Abstract
AbstractHighly biodegradable linear alcohol surfactants have proven to be efficient wetting and scouring agents for use in all phases of textile wet processing. The linear alcohol surface active agents can be directly substituted for the conventional alkylphenol‐based materials, which have previously been shown to be resistant to biodegradation. No loss in performance or handling characteristics are encountered by changing the surfactant hydrophobe from alkylphenol to linear alcohol. Surfactants based on the linear primary alcohols, which are widely used in biodegradable household detergents, are somewhat less desirable for use with textiles due to generally higher solidification points and less efficient wetting ability. Replacement of branched chain alkylphenol nonionics by more biodegradable linear alcohol ethoxylates has proceeded rather slowly in the textile industry. This is due to various factors, one of which is the reverse relationship between low five‐day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) requirements for industrial waste streams and the higher five‐day BOD of the linear alcohol ethoxylates. Continued use of slower degrading alkylphenol ethoxylates is not, however, a satisfactory solution to the problem of the best choice of surfactant. Longer range oxygen demands on receiving waters are shown to exist as a result of such slower biodegradation of these alkylphenol nonionics.
Published Version
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