Determination of Sulfonation Conditions of HAB as a By-product of Linear Alkylbenzene Production

Heavy alkylated benzene (HAB), which is a by-product in linear alkylbenzene (LAB) production by UOP process, is separated by distillation from LAB and consists of a range of components such as polyalkylbenzenes, diphenylalkanes, alkyl tetralins, and alkylindans. The products of sulfonation of HAB or its distillation cuts are of wide industrial applications such as emulsifiers, dispersants in lubricating oils, anionic surfactants, and aqueous phase stable waterflooding. The sulfonation of the HAB mixture using oleum as the sulfonating agent has been carried out and optimum reaction conditions have been defined based on the highest degree of sulfonation. Some light, average, and heavy distillation cuts were then sulfonated under optimum conditions. The degree of sulfonation of the fractions was found to be dependent on the composition of the mixture. 1HNMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the relationship between the ratio of aliphatic to aromatic protons of the compounds and the trend in sulfonation.