Industrially, the addition of ethylene oxide is generally conducted
at several bar pressure in the presence of alkaline catalysts
such as NaOAc or NaOH at 120-220°C. The ethoxylation is
usually a batch process run in a stirred vessel or recycle reactor.
The ethoxylated products are nonionic surfactants causing little
foam formation and are widely used as raw materials for detergents,
and as wetting agents, emulsifiers, and dispersants. They
are also reacted with isocyanates in the production of
polyurethanes, e. g., of polyurethane foams.
In 1990, with a worldwide capacity of nearly 3.5 x lo6 tonnes
per year, about 2.54 x lo6 tonnes of linear alcohol ethoxylates
(pol yether alcohols) were produced for industrial and
household use.