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2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.

Surfactants and Detergents

Industry and Institutional Applications

Evaluation of nonionic surfactants for touchless industrial & institutional hard surface cleaning

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
9:35 AM – 9:55 AM PST
Room: B110-112
Abstract:

There are multiple approaches to industrial & institutional (I&I) hard surface cleaning depending on the application. However, literature describing performance under touchless or non-scrubbing application is limited, relative to that for scrubbing application.

 
This study focuses on the evaluation of properties and performance of diverse alcohol ethoxylates to provide guidance on their selection and use in touchless I&I hard surface cleaning. The effect of the hydrophobe length and branching, and the ethoxylation isomer distribution on the physical properties and washing performance were evaluated. Chain length from C6 and higher were studied including linear, mono- and multibranch structures. Known methods were used to measure properties like IFT, foam, wetting by contact angle, and dynamic surface tension.  Soil removal was measured using immersion and spray cleaning tests. Results show shorter chain hydrophobe length and branching enhanced the removal of industrial soils. Excellent soil removal performance was found using short chain ethoxylates. Peaking the oligomer distribution have multiple benefits including lower solidification point and reduced the interfacial tension between oil and water helping increase soil solubilization.