| HS Code | 272460 |
| Productname | Nonionic Soft flake HFE |
| Appearance | White to off-white flakes |
| Form | Flake |
| Ionicity | Nonionic |
| Activecontent | ≥99% |
| Phvalue | 5.0-7.0 (1% aqueous solution) |
| Solubility | Soluble in hot water |
| Meltingpoint | 50-60°C |
| Moisturecontent | ≤1.0% |
| Application | Soft finishing of cotton, polyester and blends |
| Recommendeddosage | 1-5% o.w.f. |
| Packaging | 25 kg woven bag |
| Storage | Store in a cool, dry and ventilated place |
| Shelflife | 12 months |
As an accredited Nonionic Soft flake HFE factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Nonionic Soft flake HFE is packed in 25 kg net polyethylene-lined woven bags with inner liner and batch labels. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Load Nonionic Soft flake HFE into a 20′ FCL, palletized, shrink-wrapped, dry, secured, labeled, with safe handling and no moisture exposure. |
| Shipping | Ship Nonionic Soft flake HFE in sealed, moisture-proof bags or fiber drums labeled with product name, batch, and SDS hazards. Keep cool, dry, and away from incompatibles. Confirm transport classification; if non-hazardous, ship as non-DG with standard documentation. |
| Storage | Store Nonionic Soft flake HFE in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, heat, ignition sources, and moisture. Keep containers tightly closed, clearly labeled, and off the floor. Avoid contact with incompatible oxidizers, acids, and alkalis. Prevent dust generation and use secondary containment for spills. Follow local regulations and SDS requirements. |
| Shelf Life | Typically 24 months from manufacture when stored cool, dry, well-ventilated, and protected from moisture in original sealed packaging. |
Hydrogenated C16–C18 fatty alcohol ethoxylate in soft flake form, with a typical EO molar addition of 20–25 mol and dropping point of 40–46 °C, enters heavy-duty detergent powder production as a post-add nonionic rather than as a crutcher component when tower-based spray drying is used. The addition ratio in finished powders is 1.5–5.0 wt%, with the lower end applied to high-density powders where excess nonionic can depress bulk density below 0.55 g/cm³ and the upper end reserved for concentrated workwear detergents. Compliance relevant to this application includes Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents, REACH Annex VII registration for volumes at or above 1 t/a, and primary biodegradability measured according to OECD 301B with a 28-day pass level of at least 60% ThOD. Production-scale post-addition uses a jacketed stainless steel melt tank maintained at 50–60 °C, a 60-mesh inline filter, and a heated positive-displacement pump feeding a twin-fluid nozzle; the liquid nonionic is sprayed onto the moving powder bed inside a continuous ribbon blender at 0.5–1.0 m/s tip speed. A recorded line failure occurs when jacketed transfer lines fall below 45 °C: the HFE solidifies at the spray nozzle and produces nonionic-enriched agglomerates that later cake in silo storage at relative humidity above 65%. Finished product types from this route are high-density granular laundry detergents, industrial workwear powders, and phosphate-free compact powders formulated with zeolite or layered silicate builders.
Continuous alkaline scouring of woven cotton and polyester-cotton fabric with HFE soft flake typically operates at a pad bath addition of 3.0–5.0 g/L, while exhaust scouring in jet machines uses 1.0–2.0 g/L. The relevant compliance framework includes ZDHC MRSL Version 3.1 for restricted nonylphenol ethoxylates below 0.1 wt%, residual APEO limits under REACH Annex XVII entry 46a, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Annex 4 limits for finished textile articles. The downstream production process for continuous ranges meters pre-melted HFE into the pad trough with sodium hydroxide at 20–40 g/L and wetting agent, then fabric passes through a pad mangle with 20-ton squeeze rolls at 40–60 m/min before steaming at 98–100 °C for 20–30 min. Exhaust jet processing at bath ratio 1:8 to 1:12 and 70–80 °C requires foam suppression because the high EO chain lengthens foam persistence under high turbulence; a silicone-free defoamer at 0.1–0.3 g/L is therefore added after HFE dispersion. Terminal finished product types include scoured and peroxide-bleached cotton single jersey, woven polyester-cotton workwear, and denim prepared for continuous dyeing.
In vinyl acetate-ethylene and acrylate copolymerizations, the soft flake HFE acts as a nonionic post-stabilizer in combination with anionic surfactants, with a typical addition of 2.0–4.0 wt% based on total monomer. The regulatory path for indirect food-contact latex uses FDA 21 CFR 175.300, 176.170, and 176.180, while EU formulations fall under Regulation 10/2011 and REACH. Production occurs in semi-batch glass-lined or 316L stainless steel reactors equipped with anchor or turbine impellers at 60–120 rpm; the HFE is pre-melted at 50–55 °C and predispersed in the monomer phase before high-shear pre-emulsion generation. Redox initiation with ammonium persulfate and sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate maintains the reaction jacket at 70–85 °C, and the nonionic proportion is adjusted to hold particle size between 150–250 nm and low coagulum below 0.1% wet weight. A production bottleneck observed on 10,000 L reactors is incomplete HFE dissolution in monomer at below 45 °C; the resulting soft flake nuclei generate oil droplets that deposit on reactor walls as coagulum and force early shutdown for mechanical cleaning. Finished product types are interior architectural matte paints, wood emulsion adhesives, and nonwoven binders for filtration media.
As an emulsifier component for emulsifiable concentrate and oil-in-water emulsion crop protection formulations, HFE soft flake is formulated at 5–12 wt% of the finished EC as part of a total emulsifier pair, with HFE representing 20–50 wt% of the emulsifier pair; in suspension concentrates the wetting/dispersing co-surfactant level is 1.0–3.0 wt%. The applicable compliance toolbox includes CIPAC MT36.3 for emulsion stability and re-emulsification, FAO/WHO pesticide specification guidelines for emulsifiable concentrates, and REACH Annex XVII entry 46a for NPEO content below 0.1 wt%; finished product registration under US EPA 40 CFR Part 180 controls the formulated end-use, not the intermediate emulsifier. Production of EC formulations uses 316L stainless steel jacketed vessels with a high-shear rotor-stator mixer at 2,800–3,600 rpm; technical active is dissolved in C9-C10 aromatic solvent at 20–30 wt% with calcium alkylbenzene sulfonate, then HFE is added molten at 55 °C under agitation. The batch is tested per CIPAC MT36.3 in 342 ppm hard water at 30 °C; failures appear as cream or oil separation after 24 h, requiring emulsifier ratio adjustment in 0.5 wt% increments. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; formulators therefore run ternary phase diagrams with calcium alkylbenzene sulfonate and solvent before full production. Terminal product types include herbicide EC formulations, insecticide EW formulations, and fungicide suspension concentrates.
| Test / standard | Measured parameter | Acceptance criterion |
|---|---|---|
| CIPAC MT36.3 | Emulsion stability in 342 ppm hard water | not more than 2 mL cream after 24 h |
| REACH Annex XVII entry 46a | NPEO content in washed articles | below 0.1 wt% |
| FAO/WHO EC specification | Re-emulsification after 2 h | no oil separation |
Flotation deinking of mixed office waste and old newsprint with HFE soft flake uses 0.2–0.5 wt% based on oven-dry fiber, while wash deinking operates at 0.1–0.3 wt%. Compliance boundaries for paper and board include FDA 21 CFR 176.170 for contact with aqueous and fatty foods, BfR Recommendation XXXVI for food-contact paper, and EN 643 for recovered paper grade sourcing; tissue producers additionally certify against EU Ecolabel criteria for tissue paper. The process starts with pulping at 12–15% consistency, 45–55 °C, pH 9.5–10.5, with sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, and hydrogen peroxide; HFE is added either directly as flake to the pulper or as a pre-dispersion in hot water at 60 °C. Flotation cells then operate with air injection of 0.8–1.2 L/(min·L); the ethoxylate cloud point near 70–75 °C in alkaline liquor increases defoamer demand in the subsequent screening and washing stages, so silicone-free defoamer is dosed at 0.05–0.15 wt% on dry fiber after flotation. Finished product types include tissue, newsprint, and office copy paper.
Aqueous degreasing of bovine wet-blue with HFE soft flake is carried out in hide processing drums at 0.5–2.0 wt% relative to wet-blue weight, with the higher level required for sheepskins or heavy natural fat hiding. The process operates at 35–40 °C, float ratio 1:3, and drum speed 8–12 rpm for 30–60 min; the HFE is pre-dispersed in water at 1:5 to 1:10 and added after acid pre-drumming. The applicable compliance framework includes ZDHC MRSL Version 3.1, REACH registration duties, and ISO 4048:2018 for determination of dichloromethane-soluble matter in leather; finished leather produced under automotive supply agreements is also tested for fogging and VOC per ISO 17071:2015 or OEM-specific methods. Process monitoring focuses on bath stability: hard water above 200 ppm CaCO₃ reduces HFE degreasing efficiency, and drum temperatures above 45 °C can soften natural fats too quickly and cause redistribution into the grain layer. Process capability studies typically target residual dichloromethane-soluble matter at 3–5% on dry leather weight. Finished product types include automotive upholstery leather, shoe upper leather, and furniture upholstery leather.
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Nonionic Soft flake HFE is a hydrogenated fatty acid ethoxylate supplied as off-white to cream soft flakes with a drop melting point between 34 °C and 48 °C determined by Ph. Eur. 2.2.14. The product series is designated by average ethylene oxide adduct level; common trade references include HFE-4, HFE-8, HFE-10, HFE-20, HFE-30 and HFE-40. The numerical suffix after the HFE prefix indicates the nominal moles of ethylene oxide per equivalent of hydrogenated C16–C18 fatty acid hydrophobe, not the molecular weight of the adduct. Flake formation by pastillation or spray-chilling reduces respirable dust relative to milled ethoxylates, although the waxy surface can compact under vertical load in deep silos. Representative released-lot data for HFE-20 include acid value ≤2 mg KOH/g by ISO 660, saponification value 80–90 mg KOH/g by ISO 3657, water content ≤0.5 wt% by Karl Fischer titration, and pH in 5% aqueous dispersion 6.5–7.5 by ISO 4316. The CAS number is grade-specific and must be confirmed from the supplier safety data sheet before preparing REACH or customs documentation.
| Parameter | HFE-4 | HFE-8 | HFE-20 | HFE-30 | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop melting point | 42–48 °C | 38–44 °C | 35–41 °C | 34–40 °C | Ph. Eur. 2.2.14 |
| Acid value | ≤2 mg KOH/g | ≤2 mg KOH/g | ≤2 mg KOH/g | ≤2 mg KOH/g | ISO 660 |
| Saponification value | 100–110 mg KOH/g | 90–100 mg KOH/g | 80–90 mg KOH/g | 65–75 mg KOH/g | ISO 3657 |
| Water content | ≤0.5 wt% | ≤0.5 wt% | ≤0.5 wt% | ≤0.5 wt% | Karl Fischer titration |
| pH, 5% aqueous dispersion | 6.0–7.0 | 6.0–7.0 | 6.5–7.5 | 6.5–7.5 | ISO 4316 |
| Calculated HLB | 6.5 | 9.5 | 13.5 | 15.5 | Griffin ester equation |
The primary operational difference is thermal: liquid C12–C15 alcohol ethoxylates with comparable HLB values can be pumped at ambient temperatures, while HFE flake requires heated charging above 38 °C. The flake form provides a bulk density of approximately 550–650 kg/m³ determined by ISO 697:1981, reducing storage volume relative to some spray-dried powders and eliminating the liquid spill containment required for drums or IBCs. Melt viscosity at 65 °C is typically 100–180 mPa·s by ISO 3219, which remains compatible with low-shear gear pumps. Compared with hydrogenated castor oil ethoxylates of similar HLB, the HFE flake contains a simpler fatty acid ester structure rather than a triglyceride backbone; this reduces the concentration of secondary hydroxyl species and narrows the oligomer distribution. The ester linkage, however, imposes a defined hydrolytic boundary: at pH below 3 or above 9 and temperatures above 60 °C, ester cleavage increases the free fatty acid titer and shifts the HLB downward. Liquid alcohol ethoxylates with ether linkages are generally more tolerant of alkaline formulations, but they do not provide the same low-foam melt processing profile in applications where flake HFE is used as a co-surfactant.
| Property | Nonionic Soft flake HFE | Liquid C12–C15 alcohol ethoxylate, 7 EO | PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical state at 25 °C | Soft flake | Clear to hazy liquid | Paste or viscous liquid |
| Drop melting point or pour point | 34–48 °C | below 10 °C | 30–40 °C softening |
| Hydrophobe structure | Hydrogenated C16–C18 fatty acid | Primary C12–C15 alcohol | Triglyceride of hydrogenated castor oil |
| Main degradation route | Ester hydrolysis | Oxidative formation of peroxides | Ester hydrolysis and glyceride transesterification |
| Dynamic viscosity at 65 °C | 100–180 mPa·s | 15–30 mPa·s | 250–400 mPa·s |
| Dusting tendency | Low; flakes may compact under load | Not applicable as liquid | Low; paste may gel |
| Typical use window | Oil-in-water emulsification, spin finish, polymer stabilization | Detergency, hard-surface cleaning, wetting | Solubilizers, personal-care emulsifiers, pigment dispersants |
In continuous melt-charging systems used on twin-screw flake-to-liquid surfactant compounding lines, the feed hopper is maintained at 20–25 °C with chilled water rather than ambient air. Process data from a co-rotating twin-screw extruder with L/D 32:1 to 44:1 indicate that hopper temperatures above 30 °C can compact the flakes into a cohesive bridge, causing mass-flow interruptions and feeder over-torque alarms. Stable throughput is observed at screw speeds 150–250 min⁻¹ when HFE flake is premixed with porous carrier granules at approximately 1:1 by weight. Without carrier, the specific energy input increases by 8–12% because the soft flakes slip in the partially filled screw zone and reduce forward conveying efficiency. The extruder barrel is normally set with a feed-zone temperature of 35 °C, a compression-zone temperature of 50 °C, and a discharge-zone temperature of 65–70 °C; melt filtration through a 100 μm mesh is applied before transfer to storage. Published data for this specific configuration is limited to equipment-manufacturer process-capability studies and should not be extrapolated to single-screw machines without verifying screw clearance and residence-time distribution.
When HFE-20 is used as a nonionic stabilizer in acrylic emulsion polymerization, the surfactant is typically dissolved in the pre-emulsion at 2.0–3.0 wt% based on monomer. Typical batch equipment includes a jacketed glass-lined reactor with anchor agitator at 120–160 min⁻¹; the initiator feed is potassium persulfate at 0.3–0.5 wt% on monomer. Under isothermal polymerization at 80 °C, the HFE-20-containing formulation produces final latex particle sizes of 120–150 nm determined by dynamic light scattering in accordance with ISO 22412:2017. Coagulum collected on a 100 μm screen remains below 0.5 wt% of total monomer in laboratory batches. The protective-colloid function of HFE-20 is highly sensitive to electrolyte load; addition of calcium chloride above 0.8 wt% based on latex solids collapses the adsorption layer and generates visible grain. Emulsion polymerization with HFE-4 or HFE-8 is not recommended because the lower HLB grades partition too strongly into the monomer phase and fail to maintain a coherent interfacial layer. Published data for acrylic latex stabilization is available at laboratory scale; transfer to continuous loop reactors requires shear-rate and residence-time studies because the coalescence threshold under high shear is not adequately described by batch data.
In textile spin-finish compounding for polyester staple fibre, soft flake HFE is melt-dispersed at 8–12 wt% in paraffinic oil at 65–70 °C. The melt is subsequently combined with anionic antistatic agents and emulsifiers before high-shear homogenization at 3000 min⁻¹ for 20 min. Fibre-to-metal friction on polyester staple drawn at 120 m/min is typically reduced to 0.28–0.34 μ when the spin finish contains 0.6–0.8 wt% HFE-10, determined by a Rothschild F-meter or equivalent instrument. If the flake is not fully melted before homogenization, residual gel bodies can pass through 50 μm filters and deposit on drawing godets. Batch records therefore specify a hold time of 15–20 min at 70 °C after the last flake addition. At high-speed spinning above 2500 m/min, HFE flake may reduce yarn-to-ceramic friction relative to a C12–C15 alcohol ethoxylate of equivalent HLB; however, published data for partially oriented yarn systems above 4500 m/min is limited and should be confirmed by pilot-line trials before commercial qualification.
In semi-synthetic metalworking fluid concentrates, HFE-10 is dissolved in the mineral oil phase at 5–10 wt% before the addition of alkanolamine-neutralized sulfonates. The resulting concentrate is diluted to 5 vol% in hard water containing 300 ppm CaCO₃ and stirred at 1500 min⁻¹ for 10 min. After 24 h at 40 °C, the bottom-water separation measured in a stoppered 100 mL cylinder is below 4 vol%; by comparison, a formulation using a liquid C12–C15 alcohol ethoxylate of equivalent HLB separates 6–8 vol% under the same conditions. The flake HFE also raises the tramp-oil emulsification capacity, but the ester linkage requires maintaining the concentrate pH below 9.0. If pre-neutralized sulfonates are added before the HFE flake has fully melted, the undissolved flakes adhere to the low-shear mixer blades and produce batch-to-batch viscosity drift.
HFE-4 and HFE-6 can replace sorbitan monooleate-type co-emulsifiers in oil-in-water emulsion concentrates where the oil phase is a paraffinic mineral oil or a narrow-cut hydrocarbon. A representative concentrate comprises mineral oil 60 wt%, HFE-6 4 wt%, C12–C15 alcohol ethoxylate with 7 EO at 6 wt%, and water to 100 wt%. The concentrate is homogenized at 50 °C under 120 bar for two passes. After centrifugation at 3000 min⁻¹ for 30 min, the free-water separation is below 2%, while the control with sorbitan monooleate at equivalent HLB separates 4–5% free water. The smaller hydrodynamic diameter of the HFE-stabilized emulsion droplets, measured by laser diffraction, is 0.9–1.2 μm versus 1.5–2.0 μm for the sorbitan ester control. The difference is attributed to the lower steric demand of the linear fatty acid ethoxylate relative to the cyclic sorbitan head group. Emulsion stability at 54 °C for 14 days is acceptable only when the pH is maintained between 5.5 and 7.5; outside that range, hydrolysis increases the free fatty acid content and the emulsion creaming rate.
Storage conditions specified in supplier technical data require closed packages below 35 °C and relative humidity below 60%. Wetting of the flake surface increases the equilibrium water content above 0.5 wt% and accelerates ester hydrolysis. Strong mineral acids and alkalis cleave the ester linkage; compounding with triethanolamine at pH above 9 and temperatures above 60 °C can generate free fatty acid soap and raise the acid value beyond 4 mg KOH/g after 48 h as determined by ISO 660. Hypochlorite and other strong oxidants should be excluded from storage and cleaning-in-place sequences because they increase peroxide value and darken the flake. REACH registration status, RSPO Mass Balance status, and any intended food-contact evaluation must be confirmed with the legal entity placing the material on the European market; the product does not inherently constitute a food-contact approval under FDA 21 CFR or EU 10/2011.
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