Surfactant biodegradation: Sugar-based surfactants compared to other surfactants

Abstract

Surfactants can be produced from sugar or starch in combination with fatty acids. Products of this type have been known for as long as other “synthetic” surfactants, formed from petrochemical-derived materials. There has been a recent trend toward surfactants based on renewable resources [1]. This trend has been supported by several commercial plants opened by Cognis (formerly Henkel), Akzo Nobel, BASF, ICI (now Uniqema and Huntsman), SEPPIC, Dai ichi-Kogyo Seiyaku, Kao, and others [2]. The driving force behind the trend is the number of benefits gained by sugar-based surfactants. Desirable properties of these surfactants, in addition to being produced from renewable resources, are that they..