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Is there an environmental advantage to using either petrochemicals or oleochemicals? There is no inherent environmental advantage to using one surfactant source over the other. Whether the source is animal fat, plant oil or crude oil, there are energy requirements and environmental wastes involved throughout the sourcing and production stages of turning raw materials into surfactants. Researchers using a process known as life cycle inventory (LCI) have calculated and compared the total energy used and wastes created and disposed to air, water and soil in processing surfactants based on petrochemicals and those based on oleochemicals. Their general conclusion is that there are environmental trade-offs associated with both sources. For example, while oleochemical surfactants are derived from a renewable resource, they typically produce more air emissions and solid waste. Petrochemical surfactants, on the other hand, consume more total energy, since they are made from resources used as energy. Source: The Soap and Detergent Association.
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