Novel branched-chain sulfonate surfactants based on α-olefins from Fischer–Tropsch synthesis via reaction-separation-utilization integrated process

Despite the significant progress that has been made regarding the purification of C5–C9 linear α-olefins from the liquid products of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, the energy-consuming separation of olefins and paraffins with the same carbon number has restricted their industrial development. Herein, we first propose a reaction-separation-utilization integrated process that combines the zirconocene/methylalumoxane-catalyzed selective dimerization of linear α-olefins to α-olefin dimers, which can then be separated from paraffins in FTS liquid products via conventional distillation and catalytically converted into branched-chain sulfonate surfactants through homogeneously organocatalytic sulfonation with sodium bisulfite. The resulting branched-chain sulfonates have been characterized by FTIR, HPLC, LC-MS, HR-MS, and NMR techniques. Their surfactant properties, including equilibrium surface tension, dynamic surface tension, foaming property, wetting ability, and emulsifying power, and detergency performance, have been thoroughly investigated. The results showed that the resulting branched-chain sulfonate surfactants exhibit superior surfactant properties and detergency performance in comparison with commercially applied linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS). In view of the growing demand for anionic surfactants in the detergent and cosmetics industries, this study represents a new route for the use of α-olefins from the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis for the production of branched-chain surfactants.