What Is APEO?
APEO is the abbreviation of Alkylphenol Ethoxylates. It is formed by the condensation reaction of alkylphenol (AP) and ethylene oxide (EO), such as nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPEO) and octylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OPEO), etc.
The Harm of APEO
1.Toxicity
APEO has acute toxicity and aquatic toxicity. It has near-strong toxicity for fish.
2.Irritation
The irritation of APEO to human eyes and skin and the damage of APEO to mucosa are tens of times more than some nonionic surfactants, such as alkyl phenol polyglycosides.
3.Poor biodegradability
APEO is not readily biodegradable, whose biodegradation rate is 0~9% only. On one hand, APEO is easy to accumulate in the biological chain. If it exceeds the pathogenic critical value, it will lead to toxication. On the other hand, alkylphenol, the degradation product of APEO, is a kind of oestrogen-like hormone, which will disrupt endocrine and may induce the proliferation of human estrogen sensitive breast cancer cells.
4.Environmental estrogen problems
APEO has a similar effect to estrogen. It is a chemical that can harm the body’s normal hormone secretion. It will lead to a decrease in sperm count and abnormality of reproductive organs.
The Common Application of APEO in Textile
APEO has excellent functions of wetting, penetrating, dispersing and emulsifying, etc., which is commonly used in textile auxiliaries as following:
Spinning Oil
Pretreatment Auxiliaries : eg. Detergent, Desizing Agent, Degreasing Agent, Scouring Agent, Wetting Agent and Penetrating Agent, etc.
Dyeing and Printing Auxiliaries: eg. High Temperature Leveling Agent, Dispersing Agent, Defoaming Agent and Emulsifying Agent, etc.
Finishing Agent : eg. Softener and Water-proof Agent, etc.
Leather Auxiliaries: eg. Fat Liquor, Coating Agent, Degreasant, Penetrant and Dispersing Agent, etc.
How to Deal with the Exceeding Problem of APEO?
APEO is hydrophilic. Water washing can greatly decrease the residual of APEO. It is better to use 70% ethanol aqueous solution for soaking and washing (the flammability of ethanol should be noted during operation).
It is suggest using dyeing and finishing auxiliaries without APEO, which is to control at source. A large amount of washing will not only increase production costs and cause environmental pollution, but also may cause certain damage to our products.
When compounding auxiliaries, the auxiliaries suppliers can consider using rosin polyoxyethylene ester, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether, alkyl polyglycosides, n-alkyl gluconamide and non-ionic Gemini surfactants, etc. to replace APEO.
Post time: Feb-24-2023