ECO Natrasense™ 265 MBAL

1 of 4 products in this brand
ECO Natrasense™ 265 MBAL is a fully bio-based surfactant created through the reaction of 100% bio-based ethylene oxide with a 100% bio-based fatty alcohol. It is specifically formulated to outperform and serve as a replacement for nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs and APEs). This naturally derived surfactant provides several functional benefits, including improved detergency, wetting, and anti-static properties, for a range of applications in household, industrial, and fabric care. RSPO grades of ECO NatraSense 265 are also available.

Functions: Detergent, Emulsifier, Solubilizer, Surfactant, Surfactant (Nonionic), Wetting Agent

Chemical Family: Alcohol Ethoxylates, Ethoxylated Fatty Alcohols

Certifications & Compliance: Detergent Ingredient Database (DID List), EPA Registered, EU Ecolabel, RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, RSPO MassBalance Certified, Safer Choice, USDA BioPreferred, USDA Certified Biobased

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Identification & Functionality

Features & Benefits

Natural Alcohol Ethoxylate Surfactants

The ECO Natrasense surfactants are US SPA Safer Choice approved non-ionic alcohol ethoxylate surfactants based on a natural primary alcohol. ECO Natrasense series surfactants are available as part of Croda’s 100% renewable, 100% bio-based ECO Range of surfactants. The ECO Natrasense range has been developed as part of Croda’s commitment to offering high performance, environmentally friendly cleaning surfactants. The ECO Natrasense series can be used as a nonyl phenol ethoxylate replacement.

Features and Benefits
  • 100% Renewable
  • 100% Bio-based*
  • Reduces reliance on fossil fuel feedstocks
  • Manufactured with renewable energy
  • Performance identical to petro-based options
  • Lower carbon footprint than petro-based versions
  • Will be tested for certification to the USDA BioPreferred® Program
  • RSPO Supply Chain Certified via Mass Balance**
  • Safer Choice approved (listed on CleanGredients)

* Calculated using USDA BioPreferred Method for determining bio-based content which is to be validated by carbon 14 testing (ASTM D6866)
** Products containing palm oil derivatives are RSPO Supply Chain Certified via Mass Balance
† Products registered as EPA Safer Choice


USDA BioPreferred is a registered trademark of the U.S Department of Agriculture

100% Bio-based ECO Range

Sustainability is in our DNA. It is integral to everything we do. From the raw materials we source and the way we use them, to the ingredients we create, we believe in being a responsible company. We are pleased to introduce our new ECO range of 100% bio-based surfactants. Over 50 products make up the ECO range made by using bio-based ethylene oxide (EO) which we manufacture from biomass ethanol. Coupling the use of bio-based EO with the high proportion of renewable energy used at the manufacturing plant, leads to a significant reduction in carbon footprint for the ECO product range. Formulators can now access 100% renewable surfactants without sacrificing performance to help meet increasingly demanding sustainability targets.

Product Highlights
  • Readily biodegradable
  • Based on natural primary alcohol.
  • Fast wetting
  • Low surface tension
  • Good cleaning especially on greasy soils
ECO Range Multi-layered Renewable Benefits

The ECO range provides multi-layered renewable benefits and value for our customers. Not only will formulators be able to replace petrochemical-based non-ionic analogs while experiencing “zero sacrifice” in performance, they will be able to replace less-effective “natural” market alternatives as well.

Bio-based & Sustainable

  • Sustainable palm sourcing, RSPO supply chain certified via Mass Balance†
  • Biomass raw material for 100% bio-based ethylene oxide and derivatives

 

Low Carbon Footprint

  • Made using energy sourced from landfill gas and solar energy
  • Cradle-to-gate carbon footprint

 

ECO Range

  • 100% bio-based surfactants

 

Community Benefit

  • 30 new full time employees
  • Reduced rail freight miles of highly flammable petrochemical EO from the Gulf of Mexico

 

Green Labeling

  • EPA Safer Choice recognized for biodegradability and low toxicity
  • USDA BioPreferred® third party certification of C14 measurements
ECO Range

ECO Natrasense is manufactured using ethylene oxide derived from bio-ethanol, resulting in 100% renewable surfactants with performance identical to petro-based options. These 100% bio-based products eliminate the need to choose between high performance and fully renewable ingredients. By using an alternative route to ethylene oxide with bioethanol from biomass sources, it significantly increases the bio-based content of ethoxylated products and reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, the ECO Natrasense series is manufactured with high levels of renewable energy.

Sustainability is an integral part of our business. ECO Natrasense addresses the consumer demand for more sustainable products and aids our customers in meeting their own sustainability goals, while delivering high performance products to the market.

Performance Profile

Cleaning Performance

Two cleaning studies demonstrate the performance of ECO Natrasense surfactants versus leading commercially available green cleaning products.

Methodology

In both studies, a Gardner Scrub Tester was used to reproduce the action of household cleaning. Soiled vinyl tiles were prepared by spreading 0.2 g of a prepared soil (Table 1) across the surface of the tile, then allowing the tile to dry at room temperature followed by placing the tile in a 100°C oven for 20 minutes to leave a baked on soil residue.

Ingredient Wt%
Odorless Mineral Spirits 63.4
Carnation Mineral Oil 1.6
Crisco 1.6
Carbon Black 0.3
Metallic Brown Iron Oxide 15.5
Black Charm Clay 16
Motor Oil (Used) 1.6
Total 100

Table 1. Composition of soil used in cleaning performance study

The soiled tiles in Figure 2 were held in place on the base of the linear motion Gardner scrubber.

A soiled tile (left) after it was removed from the oven vs. an unsoiled tile (right)

Figure 2. A soiled tile (left) after it was removed from the oven vs. an unsoiled tile (right)

Two sponges were then saturated in 230 mL of a test solution and placed in holders. The remaining test solution was then poured over the soiled tiles and allowed to soak for 30 seconds. The saturated sponges were then swept (back and forth) across each tile 5 times. Each tile was then removed from the base of the scrubber and rinsed under a light stream of cold water for 3 - 4 seconds.

Each tile was then examined using a color instrument to measure the % soil removal (%SR). The cleaning performance of each test solution was measured using the following equation:

%SR = (Lt-Ls) / (Lo-Ls) x 100

Lo = value of the original unsoiled white vinyl tile
Ls = value for the soiled tile
Lt = value for the treated or cleaned tile

Cleaning Study 1: ECO Natrasense 265 vs. commercially available ready-to-use cleaning products

In the first cleaning study, ECO Natrasense 265 was formulated into a ready to use hard surface cleaning formulation shown in Table 2. The cleaning performance of this formulation using ECO Natrasense 265 as the principal surfactant was compared to three of the leading commercially available green cleaning products.

Component Wt%
Water 97.3
ECO Natrasense 265 1.2
Sodium bicarbonate 0.5
CRODATERIC LIDP 0.5
Sodium gluconate 0.4
Sodium carbonate 0.1
Total 100
pH as is 9.4

Table 2. Ready to use cleaning formulation with ECO Natrasense 265

ECO Natrasense 265 removes more soil than the leading commercially available products

Figure 3. ECO Natrasense 265 removes more soil than the leading commercially available products

Figure 3 highlights the superior cleaning performance using ECO Natrasense 265 as the principal surfactants vs the market leading green cleansing products.

Cleaning Study 2. ECO NatraSense™ 265 vs. a commercially available concentrated cleaning product

In the second cleaning study, ECO Natrasense 265 was formulated into a concentrated hard surface cleaning formulation (Table 3 below) which would require dilution before use.

Component Wt%
Water 72.8
ECO Natrasense 265 12
ECO Natrasense 125 2
Sodium gluconate 1.5
Multitrope 810 4
Multitrope 1620 2
Sodium bicarbonate 5
Sodium carbonate 0.7
Total 100
pH as is 8.7

Table 3. ECO Natrasense 265 in a concentrated cleaning formulation

The ECO Natrasense 265 concentrated formulation and the commercial concentrated product were tested at three different dilutions (1:1, 1:10, and 1:20). Dilutions represent products for high, medium, and low level soils respectively.

As highlighted in Figure 4, the ECO Natrasense 265 formulation outperformed the commercial product with regards to soil removal. At higher dilutions (1:20) the ECO Natrasense 265 formulation gave better soil removal indicating a more effective product at diluted levels.

ECO Natrasense 265 removes more soil than the leading commercially available concentrated product

Figure 4. ECO Natrasense 265 removes more soil than the leading commercially available concentrated product

Certified Sustainable Palm Oil Derivatives – Mass Balance

ECO NatraSense™ series is Croda’s sustainable palm oil variant allowing customers to use sustainably sourced material if they wish. The products are manufactured by the RSPO’s Mass Balance system. The Mass Balance supply chain allows certified sustainable palm oil material and non-certified material to be mixed throughout the supply chain but administratively monitors the mass of certified material produced and sold. The Mass Balance system is fully audited allowing buyers of the material to view the products life span. Another advantage of this system is that it actively encourages palm growers to produce sustainable palm and move towards a segregated supply chain system. By choosing these ingredients, you contribute to the production of sustainable palm oil. Products manufactured with sustainable palm oil do not in any way compromise on performance.

Croda ECO Natrasense 125 MBAL Certified Sustainable Palm Oil Derivatives – Mass Balance

                                                                             Figure 2: RSPO Mass Balance Supply Chain

Applications & Uses

Markets
Recommended Uses & Known Applications
  • Safer Choice formulations.
  • Glass cleaners.
  • Neutral, acidic or alkaline hard surface cleaners.
  • Concentrated or ready-to-use formulations.
  • Fabric detergents
  • Auxiliary fabric products

Properties

Physical Form
Typical Properties
ValueUnitsTest Method / Conditions
HLB Value13.6

Regulatory & Compliance

Technical Details & Test Data

Avoidance of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Converting landfill gas to electricity and steam avoids the release of methane into the atmosphere, which has a global warming potential 25 times greater than CO2 when measured over 100 years. Our use of landfill gas since 2012, combined with the reduction in our natural gas usage, has reduced aggregate GHG emissions by almost 1 million tons CO2e. Annually, the amount of avoided emissions equals our total combined Group 1 and 2 emissions.

Making Ethylene Oxide Sustainable

With increasing consumer demand for renewably sourced and sustainable products, we are pleased to introduce our new ECO range of 100% bio-based surfactants. In recent years, “greener” non-ethoxylated ingredients have been used in the pursuit of more renewable formulations, but the performance has not met the levels achieved when using traditional ethoxylates. With significant investment at our Atlas Point manufacturing site, located in Delaware, USA, our plant is the first of its kind in the US to produce bio-based EO from bio-ethanol (Figure 3). This development enables the production of sustainable and bio-based ethoxylates (Figure.1)

Croda ECO Diversaclean CS Making Ethylene Oxide Sustainable

Figure 1: The petroleum and bio-based production pathways of ethylene oxide.

Carbon Footprint of ECO Range

We have used SimaPro software to model the cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis (LCA) of our ECO product families, focused on the climate change impact category, following the technical specification ISO 14067. The high proportion of renewable energy available at Atlas Point, along with the use of bio-based EO, leads to a significant reduction in carbon footprint for a typical ECO product family, when compared to traditional ethoxylates made using petrochemical-based EO and without renewable energy (Figure.4)

Croda ECO Etocas 40 Carbon Footprint of ECO Range

Figure 4: Carbon footprint example for Tween 20. Demonstrates the unique carbon footprint reduction moving from petrochemical-based EO to bio-based EO, plus the
plant's use of renewable energy for these ingredients.

 

Δ Atlas Point renewable energy calculated for the 2018 sustainability report.
ΔΔ Group 1 emissions are direct emissions. Group 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased power

Improved Bio-based Content

Chemically equivalent to petrochemical-based ethoxylates, Table 1 shows the improvement in bio-based content for key surfactant chemistries when produced using our bio-based EO.

Surfactant Bio-based content
with synthetic EO (%)
Bio-based content
with Bio-EO (%)
Laureth-6 50 100
Laureth-7 46 100
PEG-40 castor oil 42 100
Polysorbate 20 31 100
Trideceth-9 0 58
C9-C11 + 6EO 0 55

Table 1: Comparison of percentage bio-based content between using petrochemical based EO versus bio-based EO*.

* Calculated using ASTM D6866 which is validated by carbon 14 testing.


† RSPO Grades - Certified sustainable palm oil grades by mass balance (minimum)

Renewable Energy at Atlas Point

In 2012, we invested in a renewable energy project at our Atlas Point manufacturing site located in Delaware, USA (Figure 3). This investment saw the installation of a 3.5 mile pipeline from a local landfill site so that we could purchase local landfill gas. The gas feeds two combined heat and power (CHP) units and a multi-fuel boiler to generate electricity and steam for the plant. In 2014, we further invested in solar panels at the site, which reduced our annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 11,600 tons CO2e. By quarter two of 2020, a third CHP unit will be installed, increasing our capacity for generating electricity and steam from landfill gas and increasing the estimated percentage of the site’s energy being renewably sourced to above 30%.

Packaging & Availability

Regional Availability
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • North America