RENEWABLE ALTERNATIVE WITH EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE
Cardolite surfactants are based on bio-based CNSL technology. They use distilled CNSL, Cardanol, as starting material which provides many benefits as indicated on its average chemical structure. Ethoxylated cardanol surfactants are good alternatives to nonyl phenol ethoxylates (NPEs) or alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs), which are widely used in industrial products and home care and consumer goods. NPEs have shown to carry health concerns since they break down into nonyl phenol. As a result, they continue to be phased-out of some formulations. In general, ethoxylated cardanols show lower viscosity than ethoxylated nonyl phenol grades with the same number of EO moles. HLB values can also be used for comparison and are provided in the table below.
In polyurethane foams, cardanol surfactants may also replace silicones and natural oil type surfactants to provide good flowability, reaction profiles and mechanical properties.
CNSL-based Surfactant Properties
| Property (typical values) | LITE 2020 (1EO) | GX-5166 (7EO) | GX-5167 (9EO) | GX-5170 (12EO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color (Gardner) | 12 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| Viscosity @ 25 °C (cps) | 90 | 180 | 200 | 360 |
| HLB values (calc.) | 2.6 | 10.1 | 11.4 | 12.8 |
| OH value (mg KOH/g) | 152 | 100 | 89 | 81 |
| Cloud point (2% in BDG 10%) | n.a. | 66 | 74.5 | 80 |
| Pour point (°C) | n.a. | 9 | 3 | 18 |
| Surface tension (mN/m) | n.a. | 53.0 | 50.1 | 43.7 |
| Foaming efficiency (ml at 0,1 wt% actives, 25 °C, initial/5 minutes) | n.a. | 24/23 | 28/27 | 47/42 |