The market demand for fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO) is strong, and the high-end competitiveness of local enterprises needs to be improved.

Fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO), also known as polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ether, is a non-ionic surfactant. AEO has the advantages of biodegradability, good stability, electrolyte resistance, and good water solubility. It is widely used in textile printing and dyeing, papermaking, daily chemicals, agriculture and other fields. According to different chemical structures, AEO can be divided into three types: C16-18AEO, C12-15AEO and C9-11AEO.

The preparation of AEO usually uses long-chain fatty alcohols and ethylene oxide as raw materials, sodium hydroxide as the catalyst, and the finished product is obtained through ring-opening polymerization. In recent years, with the accelerated development of my country’s oleochemical industry, the output of fatty alcohols, as important chemical raw materials, has continued to increase. According to statistics from the China Laundry Association Table Committee, my country’s fatty alcohol production will reach 429,000 tons in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 7%. However, at present, my country’s fatty alcohol production is still unable to meet the demand for AEO production, and the product is highly dependent on imports.

AEO is the most widely used nonionic surfactant and is in high demand in many fields. In the field of textile printing and dyeing, AEO can be used to manufacture textile printing and dyeing auxiliaries such as polypropylene oil, emulsified silicone oil, and leveling agents; in the field of papermaking, AEO can be used as a deinking agent; in the field of daily chemicals, AEO can be used to produce washing powder, Products such as laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, shampoo and shower gel; in the agricultural field, AEO can be used to produce pesticide emulsifiers.

Polyoxyethylene ether surfactants can be divided into two categories: alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (APEO) and AEO. APEO easily produces harmful substances during the production and use process, causing environmental pollution and harming human health. my country is a major producer and consumer of surfactants. As the concept of green environmental protection continues to deepen, AEO, as an environmentally friendly surfactant, has gradually replaced APEO and become the mainstream product in the surfactant market. According to the “2023-2028 China Fatty Alcohol Polyoxyethylene Ether (AEO) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report” shows that my country’s AEO sales will reach nearly 600,000 tons in 2022, accounting for nearly 30% of the total sales of nonionic surfactants.

​ ​ Major global AEO manufacturers include BASF of Germany, Dow Chemical of the United States, Solvay of Belgium, etc. my country’s AEO companies mainly produce mid- to low-end products, and high-end products are highly dependent on imports. The main AEO manufacturers in my country include Wuhan Kmic Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd., Tianjin Haoyuan Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., Hubei Xinrunde Chemical Co., Ltd., Yihai Kerry Group, Guangdong Hongqiang New Materials Co., Ltd., etc.

Industry analysts said that AEO has the advantages of biodegradability and good stability. As an environmentally friendly surfactant, it has Widely used in many fields. Affected by factors such as insufficient supply of raw materials and high technical barriers, my country’s high-end AEOs mainly rely on imports, which is the main challenge facing the development of the industry. It is expected that in the future, as local companies improve their independent research and development capabilities, the localization process of my country’s high-end AEO market will accelerate.