Surfactants occur naturally in traditional plant-based detergents, e.g. horse chestnuts or soap nuts; they can also be found in the secretions of some caterpillars. Today one of the most commonly used anionic surfactants, linear alkylbenzene sulfates (LAS), are produced from petroleum products. However, surfactants are increasingly produced in whole or in part from renewable biomass, like sugar, fatty alcohol from vegetable oils, by-products of biofuel production, or other biogenic material.
surfactants occur naturally in traditional plant-based detergents eg horse chestnuts or soap nuts; they can also be found in the secretions of some caterpillars today one of the most commonly used anionic surfactants linear alkylbenzene sulfates (las) are produced from petroleum products however surfactants are increasingly produced in whole or in part from renewable biomass like sugar fatty alcohol from vegetable oils by-products of biofuel production or other biogenic material