Today, the majority of detergents are synthetic. What we are used to call soap, is exactly the opposite: synthetic detergents are non-soap washing and cleaning products, put together chemically or synthesized to produce a variety of raw materials.
The first synthetic detergent was developed by German scientists during World War I, mainly in response to a shortage of fats needed for the soap production. Further developments were also driven by the need for a cleaning agent that, unlike the soap, would not bind to mineral salts in water forming insoluble soap curd on fabrics.
The first synthetic detergents were short-chain alkyl naphthalene sulphonates, still used today as wetting agents. Later on the so called “built” detergents were developed. These detergents contain a builder and a surfactant. The surfactant is the basic ingredient of a detergent product as it plays the role of the cleaning agent. The builder instead helps the surfactant to work more efficiently. Phosphate compounds were used for this purpose.
However, the kind of detergents used until mid ´60s (based on PT benzene) was blamed to contribute to the rise in eutrophication in lakes and rivers as they contain phosphates. In fact, the branched chain of PT benzene makes bacteria unable to degrade such molecules.
During the last 30 years, detergent development has focused not only on achieving more efficient and easy-to-use products, but also on the safety of consumers and the environment.
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