Development Status of Surfactants in Degreasing Additives for Electroplating

Among the degreasing additives, the most important, the biggest change, and the higher requirements for environmental protection are surfactants. Many countries around the world have issued a lot of laws and regulations on the biodegradability of surfactants, foam, COD (chemical oxygen demand), and wastewater treatment, which are worthy of in-depth study.
In 1961, the first regulations on detergents were issued in Germany, stipulating that the biodegradability of surfactants must be greater than 80%. In 1965, the problem of foam in surface water and wastewater in Europe was resolved. In 1966, LAS (sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate) was put into commercial production, and DDBS (branch chain sodium alkylbenzenesulfonate) began to withdraw from the historical stage. In October 1990, Germany and the Netherlands had requested the surfactant industry to replace D1821 (dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride). Its consumption decreased by 70% in the following year, and completely after 3 years. Replaced by ester quaternary ammonium salt. In early 2011, nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPE) were included in the “List of Toxic Chemicals in China with Strict Restrictions on Import and Export” issued by the former Ministry of Environmental Protection and the General Administration of Customs. Alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether compounds (APEO), including NP, OP (octyl phenol), DP (dodecyl phenol), DNP (dinonyl phenol), etc., are highly toxic and have estrogen-like effects , It is not easy to degrade, it will bring serious environmental problems, and it is gradually being restricted or banned by various countries.
At present, the environmental protection situation is grim, and energy conservation, emission reduction, environmental protection, resource recovery and recycling have become the guiding spirit and development vane of various production enterprises.