J.K. Borchardt, M.L. Cano, P.L. Tortorici, J.C. Wallace, L. Kravetz, K.F. Guin, S.T. Dubey,
J.P. Salanitro, and P.B. Dorn
Shell Chemicals
Westhollow Technology Center
Millions of pounds of alcohol ethoxylates are used in pulp and paper mills as digester additives, deresination agents, pitch control agents, deinking surfactants, adhesive contaminant control agents, and as cleaning agents for paper machine felts and wires. The results of various environmental studies of alcohol ethoxylates will be reviewed.
Laboratory and commercial mill studies produced consistent results. The rapid loss of surfactant properties such as aquatic toxicity, foaming, and the ability to suspend solids observed in the mill effluents is consistent with the proposed mechanism of highly linear alcohol ethoxylate biodegradation and the production of non-foaming, non-toxic products in municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents.
Compared to a nonylphenol ethoxylate, a commercial mill test indicated a highly linear alcohol ethoxylate provided the following operating benefits:
· substantially lower levels of residual surfactant in mill effluents
· less foaming in the secondary clarifier resulting in substantially lower defoamer consumption
· significantly lower solids carryover from both the aerobic and anaerobic water clarification units
· increased methane production from the anaerobic water clarification unit.
The fate of an alcohol ethoxylate used in a wash – flotation newsprint deinking mill will be reported.
Environmental Aspects of Alchol Ethoxylates in Pulp and Paper Mills. Part 1 Surfactant Chemical Stru