Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf Aktien

Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft Auf Aktien (henkel Kgaa)

Hans J Rommerskirchen

Karl Heinz Schmid

Robert Piorr

Horst Ritterbex

Horst Baumann

Wolfgang Schmidt

Guenter Panthel

Dietmar Colignon

Werner Stein

Herbert Reuter

Wolfgang Seiter

Frantisek Jost

Robert Pierr

In light colored surfactants produced by sulfonation of fatty acid alkyl esters with less than 2 moles of SO.sub.3 per mole of fatty acid alkyl ester and subsequent work-up of the crude sulfonate in aqueous medium to form salts, the content of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid disalts is regulated and reduced by transesterifying the sulfonation product before its treatment with an aqueous medium with at least about 0.5 mole equivalent of an alcohol, based on the SO.sub.3 which is not for .alpha.-sulfonation.

Control of disalt in .alpha.-sulfofatty acid ester surfactants

Aqueous concentrates of alkali metal salts of .alpha.-sulfonated fatty acid alkyl esters (ester sulfonate salts) which are pumpable at temperatures of at least 60.degree. C. are obtained without the addition of viscosity regulators by preparing pastes containing at least about 60% by weight of ester sulfonate salts derived from C.sub.16 and/or C.sub.18 fatty acids. More particularly, the concentrates contain less than 10 mole % of ester sulfonate salts with fatty acids containing fewer than 16 carbon atoms. The concentrates are obtained by neutralizing the crude ester sulfonates with concentrated alkali hydroxide solution with intensive cooling at temperatures of at most 90.degree. C.

Aqueous concentrates of salts of .alpha.-sulfonated fatty acid alkyl

An aqueous anionic surfactant concentrate containing certain low molecular weight organic compounds as viscosity regulators and a method of regulating the viscosity of highly viscous concentrates, e.g. .alpha.-sulfo fatty acid ester surfactants in concentrations about 30% by weight. The viscosity regulators are selected from:

Aqueous anionic surfactant concentrates containing viscosity reducing

C.sub.8 -C.sub.40 Alcohols, or C.sub.8 -.sub.C 40 alcohol containing one or more hydroxyl groups and onto which up to 20 moles of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide can be added per mole of alcohol, when added to aqueous industrial anionic surfactant concentrates, particularly concentrates of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid esters containing at least 50% by weight of the sodium salt of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid ester, significantly improve the rheological behavior thereof. The alcohols are added in quantities of from about 1 to about 15% by weight, based on the quantity of surfactant, whereupon the viscosity of the surfactant concentrate becomes at most 10,000 mPas at 70.degree. C.

Viscosity regulators for high-viscosity surfactant concentrates

A continuous process for the bleaching of acid .alpha.-sulfo-fatty acid esters of predominantly C.sub.16-24 fatty acids comprising continuously adding the hydrogen peroxide bleach in aqueous solution as well as from 2% to 50% by weight, based on the sulfonated esters, of a C.sub.6-18 alkylbenzene sulfonic acid, to said raw, acid .alpha.-sulfo-fatty acid esters at a temperature of 40.degree. to 65.degree. C, continuously passing said mixture through a confined zone of dimensions sufficient to give a proper bleach retention time and continuously recovering bleached .alpha.-sulfo-fatty acid esters.

Continuous process for bleaching acid alpha-sulfo-fatty acid esters

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Duesseldorf-Eller, Germany

Hans J Rommerskirchen