MANUAL Published: 30 July 2021
MNL802019003218

Chapter 18 | Surfactants, Detergents, and the Environment

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This chapter describes methods used to assess the environmental impact of surfactants, detergents, and related products. Two main parameters that are used for this purpose are biodegradability and toxicity, with the latter relating to humans and aquatic life. Another parameter of concern associated with surfactants and the products containing them is their irritation potential to human skin. One of the major challenges associated with the environmental analysis of chemicals, including that of surfactants, is isolating a decent-sized sample to carry out the analysis. This is not only because the amount of surfactants and their metabolites in environmental media is extremely low but, in some cases they are also strongly bound to environmental substrates (e.g., suspended particles, sediment, and soil), which makes their quantitative extraction difficult. While a number of isolation techniques exist to accomplish this goal, these methods are less than perfect. They include direct extraction of surfactants and their metabolites from contaminated aqueous and solid environmental media or converting them into derivatives that are easier to extract. While the analytical methods to quantify them are analogous to those described in Chapter 17, not only must the chemicals be extracted but they must be concentrated before they are subjected to analytical techniques. The most suitable method for environmental analysis of surfactants is a combination of extraction, chromatographic concentration, and instrumental analysis.

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Rizvi, Syed, Q. A.
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Pages: 459–480
DOI: 10.1520/MNL802019003218
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-7132-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-7131-2