Surfactants environmental issues

The main characteristics that determine the level of production of particular surfactants, aside from physico-chemical properties, are cost, availability of raw materials and environmental safety. The latter is characterized primarily by biodegradability, which is defined as the time required to reduce the surfactant concentration in the ambient medium by a given factor [26], The synthesis of surfactants with good biodegradability is an important task, as the environmental issues has become of a major concern. For example, the accumulation of surfactants within the adsorption layers formed in natural water reservoirs affects the life of various living organisms... 

As in the other universities, the holistic principle constitutes the base of chemistry education in Southwest State University (SSU) situated in Kursk. The environmental issues as well as green chemistry are involved in teaching courses of nearly all chemistry disciplines provided hy the Department of Chemistry of SSU (Head, Associate Prof. O.V. Burykina). During the course of inorganic chemistry attention is paid to the impact of chemicals (sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ions of heavy metals, pesticides, surfactants) on vital functions of living organisms. 

Among different nonionic surfactant classes, alkyl-phenol ethoxylates (APEOs) comprise the class meriting special attention with respect to environmental issues. The analysis of underivatized alkylphenolic compounds by GC-MS is restricted to the most volatile degradation products, such as alkylphenols and APEOs with less then 4-ethoxy groups. To overcome the problem of volatility, different offline and online derivatization protocols have been developed. Two complementary MS techniques, one using El and another using the less commonly used positive (P)CI, have been evaluated for the analysis of APEOs, their acidic (APECs) and neutral metabolites (APs), and halogenated derivatives. 

One major constraint for sod and aquifer remediation is that surfactants, if left behind, must not impose an environmental threat. Environmental issues [102] concerned with the transport of surface active compounds through the subsurface must be addressed as part of the advancement of this technology. 

These amphiphiles have some unique properties that can be advantageously used in a range of applications as compared to hydrocarbon surfactants in fact, they halve the surface tension of water and, because of the stability of the carbon-fluorine bond, are more stable and can survive in harsh conditions, although environmental issues can arise because of their very low biodegradation. Owing to the lipophobic nature of fluorocarbons, the interfacial behavior shows that fluorosurfactants tend to concentrate at the liquid-air interface with very low lipophilicity, because the electronegativity of fluorine reduces the polarizability of the fluorinated moiety of the surfactants. 

Prespotter formulations may contain enzymes, surfactants, petroleum distillates, and other chemicals. With flammability and low volatility as an environmental issue, these products needed to be reformulated. 

Roy, D. and M. Liu. 1997. Anthracene removal from soil columns by surfactant. Pages 263-288 in P.N. Cheremisinoff (ed.). Ecological Issues and Environmental Impact Assessment. Gulf Publishing, Houston, TX. 

The quantitative environmental analysis of surfactants, such as alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LASs), is complicated by the presence of a multitude of isomers and oligomers in the source mixtures (see Chapter 2). This issue bears many similarities to the quantitation problems that have occurred with halogenated aromatic compound mixtures, e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) [1]. 

---