CEH Report

Table of Contents

Abstract

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is the world’s largest-volume synthetic surfactant and is widely used in household detergents as well as in numerous industrial applications. It was developed as a biodegradable replacement for nonlinear (i.e., branched) alkylbenzene sulfonate (BAS) and has largely replaced BAS in household detergents throughout the world.

About 82–87% of LAS is used in household detergents, including laundry powders, laundry liquids, dishwashing liquids and other household cleaners. Industrial, institutional and commercial cleaners account for most of the other applications of LAS, but it is also used as an emulsifier (e.g., for agricultural herbicides and in emulsion polymerization) and a wetting agent. Very small volumes are also used in personal care applications. Demand in the North American household segment fell sharply in 2000–2008, as a result of several developments, including reformulations away from LAS to alternative surfactants because of cost considerations, the greater use of enzymes, and adverse economic conditions that resulted in lower overall surfactant levels in detergents. Although consumption in the highly developed regions of North America, Western Europe and Japan represents only 18% of the world’s total, a good estimate of the end-use breakdown for LAS in these regions can be determined.

The following pie chart shows world consumption of LAS:

LAS competes with several other major surfactants for use in household detergents. Some of the competitive surfactants have greater hard-water tolerance and better compatibility with enzymes and are milder than LAS. Historically, however, LAS has most often been lower in cost and has had other favorable properties compared with competing surfactants. During 2002–2006, very high crude oil prices made LAS far less competitive than has been true in most years since its introduction. During 2007–2008, LAS prices tracked more closely those of the competitive surfactants. This led to a more stable pattern of consumption, even as prices for all surfactants continued to be very volatile.

The pattern of consumption of LAS demonstrates the overwhelming preference by consumers for liquid laundry detergents in North America, whereas powders continue to be the dominant products in Western Europe and Japan. Comparable and reliable data for other world regions are generally unavailable. In these less-developed world areas, LAS is largely used only in laundry powders and hand dishwashing liquids. The latter are often used as general-purpose cleaners.

Although the consumption of LAS will likely stabilize or decline slightly in the highly developed regions, it will increase by 1.5–3.6% in the less developed regions, such as India and China. Worldwide growth of LAS is expected to average about 1.7% per year during 2008–2013.