Sulphonation Technology in the Detergent Industry

This book is about Sulph(on)ation Technology in its technical entirety, aiming at superiority in final product quality, raw material utilisation, sustained plant reliability and safety, minimisation of liquid effluent and gaseous emissions; it is about the total quality of the operation. It will be of value to engineers and chemists who are, or will be, involved in the practical daily operation of sulphonation plants or R & D activities. The book can also be used as a tool for the teacher in preparing fmal year projects in a chemical engineering curriculum. The book covers sulphonation of alkylbenzenes, primary alcohols, alcohol ethers, alpha-olefIns and fatty acid methyl esters, with a strong emphasis on the sulphur-based S~/air sulphonation technology. The first part deals with raw material specifications, hazards, storage, handling and physical properties. In the following section the process chemistry is discussed, indicating main chemical reactions, undesired parallel and consecutive reactions, exothermal heat effects and all other process chemistry data that are relevant for process selection and equipment design. The section about the actual process equipment from the various plant equipment suppliers (Ballestra, Chemithon, Mazzoni, Meccaniche Modeme and Lion Corp.) takes into account the chemical reaction engineering aspects derived from the sulphonation technology processing chemistry. Product quality, product storage and handling, product safety and physical properties are the contents of the next section. The effluent handling and exhaust gas treatment of the SOiair sulphonation technology are further discussed in detail Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Application of Sulphonates as Anionic Surfactants in Household Products....Pages 1-4 A Brief Description of the Sulphonation Processes Used for the Manufacture of Active Detergents....Pages 5-12 Raw Materials Quality, Storage Handling and Safety....Pages 13-82 Process Chemistry and Principles....Pages 83-111 Processing Equipment....Pages 112-180 Product Quality, Storage, Handling and Safety....Pages 181-206 Exhaust gas and Effluent Treatment SO 3 /Air Sulphonation Plants....Pages 207-211 Plant Start-Up/Shut-Down and Operational Conditions Sulphonation/Neutralisation....Pages 212-215 Plant Instrumentation and Control....Pages 216-228 Plant Location, Layout, Building Structure, Plant Documentation....Pages 229-235 Sulphonation with 20% Oleum....Pages 236-245 Sulphonation Technology as a Tool for the Educator in Preparing Case Studies and Final-Year Design Projects in a Chemical Engineering Curriculum....Pages 246-251 Back Matter....Pages 252-283