Disposal of caprolactam production waste for synthesis of surface-active substances
New surfactants were obtained based on the utilization of caprolactam production waste. To obtain surfactants, the cubic residues of benzoic acid were sulfonated with concentrated sulfuric acid in the presence of an Al<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub> catalyst and the reaction product was etherified with higher monatomic alcohols. The surface activity and foaming ability of the obtained new surfactants in aqueous solutions were studied. It has been shown that with an increase in the length of the aliphatic hydrocarbon radical, the surface activity of surfactants of benzoic acid derivatives increases. It has been established that there is a good correlation between the foaming ability and the surface activity of the studied surfactants. It has been shown that the stability of foams is significantly determined by the interaction of surfactant molecules and additives in the monolayer.