as of September 2004 at pharmacies in the Kanto area, in eastern Japan. With this cutting-edge technology, the company expects natural gas to be the material of choice for candles of the future.

By developing the technology to make candles out of various materials, Kameyama aims to establish a system for the stable supply of candles, helping it to avoid overdependence on petroleum, and to manage risks of material shortages.



Posted: 2004/12/13 03:47:31 PM
Japanese version