PLURAFAC LF 901

PLURAFAC LF 901 brings control to cleaning formulations by reducing foam while still helping the liquid reach and wet the surface effectively.
PLURAFAC LF 901's 100% active alcohol alkoxylate structure makes it valuable in concentrated systems where performance, process stability, and easy rinsing must work together.
Instead of creating visible foam, PLURAFAC LF 901 supports a cleaner and smoother washing process by improving surface contact, foam balance, and formulation efficiency.

CAS Number: 166736-08-9
EC Number: 605-450-7
Molecular Formula: C15H32O3
Molar Mass: 260.42

Synonyms: xl80, LF-900, Plurafac LF 901, Lutensol XL type, Oxirane, methyl-, polymer with oxirane, mono(2-propylheptyl) ether, Oxirane, 2-methyl-, polymer with oxirane, mono(2-propylheptyl) ether, Nonionic alcohol alkoxylate, Nonionic surfactant, Low-foaming nonionic surfactant, Low-foam surfactant, Foam-control surfactant, Foam-suppressing surfactant, Wetting surfactant, Industrial cleaning surfactant, Institutional cleaning surfactant, Hard-surface cleaning surfactant, Spray-cleaning surfactant, Machine-cleaning surfactant, Rinse-support surfactant, 100% active nonionic surfactant, Cleaning-performance additive

PLURAFAC LF 901 is a low foaming nonionic surfactant.
PLURAFAC LF 901 consists of alkoxylated, predominantly unbranched fatty alcohols, and contains higher alkene oxides alongside ethylene oxide.
This product has a viscosity of approximately 130 mPa·s at 23°C.

PLURAFAC LF 901 is a low-foaming nonionic surfactant based on alcohol alkoxylate chemistry.
PLURAFAC LF 901 is developed for cleaning formulations that need effective wetting, controlled foam, and stable performance during washing, spraying, and rinsing.

Because it keeps foam formation low, PLURAFAC LF 901 is suitable for industrial cleaners, institutional cleaners, hard-surface cleaners, automatic cleaning systems, and rinse-support formulations.
PLURAFAC LF 901's liquid form and 100% active surfactant character make it practical for concentrated cleaning products where strong surface contact and smooth process performance are required.
PLURAFAC LF 901 as an alcohol alkoxylate low-foaming nonionic surfactant with a cloud point of 38 °C and viscosity of 130 mPa·s.

Applications of PLURAFAC LF 901:
PLURAFAC LF 901 is used in low-foaming cleaning formulations where wetting, foam control, and rinsing performance are required.
PLURAFAC LF 901 is suitable for industrial cleaners, institutional cleaners, hard-surface cleaners, automatic cleaning systems, and spray-cleaning products.

PLURAFAC LF 901 can be used in machine-washing, bottle-washing, food-service cleaning, and process-cleaning formulations where excessive foam can disturb washing or draining.
PLURAFAC LF 901 also supports better surface contact, faster wetting, controlled foam build-up, and smoother rinsing in concentrated cleaning products.
PLURAFAC LF 901 as a 100% active, low-foaming nonionic alcohol alkoxylate surfactant with wetting benefits.

The PLURAFAC LF types are com­pat­ible with other non­ionic sur­fac­tants such as our Luten­sol® A, AO, AT, F, GD, ON, XA, XL, XP and TO types and our
Plu­ronic® PE and RPE types.

PLURAFAC LF 901 can also be used in com­bi­na­tion with anionic (Luten­sit® A types) and cat­ionic sur­fac­tants (Lutensit TC-KLC types).
PLURAFAC LF 901 do not react with cal­cium, mag­ne­sium or any of the other cat­ions in hard water, nor with sol­u­ble alkali salts, anionic poly­mers such as car­boxyme­thyl cel­lu­lose, or poly­car­box­y­lates such as our Sok­a­lan® CP, HP, PM and PA types.

PLURAFAC LF 901s in the range that ter­mi­nate in a hydroxyl group are resist­ant to for­mal­de­hyde, chlo­rine com­pounds, phos­phates, sil­i­cates, soda ash, hydrochloric acid, phos­phoric acid, cit­ric acid and most other acids and alka­lis.
This also applies to PLURAFAC LF 1430.

Those that ter­mi­nate in an alkyl group are resist­ant to strong alka­lis such as the alka­lis used in deter­gents for bot­tle-wash­ing machines.
The hydroxyl-ter­mi­nated PLURAFAC LF types can grad­u­ally turn yel­low over pro­longed peri­ods at ele­vated tem­per­a­tures in mod­er­ately alka­line for­mu­lations, but this has no effect on their deter­gency or foam­ing char­ac­ter­is­tics.

Yel­low­ing can often be avoided in pow­der dish­washer deter­gents, etc., by spray­ing the sur­fac­tants onto the phos­phates or carbonates before add­ing the other ingre­dients such as sodium met­a­sil­i­cate, sodium hydrox­ide and a sol­u­ble dich­lo­rois­oc­yan­u­rate.
All of the hydroxyl-ter­mi­nated PLURAFAC LF types are resist­ant to acids, but PLURAFAC LF 220, LF 221 and LF 711 are the most suit­able prod­ucts for use in strongly acidic solu­tions.

Foam­ing:
Non­ionic sur­fac­tants are renowned for their high deter­gency, wet­ting power and soil-dis­pers­ing capac­ity, but the dis­tin­guish­ing fea­ture of the PLURAFAC LF types is that they form very lit­tle foam.
Some of them can even be employed to inhibit foam for­ma­tion.

Foam­ing can often be a prob­lem in clean­ing pro­cesses that involve inten­sive mechan­i­cal action.
PLURAFAC LF 901 is dif­fi­cult to pre­dict the foam­ing beha­vi­our of sur­factants in advance with stan­dard test meth­ods because of the influ­ence of the type of soil, the type of machin­ery, dif­fer­ent tem­per­a­ture set­tings and the effects of the other ingre­dients in the for­mu­la­tion, etc.

The results obtained by the beater method described in EN 12728, Part 1, or the Ross-Miles method described in DIN 53902, Part 2, and ASTM D 1175-53, have to be sub­stan­tiated with meth­ods that cor­re­spond more closely to real con­di­tions.
One method of test­ing foam for­ma­tion which closely cor­re­sponds to the con­di­tions encoun­tered in prac­tice is to meas­ure the level of foam pro­duced in a dish­washer.

The rotat­ing spray arm is slowed down by foam, and the higher the rate of rev­o­lu­tion, the less foam is present.
Mix­tures of 5 parts of PLURAFAC LF and 95 parts of builder con­sist­ing of 50 % sodium met­a­sil­i­cate, 45 % pen­ta­so­dium tri­phos­phate and 5 % soda ash were tested at a con­cen­tra­tion of 20 g/l.

Foam­ing was encour­aged by add­ing 10 cm3 of egg.
This method gives a reli­able indi­ca­tion of the lev­els of foam­ing that can be expected in prac­tice.

Areas of Appli­ca­tion:
The PLURAFAC LF types are very low-foam­ing non­ionic sur­fac­tants.
PLURAFAC LF 901 is used in deter­gents and clean­ers in which foam­ing has to be kept to a min­i­mum.

PLURAFAC LF 901 can be used in pow­der, paste and liq­uid prod­ucts.
The most impor­tant prod­ucts in this cat­e­gory are deter­gents and rinse aids for domes­tic and com­mer­cial dish­wash­ers, deter­gents for bot­tle-wash­ing machines, and clean­ers for brew­er­ies and dair­ies.

Some of the PLURAFAC LF types can also be used as anti­foams and sur­fac­tants in laun­dry deter­gents.
The PLURAFAC LF types also have appli­ca­tions in clean­ers and degreas­ers for the metal indus­try, in cos­met­ics, and in the oil indus­try.

Chem­i­cal Nature of PLURAFAC LF 901:
The PLURAFAC LF types are low-foam­ing non­ionic sur­fac­tants.
PLURAFAC LF 901 con­sist of alkox­y­lated, pre­dom­i­nantly ­unbranched fatty alco­hols, and they con­tain higher alkene oxides along­side eth­y­lene oxide.

The fatty alco­hol chains of PLURAFAC LF 131, LF 132, LF 231, LF 431 and LF 1530 ter­mi­nate in an alkyl group.
PLURAFAC LF 731, 7319 and PLURAFAC LF 1430 are spe­cial alkox­y­late.

Prop­er­ties of PLURAFAC LF 901:
The PLURAFAC LF types – with exemption of PLURAFAC LF 731 – are clear or slightly cloudy liq­uids.

Solubility of PLURAFAC LF 901:
The solubility of the PLURAFAC LF types increases in line with their cloud point.
Products with a cloud point below room temperature can be made to form clear solutions by adding solubilizers such as alcohols, glycols or sodium cumene sulfonate.

Viscosity of PLURAFAC LF 901:
PLURAFAC LF 901 is advisable to stir the surfactant into water when preparing aqueous solutions of PLURAFAC LF types.
The viscosity of solutions made up in the reverse order can be too high at certain concentrations.

Stability and Reactivity of PLURAFAC LF 901:

Chemical stability:
Plurafac LF 901 is stable when stored and handled under recommended conditions.

Reactivity:
No hazardous reactions are expected if the product is stored and handled properly.

Corrosion to metals:
No corrosive effect on metal is expected.

Oxidizing properties:
The product is not fire-propagating.

Conditions to avoid:
Improper storage conditions and temperatures above the recommended limit should be avoided.

Incompatible materials:
Acids, alkalis, caustic materials, halogens, and reactive chemicals should be avoided.

Hazardous decomposition products:
No hazardous decomposition products are expected under proper storage and handling conditions.

Thermal decomposition:
Thermal decomposition may occur above 300 °C.

Handling and Storage of PLURAFAC LF 901:

Handling:
Plurafac LF 901 should be handled according to good industrial hygiene and safety practices.

Safe handling:
No special handling measures are required when the product is used correctly.

Fire and explosion protection:
No special fire or explosion precautions are normally required.

Storage:
Keep the container tightly closed and store PLURAFAC LF 901 in a cool place.

Storage temperature:
Store below 70 °C.

Low temperature stability:
The product is not damaged by low temperatures or frost.

Storage warning:
Product properties may change irreversibly if temperatures above 70 °C are exceeded.

First Aid Measures of PLURAFAC LF 901:

General advice:
Remove contaminated clothing.

Inhalation:
Keep the person calm, move them to fresh air, and seek medical attention.

Skin contact:
Wash thoroughly with soap and water.

Eye contact:
Rinse eyes under running water for at least 15 minutes while keeping eyelids open, then consult an eye specialist.

Ingestion:
Rinse mouth immediately, drink 200–300 ml of water, and seek medical attention.

Medical advice:
Treat according to symptoms; no specific antidote is known.

Firefighting Measures of PLURAFAC LF 901:

Suitable extinguishing media:
Use water spray, dry powder, or foam.

Unsuitable extinguishing media:
Do not use a direct water jet.

Specific hazards:
Fire may produce harmful vapours, carbon oxides, fumes, or fog.

Protective equipment:
Firefighters should wear self-contained breathing apparatus and protective turnout gear.

Further information:
Contaminated extinguishing water should be disposed of according to official regulations.

Accidental Release Measures of PLURAFAC LF 901:

Personal precautions:
Use personal protective clothing and avoid direct contact with the spilled product.

Slip hazard:
Spilled Plurafac LF 901 may create a high slipping risk.

Environmental precautions:
Do not allow the product to enter drains, surface water, or groundwater.

Small spills:
Absorb with sand, sawdust, or a general-purpose binder.

Large spills:
Pump off the product and collect remaining material in suitable containers for disposal.

Disposal:
Dispose of absorbed or contaminated material according to local regulations.

Exposure Controls / Personal Protection of PLURAFAC LF 901:

Exposure limits:
No occupational exposure limits are known.

Respiratory protection:
Use respiratory protection if ventilation is inadequate or if aerosols or dust are formed.

Hand protection:
Wear chemical-resistant protective gloves.

Eye protection:
Use tightly fitting chemical safety goggles and a face shield.

Body protection:
Choose body protection according to exposure level and work activity.

Hygiene measures:
Wear closed work clothing, do not eat, drink, or smoke in the work area, and handle the product according to good industrial hygiene and safety practice.

Identifiers of PLURAFAC LF 901:
Product Number: 30273371
CAS: 166736-08-9
EINECS: 605-450-7
Molecular Formula: C15H32O3
Molar Mass: 260.42

Product Number (PRD): 30273371
Product CAS Details: 166736-08-9

Properties of PLURAFAC LF 901:
Appearance: Liquid
Chemical Nature: Alcohol alkoxylate
Surfactant Type: Nonionic surfactant
Active Content: Approx. 100%
Foaming Behavior: Low-foaming
Cloud Point: Approx. 38 °C, Method A
pH Value: Approx. 7
Density: Approx. 1.01 g/cm³ at 23 °C
Viscosity: Approx. 130 mPa·s at 23 °C
Setting Point: Approx. -15 °C
Surface Tension: Approx. 29 mN/m
Wetting Time: Approx. 80 s at 23 °C