Dow Introduces ECOSURF™ EH Specialty Surfactants

Midland, MI - Three new surfactants have joined the ECOSURF™ brand of specialty surfactants from The Dow Chemical Company. ECOSURF™ EH Specialty Surfactants are a new generation of high performance, readily biodegradable surfactants. They are designed for use in hard surface cleaning, textile processing, inks, paints and coatings, and agricultural chemicals. ECOSURF EH Surfactants have an excellent environmental profile, are biodegradable with low aquatic toxicity and meet the criteria for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment Surfactant Screen. ECOSURF EH Specialty Surfactants are another example of innovative, performance chemistry from Dow.

ECOSURF EH Surfactants are designed to help formulators meet rising expectations for performance and convenience, while at the same time complying with more stringent and demanding environmental safety regulations.

What Are “Surfactants”?

A shortened form of three words “surface-active agent”, surfactants stabilize mixtures of oil and water by reducing the surface tension at the interface between the oil and water molecules. Because water and oil do not dissolve in each other, a stable mixture requires a surfactant to keep it from separating into layers.

ECOSURF™ EH-3, 6, & 9 Surfactants

There are three products in the ECOSURF™ EH family. While each has its own unique performance advantages in many different applications, all three ECOSURF EH Surfactants are excellent oil-soluble emulsifiers with fast dynamic surface tension reduction. They are low foaming, have very low odor and a narrow gel range, making them ideally suited for ultra-concentrated formulations.

Hard Surface Cleaning Performance

For hard surface cleaning of cross-linked triglycerides (kitchen soil) and mineral oil (industrial petroleum based grease), ECOSURF™ EH Surfactants have demonstrated exceptional cleaning performance in Dow tests, when compared with other, traditionally used products.

Paints & Coatings Applications

ECOSURF EH Surfactants feature narrow aqueous gel ranges and favorable handling and formulating properties, making them ideally suited for many paints and coatings systems.

Textile Applications

Dow studies have shown that fabrics finished by silicone softeners emulsified with ECOSURF™ EH Surfactants exhibited improved hand-feel. Using real world application testing for textile processing, the wetting times and penetration time for real-use concentrations are much faster for ECOSURF EH Surfactants relative to primary alcohol ethoxylates (PAE’s).

Other Applications

ECOSURF™ EH Surfactants are excellent candidates for use in a number of other applications including: emulsifiers for agricultural insecticides and herbicides, paper processing, and oil and gas applications.

About Dow

With annual sales of $58 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.