Oleo-Furan and Branched Surfactants Made from Recycled and Renewable Feedstocks

Abstract

The widespread reliance on fossil-derived linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) in surfactant formulations presents significant sustainability and biodegradability challenges. We report a synthetic route to oleo-furan sulfonate (OFS) and branched sulfonate surfactants derived from a hybrid of renewable biomass and polyolefin plastics waste carbon. Plastics-derived paraffins were obtained via catalytic hydrogenolysis and subsequently oxidized using non-thermal atmospheric plasma. The resulting oxygenated paraffins, rich in mid-chain ketones and alcohols, were selectively reduced to mono-alcohols using sodium borohydride. These plastics-derived hydroxy paraffins were then coupled with biomass-derived 2-furoic acid to produce furoates and olefins, which were sulfonated to yield unique oleo-furan and branched sulfonate surfactants. The resulting surfactants exhibited superior performance, including a low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 591 ppm and a Krafft temperature below 0 °C, surpassing not only previously synthesized OFS but also commercial LAS and sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS). This work offers a blueprint for producing high-value specialty surfactants from hybrid waste feedstocks and contributes to the advancement of circular, high-performance surfactant technologies.