Surfactant production, intermediates

Linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acid is the largest intermediate used for surfactant production in the world. In the United States it has been determined that 2.6 g/d of material is used per inhabitant (46). Owing to the large volumes of production and consumption of linear alkylbenzenesulfonate, much attention has been paid to its biodegradation and a series of evaluations have been performed to thoroughly study its behavior in the environment (47—56). Much less attention has been paid to the environmental impact of other sulfonic acid-based materials. 

Surfactants can be produced from both petrochemical resources and/or renewable, mostly oleochemical, feedstocks. Crude oil and natural gas make up the first class while palm oil (+kernel oil), tallow and coconut oil are the most relevant representatives of the group of renewable resources. Though the worldwide supplies of crude oil and natural gas are limited—estimated in 1996 at 131 X 1091 and 77 X 109 m3, respectively [28]—it is not expected that this will cause concern in the coming decades or even until the next century. In this respect it should be stressed that surfactant products only represent 1.5% of all petrochemical uses. Regarding the petrochemically derived raw materials, the main starting products comprise ethylene, n-paraffins and benzene obtained from crude oil by industrial processes such as distillation, cracking and adsorption/desorption. The primary products are subsequently converted to a series of intermediates like a-olefins, oxo-alcohols, primary alcohols, ethylene oxide and alkyl benzenes, which are then further modified to yield the desired surfactants. 

Fig. 1.2. Key derivatives and major intermediates used in surfactant production.

These imidazoline compounds have proved very useful as intermediates to amphoteric surfactants. Products made from them, alkylated with sodium chloroacetate or methyl acrylate were patented by Hans Mannheimer who founded Miranol Company in the USA during the 1950s [2]. Miranol Company became the major vendor of imidazoline derived amphoteric surfactants in the world. Other imidazolines are used to produce amphoteric surfactants, such as alkyl aminoethyl imidazoline, but those products are of less economic significance. 

Olefins. Olefin is a key surfactant intermediate produced by thermal or catalytic cracking of paraffin or alternatively from oligomization of ethylene. Olefins suitable for surfactant production are primarily linear with either terminal (a-olefins) or internal (i-olefins) double bonds. 

Fatty Amines. A variety of different fatty amines is used as intermediates for surfactant production. Primary amines are used to prepare alkoxylated amines. The primary amine is produced by reacting fatty acid with ammonia to form the nitrile followed by hydrogenation. Tertiary amines are used as an intermediate for producing betaine, amine oxide, and hydroxyl ethyl quat (HEQ). The tertiary amine is produced by reacting olefin with HBr followed by substitution with dimethylamine. 

Armeen 2-10 1-Decanamine, N-decyl- Didecylamine EINECS 214-312-1 Radiamine 6310. Industrial surfactant and intermediate for wide range of chemicals used as fabric softeners, household products and disinfectants. Solid mp = 42-45°. Akzo Chemie Fina Chemicals. 

Mono- and disaccharides are highly hydrophilic substances. They are produced in large volumes, are available in highly pure form, and are relatively cheap [4,5]. They may be, and indeed have been, used as hydrophilic substrates for the synthesis of nonionic surfactants. In 1999, the worldwide production of the latter was about 3.6 3.8 million metric tons, i.e., approximately 38% of total surfactant production [6]. The majority of the conventional nonionic surfactants are oligooxyethylene (and oxypropylene) chain-containing compounds obtained in the reaction of oxirane (ethylene oxide) or methyloxirane (propylene oxide) with hydrophobic intermediates that contain a functional group with an active hydrogen atom [7]. Only recently, the direct reaction of oxirane with fatty acid methyl esters in the... 

Some of the physical properties of fatty acid nitriles are Hsted in Table 14 (see also Carboxylic acids). Eatty acid nitriles are produced as intermediates for a large variety of amines and amides. Estimated U.S. production capacity (1980) was >140, 000 t/yr. Eatty acid nitriles are produced from the corresponding acids by a catalytic reaction with ammonia in the Hquid phase. They have Httie use other than as intermediates but could have some utility as surfactants (qv), mst inhibitors, and plastici2ers (qv). 

Alkylation. Benzene and phenol feedstocks are readily alkylated under Friedel-Crafts conditions to prepare extensive families of alkylated aromatics. These materials generally are intermediates in the production of surfactants or detergents such as linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LABS) and alkylphenolethoxylate (APE). Other uses include the production of antioxidants, plasticizers, and lube additives. 

Most of the phosphate esters are used in the production of hydrauHc fluids (qv), plastic and elastomer additives, flame retardants (qv), oil stabilizers, pesticides (qv), and medicinal intermediates (see Surfactants). Some trialkyl phosphates, OP(OR)2, are outstanding solvents for nitrates, especially (UO2) (N02)2, and therefore are important in uranium processing (see Extraction). 

B. V. Vora, P. R. Pujado, M. A. Allawala, and T. R. Fritsch, "Production of Biodegradable Detergent Intermediates," Second World Surfactants Congress, Paris, Fiance, May 24—27, 1988. 

Sulfosahcyhc acid is prepared by heating 10 parts of sahcyhc acid with 50 parts of concentrated sulfuric acid, by chlorosulfonation of sahcyhc acid and subsequent hydrolysis of the acid chloride, or by sulfonation with hquid sulfur trioxide in tetrachloroethylene. It is used as an intermediate in the production of dyestuffs, grease additives, catalysts, and surfactants. It is also useful as a colorimetric reagent for ferric iron and as a reagent for albumin. Table 9 shows the physical properties of sahcyhc acid derivatives. 

Surfactants and Detergents Uses. Perhaps the largest use of sulfonic acids is the manufacture of surfactants (qv) and surfactant formulations. This is primarily owing to the dominance of linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acid production for detergent manufacture. In almost all cases, the parent sulfonic acid is an intermediate which is converted to a sulfonate prior to use. The largest volume uses for sulfonic acid intermediates are the... 

Microemulsions or solubilized or transparent systems are very important ia the marketing of cosmetic products to enhance consumer appeal (32,41). As a rule, large quantities of hydrophilic surfactants are required to effect solubilization. Alternatively, a combination of a solvent and a surfactant can provide a practical solution. In modem clear mouthwash preparations, for example, the flavoring oils are solubilized in part by the solvent (alcohol) and in part by the surfactants. The nature of solubilized systems is not clear. Under normal circumstances, microemulsions are stable and form spontaneously. Formation of a microemulsion requires Httle or no agitation. Microemulsions may become cloudy on beating or cooling, but clarity at intermediate temperatures is restored automatically. 

Many of the surfactants made from ethyleneamines contain the imidazoline stmcture or are prepared through an imidazoline intermediate. Various 2-alkyl-imidazolines and their salts prepared mainly from EDA or monoethoxylated EDA are reported to have good foaming properties (292—295). Ethyleneamine-based imida zolines are also important intermediates for surfactants used in shampoos by virtue of their mildness and good foaming characteristics. 2- Alkyl imidazolines made from DETA or monoethoxylated EDA and fatty acids or their methyl esters are the principal commercial intermediates (296—298). They are converted into shampoo surfactants commonly by reaction with one or two moles of sodium chloroacetate to yield amphoteric surfactants (299—301). The ease with which the imidazoline intermediates are hydrolyzed leads to arnidoamine-type stmctures when these derivatives are prepared under aqueous alkaline conditions. However, reaction of the imidazoline under anhydrous conditions with acryflc acid [79-10-7] to make salt-free, amphoteric products, leaves the imidazoline stmcture essentially intact. Certain polyamine derivatives also function as water-in-oil or od-in-water emulsifiers. These include the products of a reaction between DETA, TETA, or TEPA and fatty acids (302) or oxidized hydrocarbon wax (303). The amidoamine made from lauric acid [143-07-7] and DETA mono- and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate is a very effective water-in-od emulsifier (304). 

Raw Materials and Intermediate Products for Anionic Surfactant Synthesis... 

The C10-C,8 fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters, important intermediates for the production of surfactants, are almost exclusively produced by hydrolysis or a transesterification reaction of animal or vegetable fats and fatty oils. 

Ethylene oxide is an important intermediate chemical not only for the production of nonionic surfactants like fatty alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxy lates, or propylene oxide/ethylene oxide block copolymers, but also for manufacturing of anionic surfactants like alcohol ether sulfates. 

As mentioned above, neither of the reaction steps in the production of monoesters is particularly high in yield. The finished product therefore contains unreacted raw materials and/or intermediate products. The organic raw materials in themselves are mixtures of many substances. No natural raw material is homogeneous and any naturally based surfactant will be a blend. Fatty alcohol made from coconut oil, for example, is a product containing fatty alcohols from Cj0-Cj8 in varying amounts. Lauryl alcohol obtained from this raw material in its industrial form is a fatty alcohol mainly containing C12 fatty alcohol with, however, significant amounts of C10 and C14 fatty alcohols. 

Monoester salts of phosphoric acid derived from fatty alcohol ethylene oxide adduct or alkylphenol ethylene oxide adduct useful as surfactants are prepared by addition of R(OCH2CH2) OH, alkali fluoride and (C12P0)20 in a molar ratio of 0.9-1.5 0.05-1 1.0 at -50 to + 10°C and hydrolysis of the Cl-containing intermediates with a base. The monoester phosphates showed comparable or better washing and foaming efficiency than commercial products [12]. 

LAB is derived exclusively from petroleum- or natural gas-based feedstocks. Thus, it is referred to as a petrochemical (or synthetic) surfactant intermediate. Feedstocks for LAB production are generally paraffins (carbon chain length in the range of C8-C14) derived from kerosene and benzene. Internal olefins derived from ethylene are sometimes used in place of paraffins. 

Currently, worldwide production of aldehydes exceeds 7 million tons/year (1). Higher aldehydes are important intermediates in the synthesis of industrial solvents, biodegradable detergents, surfactants, lubricants, and other plasticizers. The process, called hydroformylation or more familiarly, the Oxo process, refers to the addition of hydrogen and the formyl group, CHO, across a double bond. Two possible isomers can be formed (linear or branched) and the linear isomer is the desired product for these applications. 

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