Textile Industry Surfactants

WITCO CORP. Textile Industry Surfactants(Continued)i... 

Uses Emulsifier for syn. latex and emulsion polymerization Industrial cleaners for textile Industry surfactant, cleansing agenf emulsifier, and hydrotrope In cosmetics... 

Sodium fatty acid ester sulfonates are known to be highly attractive as surfactants. These have good wetting abiHty and exceUent calcium ion stabiHty as weU as high detergency without phosphates, and are used in powders or Hquids. They can also be used in the textile industry, emulsion polymerization, cosmetics, and metal surface fields. Moreover, they are attractive because they are produced from renewable natural resources and their biodegradabiHty is almost as good as alkyl sulfates (134—137). 

Substitution. The substitution of chemical additives of a lower poUutional effect in processing operations, eg, substitution of surfactants for soaps in the textile industry. 

Nonionic Surface-Active Agents. Approximately 14% of the ethyleae oxide consumed ia the United States is used in the manufacture of nonionic surfactants. These are derived by addition of ethylene oxide to fatty alcohols, alkylphenols (qv), tall oil, alkyl mercaptans, and various polyols such as poly(propylene glycol), sorbitol, mannitol, and cellulose. They are used in household detergent formulations, industrial surfactant appHcations, in emulsion polymeri2ation, textiles, paper manufacturing and recycling, and for many other appHcations (281). 

Polyester chemistry is the same as studied by Carothers long ago, but polyester synthesis is still a very active field. New polymers have been very recently or will be soon commercially introduced PTT for fiber applications poly(ethylene naph-thalate) (PEN) for packaging and fiber applications and poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a biopolymer synthesized from renewable resources (corn syrup) introduced by Dow-Cargill for large-scale applications in textile industry and solid-state molding resins. Polyesters with unusual hyperbranched architecture also recently appeared and are claimed to find applications as crosstinkers, surfactants, or processing additives. 

Alkanesulfonates prove important auxiliaries in the textile and leather industries, both for manufacture of (synthetic) fibers and for textile refinement. Surfactants are also important for finishing of textiles, e.g., ensuring antistatic properties. Some processing steps and the surfactants used are listed in Table 32. An interesting overview of surfactants in the textile industry has been published [96]. 

Until the 1950s ether carboxylates were almost in very limited amounts in the textile industry. It was only in 1957 [9] that the first ethercarobxylates were mentioned, in combination with other surfactants such as alkyl sulfates and ether sulfates, for use in shampoos. In spite of the special properties of ether carboxylates, their use was low in the industry as well as in cosmetics at that time. This was also due to the fact that at that time properties such as toxicity, biodegradability, and mildness to the skin did not have the high priority they do now. 

One of the longest known synthetically prepared surfactants are the fatty alcohol sulfates, which were prepared on technical scale before 1940. Along with their ethoxylated counterparts, the fatty alcohol ether sulfates, which appeared on the stage shortly after, their use in toiletries is very popular but they can also be found in products for textile industry and auxiliaries in emulsion polymerization. With the exception of soaps, the mentioned anionic surfactants all have a sulfur-containing functional group. Denying the differences between these, their skin irritancy potential is remarkably high. 

Salts of alkyl phosphates and types of other surfactants used as emulsifiers and dispersing agents in polymer dispersions are discussed with respect to the preparation of polymer dispersions for use in the manufactoring and finishing of textiles. Seven examples are presented to demonstrate the significance of surfactants on the properties, e.g., sedimentation, wetting behavior, hydrophilic characteristics, foaming behavior, metal adhesion, and viscosity, of polymer dispersions used in the textile industry [239]. 

In the textile industry, a product applied to fibres or fabrics to remove stains. Example solvents formulated to contain surfactants such as alkylsulfates. 

Diethylene glycol (HOCH2CH2OCH2CH2OH), is used in the production of unsaturated polyester resins and polyester polyols for polyurethane-resin manufacture, as well as in the textile industry as a conditioning agent and lubricant for numerous synthetic and natural fibers. It is also used as an extraction solvent in petroleum processing, as a desiccant in natural gas processing, and in the manufacture of some plasticizers and surfactants. 

Most softeners consist of molecules with both a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic part. Therefore, they can be classified as surfactants (surface active agents) and are to be found concentrated at the fibre surfaces. Most softeners have a low water solubility. Therefore softening products are usually sold as oil in water emulsions containing 20-30 % solids. The softener molecules typically contain a long alkyl group, sometimes branched, of more than 16 and up to 22 carbon atoms, but most have 18 corresponding to the stearyl residue. Exceptions to this molecular structure are the special categories of silicones, paraffins and polyethylene softeners. About one-third of the softeners used in the textile industry are silicone based. 

A wide range of anionic and nonionic TRITON surfactants is available for use in the textile industry. They are useful in solving wetting problems, as dyeing assistants, as dye leveling agents, as softeners, as antistatic agents as well as emulsifiers and stabilizers. 

Triethanolamine is used as an intermediate in the manufacturing of surfactants, textile specialties, waxes, polishes, herbicides, petroleum demulsifiers, toilet goods, cement additives, and cutting oils. Triethanolamine is also claimed to be used for the production of lubricants for the rubber gloves and textile industries. Other general uses are as buffers, solvents, and polymer plasticizers, and as a humectant. 

The Ocular Irritection assay has been used for over 20 years to assess the ocular irritancy of industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textile, petrochemicals, surfactants and cosmetic products. It represents a refinement of the former Eytex method that takes into account the recommendations made during earlier multilaboratory trials [1], The system underwent substantial revisions including the development of a single protocol, clear procedures for surfactants testing, and a well-defined applicability domain. It is presented as a kit comprising instrumentation and computer software that have been integrated to provide an automated in vitro test. Furthermore, because of its biochemical nature, Ocular Irritection has a long shelf-life (years) and can be readily available across the world. 

Cationic surfactants appeared on the market in 1933. They were originally used as dye leveling agents in the textile industry, to improve the water fastness of direct and acid dyes on cellulose [1-3]. Some of the first cationic actives were synthesized by Ciba (Switzerland) and commercialized as Sapamines [1], Very quickly, the soft feel delivered by long-chain derivatives was noticed and exploited to restore the fabric finish. 

Chemterg. [Chemonic Industries] Surfactant blend multi-puipose detergents and scouring agents for textiles. 

CHT Lavotan DS. [Catawba-Charlab] Wetting, washing and cleaning surfactant for textile industry. 

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