New detergent surfactant from BASF

* Lutensol® M is sustainable in manufacture and application

* No environmental classification required

* High delivery reliability



BASF is planning a broad launch of its new detergent surfactant Lutensol® M on the occasion of the international surfactant congress CESIO 2008 in Paris, France, from June 22 to 25. Because of its eco-friendly properties, Lutensol M is not subject to environmental classification. The surfactant is produced in Antwerp, Belgium, and in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Lutensol® M is an ethoxylate based on the branched alcohol 2-propylheptanol (2-PH) and produced by a new process developed by BASF. Several detergent manufacturers have already successfully incorporated Lutensol M into their European formulations. “The outstanding emulsifying properties of the surfactant allow the production of laundry detergents based on Lutensol M with high detergent efficiency at low wash temperatures,” explains Marketing Manager Dr. Thomas Greindl, responsible for the product at BASF’s Care Chemicals for Detergents & Formulators division. “In this way BASF supports the detergent industry’s contribution to sustainability, since detergents can be marketed that reduce energy requirements during washing.” Lutensol M has proved successful in both liquid and powder detergents. Detergent tabs dissolve quickly because the surfactant does not tend to form a gel. “We produce 2-PH at our plants in Ludwigshafen and Passadena, Texas. Vertical integration, currently on two continents, ensures a very reliable supply of this feedstock,” Greindl adds.

The Lutensol M range is neither subject to environmental classification nor classified as dangerous goods under the transport regulations. A BASF eco-efficiency analysis has shown that during production it causes less emissions into waste water and consumes less energy than other surfactants.

Lutensol M completes the BASF portfolio, to which the recently introduced 2-PH-based Lutensol® XL und Lutensol® XP surfactant ranges also belong. Their applications include hard-surface cleaners and formulations for textile finishing, and in many cases they can replace environmentally problematic alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs). Like Lutensol M, the XL and XP ranges are produced at almost identical plants in Ludwigshafen and Antwerp.