| abstract |
The present invention is in the field of processes for making alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactants. The processes herein include a combination of two essential steps, delinearization and alkylation. The delinearization step selected herein introduces particular types of limited branching into an aliphatic hydrocarbon having ten or more, but no more than about 16, carbon atoms. The hydrocarbon includes olefin having a hydrocarbon chain length suitable for detergent manufacture, e.g., C10-C14, or a corresponding paraffin. The second essential step is an alkylation step having an internal isomer selectivity of from 0 to no more than about 40 in which the hydrocarbon is used to monoalkylate benzene catalytically with an alkylation catalyst. Such alkylation catalysts preferably comprise an at least partially crystalline porous zeolite-containing solid, the zeolite having moderate acidity and intermediate pore size. Preferred alkylation catalysts include certain at least partially dealuminized acidic nonfluorinated mordenites. The processes herein further comprise sulfonating, neutralizing and incorporating the resulting modified alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactants into consumer products. The invention relates also to the products of the processes, including modified surfactants and consumer cleaning products containing them. |