Methyl ester is derived from vegetable oils, specifically, palm oil. PALMFONATE is the brand name of KLK Oleo’s Methyl Ester Sulphonates (MES). MES is an anionic surfactant which is the active ingredient in many laundry detergents. This surfactant is available in a powder form, as well as flakes and a paste.
Anionic surfactants serve an essential function in the cleaning process. The oldest and most widespread anionic surfactant on the planet is soap. Soap is defined as a product that contains fatty acids along with alkalis and salts of sodium and potassium. While soap is still the favoured form of anionic surfactant for cleaning human skin, synthetic MES are becoming popular as superior ingredients in detergents used in other cleaning applications, such as laundry detergents.
Synthetic MES are Growing in Popularity
Synthetic detergents are growing in popularity simply because of their superior cleaning performance. Anionic surfactants work as well as they do because of the principle of ionisation. Immersion in water triggers a negative charge in the surfactants called an anion. The negatively charged anions are attracted to positively charged particles like clay and soil. They can loosen and lift the dirt, clay and some oily stains out of the clothes.
Detergents containing these MESs are also effective at cleaning clothes in hard water. Soaps can’t be used in hard water as they dissolve into a scum that permeates the fibres of the cloth and can be difficult to remove.
Effective at Cleaning a Wide Range of Contaminants
There’s nothing that cleans absolutely everything. Every soap and detergent works better at ridding clothes of some contaminants more than others. Manufacturers have long recognised that anionic surfactants clean a wider variety of the usual contaminants found in clothing than other surfactants.
Users have to rely on specialised cleaning methods a lot less when using anionic surfactants than with detergents using other active ingredients.
Other Uses of Anionic Surfactants
Anionic surfactants are now being used in a variety of applications beyond laundry detergent. They are effective at increasing the chemical stability of pesticides. They also reduce the costs associated with producing pesticides as well as their pollution levels.
The surfactants are being employed in the treatment of sewage and wastewater from a wide range of domestic and industrial sources, including papermaking, textile and dyeing mills and breweries.
In the cosmetics industries, anionic surfactants are used as emulsifiers, wetting agents and solubilisers. They are safe to be used on human skin from both a toxicological and pharmacological standpoint.
Anionic surfactants are also an ingredient in not just laundry detergents but also a variety of soaps, liquid soaps, and shampoos. They produce a large amount of the foam desired by consumers and are an economical choice for manufacturers. Their ability to clean oil and sebum from hair makes them particularly attractive to shampoo manufacturers.
Please get in touch with our offices to learn more about the properties of KLK OLEO’s PALMFONATE Methyl Ester Sulphonates.
