Abstract
According to literature data, currently more than 80% of surfactants (SAS) are produced from raw materials of the petrochemical industry. Industrial processes involving petroleum, natural gas, and coal generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas). The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributes to global warming. Another major concern associated with surfactants synthesized from hydrocarbon-based feedstocks is their low biodegradability in aquatic environments under the influence of microorganisms and sunlight. Therefore, the development of surfactants based on renewable, environmentally friendly sources such as vegetable oils is an important area of research. This work focuses on the synthesis of nonionic surfactants from technical-grade vegetable oil, specifically from sunflower oil production waste, and the investigation of their properties. A mixture of fatty carboxylic acids obtained from technical vegetable oil was esterified with ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and triethylene glycol (TEG) to produce nonionic surfactants. The chemical composition of the synthesized surfactants was confirmed by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the compounds possess surface-active properties and can be used as environmentally safer detergents