Crude Cashew Nut Shell Liquid represents one of the major and cheapest sources of naturally occuring non isoprenoid phenolic lipids, and polymeric materials. Commercially CNSL is vacuum distilled to separate cardanol. The structure of cardanol resembles many of the petrochemicals which are sulfonated and used as surface active agents. This gave an idea to exploit the use of CNSL as surface active agent. The research work includes a novel method of sulfonating commercially available CNSL and converting it in to a valuable surface active agent Sulfonated CNSL is conveniently converted in to different salts. These salts find wonderful applications in the field of pulp and paper industry. Thus obtained products are found to have properties such as detergent, emulsifying, penetrating, wetting, dispersing and solubilizing.
The sulfonated CNSL salts are obtained from natural renewable resources and are biodegradable, where as surfactants obtained from petrochemicals have nonrenewable fossil fuel source which are non biodegradable, thus sulfonated CNSL products are eco friendly.
CNSL is readily available in the coastal belt of Karnataka and hardly 4060% of CNSL is used for industrial purpose rest of it is simply burnt or wasted. Thus technology developed is an attempt towards waste utilization. It is a new reliable technology which will be useful to many agro based industries in Karnataka, India as well as in the world to convert CNSL in to a commercially valuable product. It will strengthen the small entrepreneurship for those who are dealing with CNSL in this world.
