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ALKOXILATION PROCESSES

Kinetics

Nonionic surfactants are industrially produced by base-catalyzed reactions of hydrophobic compounds containing active hydrogen , such as alkylphenols, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, mercaptans, and alkylamines, with ethylene and/or propylene oxide. Kinetic models for describing the ethoxylation of different organic hydrophobic compounds, in the presence of a KOH catalyst were developed [1-3].

Ethoxylation and propoxylation reactions are often performed together or in alternative steps, to obtain surfactants with particular properties or random and block copolymers. Also the propoxylation reactions catalyzed by KOH was studied [4-5].

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