Doubts about fatty acid methyl ester ethoxylate FMEE

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1. The FMEE content is stated to be 70%, but in reality it’s less than 65% even after drying; and not all of this may be active ingredients. 2. The price is too high; the cost-performance ratio is poor. Even when considering a 99% purity level, the price still exceeds 20 yuan per kilogram, making its cost-performance ratio far inferior to that of products such as AEO’s, BASF’s isohexanol ethers XP, XL, TO series, and others. For ordinary AEO-9, even at a 99% purity level, its price is only 12 yuan per kilogram. When comparing the amounts used of AEO-9 and FMEE at equivalent prices, AEO-9 at a concentration of 1.5 g/L yields better results in all aspects (dispersion, emulsification, cleaning) compared to FMEE used at a concentration of 1 g/L. 3. The color variation among FMEE batches is significant; the samples provided by different distributors differ greatly in appearance, with some batches being clear while others are turbid. In particular, after being stored for a month, separation occurs to a serious extent, the bottom part becomes turbid, and there is a large difference in the turbidity levels between the upper and lower layers. Another product, FMES, also has a labeled content of 70%, but the actual drying level is less than 65%. 1. FMES has a strong odor, with a pungent smell of phosphates. The appearance of the product is unstable, with significant stratification; in the barrel, the upper half is clear while the lower half consists of a white, turbid paste. 2. Its alkali resistance is not as good as claimed; at room temperature, 40 g/L of caustic soda showed significant stratification after 24 hours. At a concentration of about 20 g/L under boiling conditions at 100 degrees Celsius, turbidity and oil separation occurred within half an hour, and flocculent suspensions became evident after prolonged exposure. 3. It has poor resistance to hard water, and its cleaning performance drops significantly in hard-water conditions. 4. The cost-performance ratio of this product is not very good either; even when calculated at a 99% purity level, its price is as high as 17 yuan per kilogram. It’s an exorbitant price for an anionic product, considering that substances such as AES and dodecylbenzene sulfonate cost only seven to eight thousand yuan per ton. In short, based on the FMEE and FMES tests, their overall performance is average; they are not as effective at removing oil and wax as claimed. Their ability to remove oil and wax is far inferior to that of non-ionic isohexyl ethers, as well as alkylphenol polyether TX-10 or OP-10. Whether reading articles online or gathering with colleagues in the industry, one always hears endless praise for FMEE and FMES, but our experimental data show that they are not that remarkable – they are simply ordinary types of surfactants. I believe time will prove everything.