Candle Fuel

What type of candle wax/oil will burn the longest?

That is the question Emma used for her science fair project this year. She and Michael were talking about emergency candles, wondering if one kind lasted longer than another. They decided to test some and see.

Products Used:

Paraffin Wax
Beeswax
Soy Wax
Crisco
Olive Oil
Vegetable Oil
Butter
Combinations of the waxes



Basically they emptied tea light candles and filled them with all of the different products. They had to melt the wax on the stove and then pour it into the tea light. The tea lights hold about 1 tablespoon. They lit all the candles at the same time and waited. They wrote down the amount of time a candle burned as it went out. They charted their results and did a 2nd test. It was pretty close to the first. Can you guess what burns the longest?

Paraffin 1hr 45min
Butter 2hrs 23min
Soy 2hrs 48min
Beeswax 3hrs
Crisco 3hrs 2min
Vegetable oil 4hrs 57min
Olive Oil 5hrs 45min

So, for all of you interested in emergency preparedness, store olive oil. Even if it goes rancid, you can burn it for light!

Emma did a great job on her project, she won 1st place at her school. We are so proud of her! She will go to regionals in March.