Cn-1H2n+1COH
Fatty alcohol products are basic raw materials for fine chemical products such as detergents, surfactants, and plastic plasticizers. There are over a thousand types of fine chemical products derived from them, which are widely used in industries including chemicals, petroleum, metallurgy, textiles, machinery, mining, construction, plastics, rubber, leather, papermaking, transportation, food, medicine and healthcare, daily chemicals, and agriculture. Fatty alcohols can produce many derivatives, such as alcohol-based surfactants. As detergent actives, they possess excellent properties including strong detergency, good compatibility, low foam, easy biodegradability, hard water resistance, and good low-temperature washability. They are gradually replacing linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, becoming the third-generation detergent raw materials. The most representative products in this category include AEO₃–AEO₉, synthesized from fatty alcohols and ethylene oxide, which can be further sulfated to produce AES. These alcohol-based surfactants have wide applications and large demand. They are closely related to daily life and the improvement of quality of life, with broad existing and potential markets.