Ethoxylates

What ethoxylates are

Ethoxylates are non-ionic surfactants made by adding ethylene oxide to a fatty alcohol, fatty acid, alkyl phenol, natural oil, fatty amine or glycol at a defined molar ratio. Dyna Glycols manufactures them to agreed cloud point, hydroxyl value, saponification value, pH, colour and residual feedstock at Kandla SEZ.

This page is the family map. Child pages cover C8–C22 alcohol ethoxylates, C12–C18 acid ethoxylates, alkyl phenol ethoxylates, castor and other oil ethoxylates, amine ethoxylates, polyethylene glycols, polysorbates and specialties. Custom ethoxylation of polyhydric alcohols is available.

How Dyna Glycols manufactures ethoxylates

Controlled ethoxylation on stainless-steel reactors with distillation and 24/7 QA supports catalogue moles and custom cloud points from laboratory through plant scale. Where a specification still names NP-9 or NP-9.5, Dyna Glycols can supply that mole or an APEO-free fatty alcohol ethoxylate in a similar HLB band.

The hydrophobe is always stated on the TDS so labelling is not broken by an unasked substitution.

Typical grades in this range

Choose the hydrophobe first. Typical child families are listed below.

• Fatty alcohol ethoxylates: lauryl, ceto-stearyl, oleyl, tridecyl, decyl, stearyl, behenyl and short-chain starters
• Fatty acid ethoxylates: oleic, stearic, coconut, lauric, palmitic, myristic
• Alkyl phenol ethoxylates: nonyl, octyl, dodecyl, styrenated phenol and phenol
• Oil ethoxylates: castor, hydrogenated castor, neem, soya, linseed
• Fatty amine ethoxylates: stearyl, tallow, coco, oleyl and related amines
• PEG, methoxy PEG, polysorbates, polyglycerates and specialty ethoxylates

Where ethoxylates are used

Detergents, textile auxiliaries, agro EC/EW, paints, leather degreasing, paper de-inking and industrial cleaners use alcohol and alkyl phenol ethoxylates as wetters and emulsifiers. Personal care and pharma systems use oil, acid, PEG and polysorbate grades as solubilisers.

Low moles stay oil-soluble. Mid moles (about 7–15 EO on a C12–C18 alcohol) cover oil-in-water emulsification. High moles and PEGs act as dispersants, humectants or feedstocks for sulphation and phosphation.

How to specify ethoxylates

Name the starter, EO moles or cloud-point window, colour, hydroxyl or SAP, pH, water and whether APEO is allowed. If the grade will be sulphated or phosphated, say so at the sample stage.

For emulsification include the oil phase and required HLB. Custom moles are routine when a catalogue point is close but not exact.

Quality, documents and supply

Each lot is released against the certificate tests on the child TDS. SDS, TDS and COA follow company verification. Laboratory samples let wetting, emulsification and cloud point be checked in the customer formula.

Store liquids above pour point. Warm high-mole pastes until uniform. Keep PEG grades closed against moisture.

Practical notes on ethoxylates

Cloud point rises with EO moles and falls with electrolyte. Ask for the cloud-point method your receiving laboratory uses.

HLB of alcohol ethoxylates increases with EO content. Matching HLB to the oil phase is faster than ordering by a competitor trade name.

Castor oil ethoxylates are not interchangeable with a fatty alcohol ethoxylate of similar HLB: the glyceride backbone changes viscosity, odour and listing.

Related pages: fatty alcohol, fatty acid, alkyl phenol, oil and amine ethoxylates; PEG; polysorbates; alkoxylates; phosphate esters. Request a sample with starter, moles and application.

Alkyl phenol ethoxylates remain catalogue items for industrial closed-loop use. Several markets restrict them in wash-off products.

English is the source language for moles, HLB and APEO status.

Ordering and evaluating ethoxylates

Send the application, the analytical window and the pack size when you request a laboratory sample of ethoxylates. SDS, TDS and COA follow a short company check. Handle and store the grade as the SDS describes.