Detergent Production Threatens Mural Glycerol Supply
A STAFF CURRENT
production
of
glycols
and
such higher alcohols as sorbitol, mannitol, and pentaerythritol, plus the expected out put of synthetic glycerol b3r Shell Chemi cal Co., may reach a total of 350 million lb. during 194S and will compare with produc tion of about 200 million lb. of natural or by-product glycerol, it was declared be fore the meeting of t h e Association of American Soap and Glycerine Producers in New York, Jan. 29 a n d 30. A speaker at the meeting, N. N. Dalton of Kansas Cit\-, Mo., an association con sultant, feared, however, that an increas ing encroachment of syriithetic detergents on ordinary soap.uses will proportionately curtail natural glycerol production. Just how great this encroachment has become was revealed by another speaker, Kenneth T. King of t h e Du P o n t Co., who esti mated that capacity for manufacturing detergents had grown to the huge total of 700 million lb. annually. The greater the consumption of synthetic detergents, Mr. Dalton continued, the less will be the consumption of soap fats and the lower will be the fat values, thus making both natural soaps and glycerol more competitive with synthetic deter gents, synthetic glycerol, and glycerol sub stitutes. It has become quite obvious that natural glycerol no longer has a field of its own. I t is but one, probably the best, of a large family of polyalcohols in which the other products are made with greater elas ticity of production than is the case with natural glycerol. Mr. King spoke on the synthetic deter gent industry and its relationship to the soap and chemical industries. For years, the soap industry was a very large user of alkalies, he said, but today new types of builders are becoming important in the manufacture of "built soaps" as well as in the production of synthetic detergents. A soap company executive, asked to define a successful soap maker, said: "The suc cessful soap manufacturer of the past was the smart blender of fats. The successful soap manufacturer of the future will be the smart blender of fats, syntTietic detergents, and chemicals." S3rnthetic detergents possess the prop erties of resistance to h a r d water, to acid, their relatively high solubility, wetting, and emulsifying powers. The efficiency of wartime detergents was low, but with the return of raw materials the inefficient cleansing agents disappeared. The great est weakness of soap is in the precipitation of lime and magnesium salts in hard water. Most of the synthetics would remove soil but could not prevent soil redeposition. However, certain detergents performed a better dishwashing job than any soap. A large amount of research in 1947 led to 452
REPORT
improvement of the synthetics themselves and to the use of certain chemicals as builders, such as phosphates, carbonates, and borax. The most important develop ment, probably, was the use of carboxy methylcellulose which has the unique characteristic of reducing or preventing the redeposition of solid soil once it has been removed from cotton garments. As a result, synthetic detergents and chemi cal builders will do the heavy-duty cotton washing job approximately as well as soap. Considerable industrial research is being conducted on detergents and on the com bination of various detergents and chemi cals. Properties of single and built prod ucts are being studied for their ability to remove solid soil, ability to prevent redepo sition, oil or grease emulsifying power, performance over a range of temperature, foam formation and stability, wetting action, solubility, odor, and physical form. The meeting, held a t the Waldorf-Asto ria, heard from George H. Johnson of the American Institute of Laundering that laundries last year purchased $16 million in soap in order to perform SSOO million in laundry services. He expected that much new knowledge concerning detergency would accrue from a program of funda mental research being conducted at the Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City.
A study of soils and what makes them ad here to fabri cs is in process. Allan P. Amines, of Ames and Norr, New York public xelations firm, said that 1,5S3 glycerol uses had been tabulated three years ago. Since then, however, a new way to use glycerol is heard almost each week. Publication of a new scientific monograph o n glycerol is needed as the first one, published in 1928, is now out of date.
The AJVIERICAX CHEMICAL SOCIETY
recognized ttiis fact some time ago, Mr. Ames said, a n d it had invited the American Association c*f Soap and Glycerine Produc ers t o prepare a new text which will be published by the Society. C. S. Minter, Jr., Miner Laboratories, explained some of the work being con ducted at his Chicago laboratories in find ing new applications for glycerol and bet ter procedures for uses already known. How the association's information bu reau handles inquiries which seek solutions to glycerol ^problems was explained by Joyce Cotter. The meetiog was featured by a number of group a n d panel discussions. Deter gent technicians, marketing experts, and executives participated. Beside the group program on gtycerol and others, there were sessions on bulk chips, flakes, and powders^.; on potash soap; and on package and wrapper design.
A. AI. Schwartz', Harris Research Laboratories; TV. AT. Denltmi-. association consult ant; L. II. Flett, Allied Chemical & Dye Corp.; George Wrwsley, president of the association: K. T. King. Du Pont Co.: R. C. Edlund, association manager ; H. E. Brarn s ton-Cook. Oronite Chemical Co.z'R. AI. Simingt*yntl>-*i Pont Co.; and J. W. detergents IMcCutcheon. consulting chemist, zvho discussed synthetic organic
W. F. Slraiib- Antiseptol Co.; Below. J. L. Brenn.. Huntington Laboratories; Dorothy Bayles, U. S. Department of Commerce: and Charles Solly,
Harley Soap Co.. participants in a panel disczussioTi on potash soap
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