Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate is, after soap, the
most widely used surfactant in detergents and cleaning
products worldwide. Commercial LAS contains
an aromatic ring sulfonated at the para position and
attached to a C10–C13 linear alkyl chain at any position
except the terminal carbons (Figure 1). Estimated
world LAS consumption in 2000 was around 2.5 million
tons. Once used in detergents or other cleaning
products, LAS can reach the environment as a component
of the effluents of sewage treatment plants,
or as an ingredient in non-treated sewage discharges.
Consequently, it is important to assess its behaviour in
the different environmental compartments