Industrial surfactants scattered among a number of applications, such as food, paints and coatings, crop protection, and oil and gas, take up an important one-third of the global surfactants market, but have been lacking comprehensive coverage up until now.

Innospec Inc. has committed to purchase Huntsman Corp.’s European surfactants business.

Using DPOS surfactants in emulsion polymerization of hydrophobic monomers may be a path to replace solventborne coatings and open up markets and applications for waterborne coatings, particularly on metals or on exterior surfaces.

Surfactants are both the enabling chemistry as well as valuable formulating tools in aqueous pigment dispersion.

GCiS China Strategic Research estimates that the domestic market of surfactants in China is valued at over $6.1 billion (RMB 38.2 billion) at the end 2014 and $6.4 billion (RMB 40.2 billion) in 2015.

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is working with major specialty chemical manufacturer Croda Europe, NiTech Solutions and The University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing on a collaborative research and development project to develop a novel method for the continuous production of a range of market-leading surfactants.

Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a business unit of Ashland Inc., is helping paint manufacturers meet the growing demands of the coatings industry with an expanding line of additive ingredients, research and support.

Market research firm Ceresana has again analyzed the global market for surfactants and projects growth of approximately 2.5 percent per year going forward.

Stepan Co. has appointed Dowd and Guild Inc. as its exclusive distributor for liquid polyester polyol products sold into the coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomer (CASE) industries for the western and southwestern United States.

With stringent regulations in Europe and the green movement in the United States, Canada and other regions, introducing an alternative to APE in coatings formulations has become highly important.