Polyethoxylated alkylphenol detergent

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) are extensively used as surfactants in industrial products (see Chap. 1). NPEOs are a mixture of polyethoxylated mono-alkylphenols, predominantly para-substituted, and are used in the manufacturing of paints, detergents, inks, and pesticides [435, 446]. Surfactants are common water pollutants because of their use in aqueous solutions, which are discharged into the environment in the form of wastewater from treatment plants or sludge stored in landfills. Degradation products of alkylphenol polyethoxylates, i. e., nonylphenol (NP), have the potential to be bioaccumulated, thereby becoming toxic to aquatic [447] and soil microorganisms [435,448]. 

Alkylphenols (APs), particularly nonylphenols (NPs) and to a lesser extent octylphenols (OPs), are extensively used for the production of alkylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs), a class of non-ionic surfactants that has been largely employed for more than 40 years in textile and paper processing and in the manufacture of paints, coatings, pesticides, industrial detergents, cosmetics and spermicidal preparations, as well as various cleaning products. NPs are also used in the manufacturing processes of many plastics and as monomers in the production of phenol/formaldehyde resins. Smaller quantities of NPs are employed in the production of tri(4-nonylphenyl) phosphite as an anti-oxidant for rubber and in the manufacture of lubricating oil additives. 

Marcomini, A., F.Fdipuzzi, and W.Giger. 1988a. Aromatic surfactants in detergent cleaning products linear aUcylbenzenesulphonates and alkylphenol polyethoxylates. Chemosphere. 17 853-863. 

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