Linear Alkylbenzene

Brief Overview

Linear alkylbenzenes belong to the group of organic compounds with the formula C6H5CnH2n+1. LABs are transparent to brown liquids. They are mainly produced as intermediate in the production of surfactants, for use in detergent. Since the 1960s, LABs have emerged as the dominant precursor of biodegradable detergents.

Manufacturing Process

There are 3 production methods for LABs:

• The DETAL process involves dehydrogenation of n-paraffins to olefins, and subsequent reaction with benzene using a fixed bed catalyst.

• The HF/n-paraffins process involves dehydrogenation of n-paraffins to olefins, and subsequent reaction with benzene using hydrogen fluoride as catalyst. This process accounts for the majority of the installed LAB production in the world.

• The Friedel-Crafts alkylation process involves chlorination of n-paraffins to monochloroparaffins followed by alkylation of benzene using aluminum chloride (AlCl3) catalyst. This method is one of the oldest commercial routes to LABs.

Each process generates LAB products with distinct features.

Intermediate in manufacture of LAS

LABs are used to produce linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) which is a biodegradable surfactant.

Detergent

Linear Alkylbenzene has great cleaning properties and as such, it is an important component of detergents and cleaning solutions.