Manufacture High Quality Polyurethane and Other Products for Industrial, Cosmetic and Automotive Use from Ethoxylate Compounds
Ethoxylate products are manufactured by adding ethylene oxides to phenols and alcohols. Ethoxylate products have numerous applications and are commonly referred to as surfactants.
Production of ethoxylate products
-
Ethoxylates are made through ethoxylation process. In this process, glycerol, fatty acids and amines such as fatty amines, tallow amines, coco amine, oleyl amine and stearyl amine are made to react with ethylene oxide. The ethoxylation process occurs in the presence of potassium hydroxide catalysts which increases the speed of the reaction.
-
Fatty amines are prepared by distilling fatty acids and are nitrogen derivatives of fatty acids. Amines can also be prepared by reacting ammonia with fatty alcohols.
-
Gyclerine ethoxylate products are manufactured by reacting glycerin with ethylene oxide.
-
The amount of ethylene oxide added to amines and other compounds affect the chemical properties such as emulsification, surface tension and ability to dissolve in other solvents. The ability to control most of the properties makes ethoxylate compounds applicable in many industrial processes.
Chemical properties of ethoxylate products
Different ethoxylate or surfactants have varying physical and chemical properties. One characteristic of surfactants is that they are hydrophilic and hydrophobic. In presence of water, surfactants particles move to the air water boundary while in water oil mixture, these particles move to the oil water boundaries.
Uses of ethoxylate products
-
Ethoxylate products are widely used as detergents, shampoos, foaming and cleaning agents. These chemicals are able to mix with both water and oil making it a excellent cleaning agent.
-
Ethoxylate are also widely used in emulsifiers as they cause unmixable liquids such as oil and water to mix. Surfactants migrate to the water oil boundary which enhances the mixing process.
-
Oleyl amines ethoxylate are antistatic and quickly disperse making them ideal cleaning agents. They are mostly used for textile coating due to their high affinity for surfaces. Amines are also widely used to manufacture soap, leather dressing and candles.
-
Ethoxylate are also widely used in the pharmaceuticals industry to promote the absorption of drugs into the body. Polyethylene glycol is widely applied in drugs where it prevents the immune systems from attacking proteins.
-
These products are also used in pesticides and herbicides to increase their solubility.
-
Glycerin ethoxylate produce lubricants and surfactants used to manufacture cosmetics. The esterification process makes them sweet smelling and are therefore ideal for the cosmetic industry. They are also reacted with isocyanates to manufacture polyurethane products which manufacture foam and other products used in making noise reduction foam, car seats and ultra high quality cushions.
Current trends in use of ethoxylate
The use of ethoxylate products have been on the rise due to their excellent solubility and ability to mix with both water and oil based chemicals. The utilization of these products is in order of billions of gallons.
Conclusions
Ethoxylate products have solubility in different medium. These products are used to manufacture soaps, detergents and other cleaning agents. They are also used to form emulsions comprising of water and oil based products. These emulsions enhance solubility and dispersion of pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides and paints.
This article has been written by Govind Patel.
