(492f) A Novel Approach to Synthesis Ethoxylated Alkyl Sulfonates in Microemulsion Microreactor | AIChE

(492f) A Novel Approach to Synthesis Ethoxylated Alkyl Sulfonates in Microemulsion Microreactor

A
novel approach to synthesis ethoxylated alkyl sulfonates in microemulsion microreactor

Ji
Chen, Ming Yang, Yun Fang*

The Key Laboratory of Food
Colloids and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education; School of Chemical & Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu
Avenue, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P. R. China

Abstract: Alkyl
ethoxylated sulfates (AES) is one of the commercial anionic surfactants with
excellent properties in wetting ability, dispersing ability, emulsification and
electrolyte resistance. However, the unstable sulfate ester bond in the
molecule of AES makes it easily decomposed at high temperature or in strong acidic
or alkaline conditions, which hinders it being used more widely in certain
extreme environments. Ethoxylated alkyl sulfonates (EAS) contain a chemical
stable sulfonate group in the molecule in stead of unstable sulfate group in
AES, which can be widely used in various harsh environments such as high
temperature, high salinity, strong acids or strong alkalis. In this work, the
nucleophilic substitution reaction between AES and Na2SO3
to produce EAS is run in micellar and
microemulsion microreactors, respectively. The effect of reaction times,
temperatures, the reactant concentrations and the mole ratio of oil/water on
the conversion of AES to EAS are determined. By comparison, an optimum AES
concentration is found at which the maximum sulfonation yield of EAS is
obtained in microemulsion microreactors is 82.1%. This is because that the
distance of the adjacent AES ionic heads becomes larger in microemulsion
microreactor than that in micellar microreactor due to co-existing of co-surfactant
a
nd oil phase,. Therefore, the electrostatic repulsion between AES
ionic heads and the attack ion SO32- becomes weaker in
microemulsion microreactor, which could great improve the sulfonation yield of
EAS.

Key word: Ethoxylated
alkyl sulfonates, Alkyl ethoxylated sulfates, micelle, microemulsion,
sulfonation

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