In alcohol ethoxylates

The presence of volatile components in alcohol ethoxylates (e.g., free alcohol) places some restriction on the level and type of alcohol ethoxylate that can be spray-dried. Volatile components cause pluming in spray tower emissions. These emissions can be minimized by using a peaked or narrow range ethoxylate or by postdosing the nonionic onto a previously spray-dried powder [36]. The peaked ethoxylate contains inherently less of the volatile components. 

Ballestra conclude that the 1,4-dioxane content increases dramatically with a slight excess of the SOs/organic mole ratio in each reactor tube and any part of each reactor tube and in the overall process mass balance. Furthermore, 1,4-dioxane levels are affected by the type of base alcohol, the range of ethoxylation and the moisture content in the feedstock. The 1,4-dioxane content in alcohol ethoxylate sulphates in the range with 2-3 EO molecules, can nowadays be... 

Ethylene oxide in alcohol ethoxylates is determined by equilibrium head-space analysis. An aliquot of the vapour is analysed on a column (8 ft X 0.125 inch) of Chromosorb 102 (80-100 mesh) (a gas solid phase) programmed from 120°C (5 min) to 190°C (10 min) at 8 C per min, with helium as carrier gas and FID. A detection limit of 1 ppm is achieved... 

Methyl ester ethoxylates are similar in structure to conventional alchol ethoxylates, but the structural differences that do exist have an important impact on their performance. As shown in Fig. 1, methyl ester ethoxylates contain an ester linkage at the hydrophobe-hydrophile boundary of the molecule in place of the ether linkage in alcohol ethoxylates. This ester linkage sterically constrains the molecule, which reduces the tendency of the surfactant to micellize and leads to a higher critical micelle coneentration... 

McClure, J. D., Ethylene oxide oligomer distributions in alcohol ethoxylates by HPLC using a rotating disc-flame ionization detector, J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 1982,59,364-373. 

In the 1990s, the thmst of surfactant flooding work has been to develop surfactants which provide low interfacial tensions in saline media, particularly seawater require less cosurfactant are effective at low concentrations and exhibit lower adsorption on rock. Nonionic surfactants such as alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates (215) and propoxylates (216), and alcohol propoxylates (216) have been evaluated for this appHcation. More recently, anionic surfactants have been used (216—230). 

Surfactants evaluated in surfactant-enhanced alkaline flooding include internal olefin sulfonates (259,261), linear alkyl xylene sulfonates (262), petroleum sulfonates (262), alcohol ethoxysulfates (258,261,263), and alcohol ethoxylates/anionic surfactants (257). Water-thickening polymers, either xanthan or polyacrylamide, can reduce injected fluid mobiHty in alkaline flooding (264) and surfactant-enhanced alkaline flooding (259,263). The combined use of alkah, surfactant, and water-thickening polymer has been termed the alkaH—surfactant—polymer (ASP) process. Cross-linked polymers have been used to increase volumetric sweep efficiency of surfactant—polymer—alkaline agent formulations (265). 

Dispersants (qv) have been added to the pulper to maintain stickies in a colloidal state. The small particle size reduces the problems stickies cause on the paper machine and in paper products. Among the chemicals that have been used are fatty alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates, lignosulfonates, and naphthalene sulfonates (18). 

After the SO converter has stabilized, the 6—7% SO gas stream can be further diluted with dry air, I, to provide the SO reaction gas at a prescribed concentration, ca 4 vol % for LAB sulfonation and ca 2.5% for alcohol ethoxylate sulfation. The molten sulfur is accurately measured and controlled by mass flow meters. The organic feedstock is also accurately controlled by mass flow meters and a variable speed-driven gear pump. The high velocity SO reaction gas and organic feedstock are introduced into the top of the sulfonation reactor,, in cocurrent downward flow where the reaction product and gas are separated in a cyclone separator, K, then pumped to a cooler, L, and circulated back into a quench cooling reservoir at the base of the reactor, unique to Chemithon concentric reactor systems. The gas stream from the cyclone separator, M, is sent to an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), N, which removes entrained acidic organics, and then sent to the packed tower, H, where SO2 and any SO traces are adsorbed in a dilute NaOH solution and finally vented, O. Even a 99% conversion of SO2 to SO contributes ca 500 ppm SO2 to the effluent gas. 

Ethoxylated andSulfatedAlkylphenols. Because these aLkylphenols degrade less readily than the sulfated alcohol ethoxylates, their anticipated expansion failed to materialize, although by 1965 they were widely used in retail detergent products. Sulfated alkylphenol ethoxylates are used in hospital cleaning products, textile processing, and emulsion polymerization. Sulfated alkyphenol ethoxylates are sold as colorless, odorless aqueous solutions at concentrations of >30%. The presence of ethylene oxide in the molecule increases resistance to hardness ions and reduces skin irritation. Representative commercial sulfated alkylphenol ethoxylates are given in Table 12. 

Alcohols obtained from fats and oils contain an even number of carbon atoms and they are completely linear. Alcohols obtained from petrochemical sources can be linear or branched, depending on the manufacturing process, and can also have even or odd numbers of carbon atoms. In many practical applications the small differences observed in the behavior of sulfated alcohols or indeed sulfated alcohol ethoxylates from either source is of no significance and the choice is made on economic grounds. 

Ethoxylation of the base alcohol always improves the solubility of the sulfate. As an example, sodium hexadecyl ether (2 EO) sulfate gives a clear 10% solution in water at 40°C, which becomes a viscous gel at 30°C [59]. Alcohol ether sulfates are also more soluble in organic solvents than the corresponding alcohol sulfates. Sodium hexadecyl and octadecyl ether (2 EO) sulfates are soluble at 1% concentration in lubricating oil, at 2.5% in benzene and chloroform, and at 5% in tetrachloroethylene, whereas alcohol-ethoxylated sulfates with 10 mol of ethylene oxide are soluble at 5% in lubricating oil [59]. 

Recently, patented ethoxylation catalysts have become available that can significantly narrow the ethylene oxide distribution of the alcohol ethoxylates used to obtain alcohol ether sulfates. These products are termed peaked alcohol ether sulfates whereas all others are termed conventional alcohol ether sulfates. Peaked alcohol ether sulfate solutions thicken more than those with a conventional ethylene oxide distribution [78]. Peaked alcohol ether sulfate solutions also exhibit behaviors different from those of conventional sulfates [79]. Smith [78] studied the viscosities of 15% sodium dodecyl ether sulfate solutions of both families with NaCl content between 2% and 10% at 25°C using a Brookfield model DVII viscometer at a shear rate of 2 s 1. The results are shown in Fig. 5 where the very different viscosities achieved are clearly observed. 

The complete analysis of alcohol sulfates is described in the Standard Methods of the International Organization of Standards (ISO) [200] and of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) [201]. These methods describe the analysis of inorganic sulfate content, chloride content, unsulfated matter, and water as well as other analytical values. Other ISO standards describe the analysis of sodium secondary alkyl sulfates [202], determination of pH [203], determination of water content [204,205], chlorides [206], total active matter in sul fated ethoxylated alcohols and alkylphenols [207], mean relative molecular mass in sulfated ethoxylated alcohols and alkylphenols [208], sulfate content... 

Alcohols react with nascent hydroiodic acid to form alkyl iodides. When the starting material is an alcohol ether sulfate, the resulting alcohol ethoxylate obtained by acid hydrolysis of the sulfate gives the corresponding alkyl iodides. The number of moles of diiodoethane equals the number of moles of ethylene oxide present in the alcohol ethoxylate. Diiodoethane decomposes or reacts with more hydrogen iodide to give iodine quantitatively in both cases. However,... 

Dioxane is an impurity present in alcohol ethoxy sulfates formed during sulfation of the ethoxylated alcohol. 1,4-Dioxane is a carcinogen in rats and mice [312-314] and has been considered as a possible carcinogen to humans [315-317]. However, the no-effect dose in rats is equivalent to a daily intake of dioxane of 9.6-19.0 mg/kg/day, which corresponds to 0.672 g/day for humans. In other studies it has been determined that the threshold for onset of human toxicity of 1,4-dioxane lies above an intake of 76 mg/kg in adult males [318]. Although it seems to be demonstrated that amounts up to 1000 ppm of... 

The reaction product with monoethanolamine acts as a thickening agent [41,101] and with alcohols as an emollient [40]. Also reaction products with amino acids and oligo- or polypeptides for use in cosmetic formulations are known [43]. Sorbitan esters from ether carboxylates are described as emulsifiers or mild surfactants in cosmetic formulations [39] and alkyl ether carboxylic acid taurides as nonirritant anionic surfactants for cosmetic cleaners in particular [44]. Using unsaturated ether carboxylates it is possible to make viscous formulations based on combinations of unsaturated and saturated ether carboxylates [111]. Highly purified alkyl ether carboxylates based on alcohol ethoxylates with low free alcohol content have also been described [112]. 

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