Optimum detergency conditions with nonionic surfactants: I. Ternary water-surfactant-hydrocarbon systems

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science Vol. 117; no. 1; pp. 282 - 290
• Main Authors: Raney, Kirk H, Benton, William J, Miller, Clarence A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 1987; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical industry and chemicals; Exact sciences and technology; Washing products; Washing products. Cosmetics and toiletries. Perfumes; Temperature; Detergent; Ternary system; Hydrocarbon; Phase diagram; Detergency; Emulsification; Oil water emulsion; Non ionic surfactant; Phase reversal; Oligomer; Solubilization; Artificial soiling; Liquid liquid interface; Microemulsion; Physical method
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/0021-9797(87)90192-5

Enhanced videomicroscopy was used to observe the dynamic behavior that occurred when pure straight-chain hydrocarbons were contacted with pure nonionic surfactant-water mixtures at various temperatures. Detergency experiments at Shell Development Company determined the ability of the same surfactants to remove the same oils from small fabric samples. For a given system maximum rates of both oil solubilization (from videomicroscopy) and oil removal (from detergency) occurred near the phase inversion temperature (PIT). In these systems, the PIT was well above the surfactant cloud point and, in most cases, in the temperature range where the surfactant-water mixture contained lamellar liquid crystal. The detergency mechanism under these conditions appears not to be rollback but some combination of solubilization and emulsification.