ABSTRACT

Nonionogenic surfactants are second to anionic surfactants by the amount of their production and discharge into aquatic ecosystems (Surfactants 1984; Steinberg et al. 1995; Bailey 1996; Thiele et al. 1997). The main classes of nonionogenic surfactants are alcohol ethoxylates and oxides of fatty amines. In 1988, the worldwide annual consumption of nonionogenic surfactants belonging to the alkyl phenol ethoxylates was approximately equal to 360,000 tons (Ahel et al. 1993). Along with the worldwide use of nonionogenic surfactants in industry and other branches of the economy, chemicals of this class have other applications: nonionogenic surfactant nonoxynol-9 (NP-9) is frequently used as intravaginal spermicide (Meyer et al. 1988). This chemical is a usual component used for lubricating individual AIDS protection devices. By its structure, NP-9 is nonylphenoxyl poly(ethylenoxyl)9 ethanol (Meyer et al. 1988). Nonionogenic surfactants belonging to the group of alkyl phenol derivatives are also used as hair dyes (Meyer et al. 1988).