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

Dyna Glycols supports ethoxylates with laboratory samples, current SDS, TDS and COA from the Kandla SEZ manufacturing network. Tell us the intended application, the substrate, the required moles or molecular weight, and any limits on colour, odour, cloud point, hydroxyl value, pH or residual feedstock. A matching catalogue grade of ethoxylates in the Ethoxylates family can then be confirmed, or a custom batch can be planned on the ethoxylation, esterification or related plant.

When you evaluate ethoxylates, send the competitor grade if one exists, the bath or emulsion conditions, and the tests your receiving laboratory will run. Pack options for ethoxylates typically include drums, IBCs and bulk where the viscosity and melting point of the selected grade allow safe handling from the Ethoxylates manufacturing line.

A first order of ethoxylates is easier when the purchase specification lists identity tests, not only a local trade name. Hydroxyl value, saponification value, acid value, cloud point, pH, water, colour and appearance are the numbers the Kandla QA laboratory can lock. If your QC uses a different solvent or a different cloud-point electrolyte for ethoxylates, write that method on the order so the COA speaks the same language.

Custom lots of ethoxylates are quoted after the hydrophobe or acid/alcohol pair, the target analytical window, the annual volume and the pack. Pilot batches are available when a catalogue point in the Ethoxylates range is close but not exact. Once a trial lot is approved, that TDS should be frozen so the tenth delivery of ethoxylates matches the first approved drum.

Storage of ethoxylates should follow the SDS: keep containers closed, protect hygroscopic grades from moisture, and warm high-melt or high-mole grades until uniform before sampling. FIFO rotation protects colour and odour. If a drum of ethoxylates has frozen or separated in transit, homogenise it before charging a batch; do not decant only the liquid layer.

Application advice for ethoxylates is given against the process you describe, not as a universal recipe. Share machine type, temperature, pH, electrolytes, fibre or hide type, and any ban on APEO, formaldehyde or food-contact lists. Dyna Glycols can then sample ethoxylates alone or as a pair with a sister grade from the same Ethoxylates family so compatibility is checked in one evaluation.

Documentation for ethoxylates is issued after a short verification of the company and the exact grade name. SDS covers handling; TDS covers typical properties; COA covers the shipping lot. If a customer audit needs extra tests on ethoxylates (for example residual feedstock, peroxide, formaldehyde or a pharmacopoeia-style identity), list those tests at the enquiry stage so they are built into release rather than added after dispatch.

Export packing and labelling of ethoxylates follow the transport class on the SDS. Regular industrial shipments from the Indian manufacturing network can be scheduled once the grade is approved. For development quantities of ethoxylates, laboratory samples are the correct first step; they let wetting, emulsification, retanning, finishing or textile handle be proven in your own equipment before a bulk campaign is booked on the Ethoxylates plant.