What is nonylphenol ethoxylates used for?
Nonylphenol is also often used an intermediate in the manufacture of the non-ionic surfactants nonylphenol ethoxylates, which are used in detergents, paints, pesticides, personal care products, and plastics. Nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates are only used as components of household detergents outside of Europe.
Is nonylphenol ethoxylate harmful to humans?
Potential health effects include: Extreme aquatic toxicity. Skin and eye irritation. Reproductive harm. Birth defects.
Is nonylphenol toxic?
Nonylphenol is a toxic xenobiotic compound classified as an endocrine disrupter capable of interfering with the hormonal system of numerous organisms. Nonylphenol ethoxylates reach sewage treatment works in substantial quantities where they biodegrade into several by-products including nonylphenol.
Is nonylphenol an organic compound?
Environmental pollutant arising from the degradation of nonionic surfactants in sewage Nonoxynol-9, one of the APEs, is used as a surfactant in cleaning and cosmetic products, and as a spermicide in contraceptives.; Nonylphenol is an organic compound of the wider family of alkylphenols.
Why are nonylphenol ethoxylates bad?
Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) are chemicals that help liquid substances such as oil and water mix. These chemicals can mimic the hormone estrogen to cause early menstruation, low sperm counts, and poor reproductive health. …
What is difference between phenol and nonylphenol?
The key difference between phenol and nonylphenol is that phenol has a hydroxyl group substituted into a benzene ring whereas nonylphenol has a hydroxyl group and another organic group substituted to a benzene ring. Organic compounds are chemical compounds having carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Is nonylphenol ethoxylate safe?
Nonylphenol (NP) is a material recognized as hazardous by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) (currently on U.S. EPA’s inerts list 1).
What is np10?
Cleaning Agents Detergents and Surface Cleansers. Tergitol™ NP-10 Surfactant is a nonylphenol ethoxylate-based surfactant. It is nonionic and provides excellent detergency, rinse-ability, and low odor. This product is suggested for use in cleaners & degreasers, prewash spotters and metalworking fluids.
Is nonylphenol a phenol?
Nonylphenol is a derivative of phenol which has a nine carbon tail attached to a phenol molecule. The chemical formula of this compound is C15H24O. Nonylphenol falls under the category of alkylphenols.
Why are nonylphenol ethoxylates used as detergents?
Nonylphenol ethoxylates are nonionic in water, which means that they have no charge. Because of this property they are used as detergents, cleaners, emulsifiers, and a variety of other applications. They are amphipathic, meaning they have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties,…
Where are the nonyl groups located in a phenol ring?
Nonylphenols fall into the general chemical category of alkylphenols. The structure of NPs may vary. The nonyl group can be attached to the phenol ring at various locations, usually the 4- and, to lesser extent, the 2-positions, and can be either branched or linear.
Which is better mid chain alcohol ethoxylates or FAES?
The majority of mid-chain alcohol ethoxylates are even better wetting agents or detergents in most applications. The difficult task for the replacement of NPEs with FAEs is to balance the good wetting and detergency properties with the emulsifying, dispersion and the other properties, which are additionally needed in most applications.
How are phenol and nonylphenol mixtures produced?
Nonylphenol can be produced industrially, naturally, and by the environmental degradation of alkylphenol ethoxylates. Industrially, nonylphenols are produced by the acid-catalyzed alkylation of phenol with a mixture of nonenes. This synthesis leads to a very complex mixture with diverse nonylphenols.