The determination of alkyl phenol ethoxylates in wool-scouring effluent

Alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEOs), particularly nonyl phenol ethoxylates (NP EOs), are non-ionic surfactant components used in woollen-yam spinning oils and industrial detergents. In recent years, concern over the hormone-disru pting properties of NPEOs has given rise to proposals to ban their use in E U countries. A sensitive and reliable method of detecting NPEOs on incoming raw material and in textile effluent is therefore required. A method has b een developed to detect NPEOs at ppm levels in wool-scouring effluent by th e application of extraction and clean-up procedures followed by high-perfor mance-liquid-chromatography (HPLC) analysis.