161

Alpha-Sulfonated Methyl Ester as an Active

Ingredient in Palm-Based Powder Detergents
Zulina Abd Maurad*, Razmah Ghazali, Parthiban Siwayanan, Zahariah Ismail,
and Salmiah Ahmad
Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

ABSTRACT: Palm-based alpha-sulfonated methyl esters

(SME) were successfully produced using a 20 kg/hcapacity
pilot plant at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. This anionic surfactant was used as an active ingredient to formulate powder
detergent. The production of palm-based powder detergents
(PPD) was carried out at the pilot-plant scale. The performance of powder detergents formulated with SME was found
to be excellent. At a total concentration of 0.8 g/L, good detergency of PPD was obtained when only using 12% to 18%
SME, compared to the commercial detergent with 27% surface-active agent. The foaming power and wetting characteristics of PPD were also comparable to the values for the commercial detergent. The study has shown that PPD were able
to biodegrade faster than the commercial detergent, where
the maximum time period to reach the pass level (60%) is
within 14 days. The toxicity of the PPD, which ranged from 5.66
to 8.0 mg/L, is similar to the toxicity of the commercial detergent. A detailed description of the SME application technologies in powder detergents and the properties of formulated
powder detergents are highlighted in this paper.
Paper no. S1513 in JSD 9, 161167 (Qtr 2, 2006).
KEY WORDS: Alpha-sulfonated methyl esters, anionic surfactant, palm-based powder detergent.

Laundry detergent plays a major role in removing soils and

stains from fabrics in household uses. These detergents are in
the form of powder, liquid, or paste and normally comprise a
surface-active agent or surfactant as the main cleaning ingredient. Manufacturers in the detergent industry have become
extremely competitive over the performance, cost-effectiveness and environmental attributes of detergents. This has led
to the development of the groundbreaking surfactant, alpha*To whom correspondence should be addressed at Malaysian Palm Oil
Board (MPOB), No.6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
E-mail: zulina@mpob.gov.my
Abbreviations: BOD, biological oxygen demand; CMC, critical micelle
concentration; di-salt, disodium carboxy sulfonate; FAS, fatty alcohol
sulfates; IV, iodine value; LAS, linear alkyl benzene sulfonates; LC50,
concentration of detergent at which 50% of the fish died; MES, methyl
ester sulfonate; MPOB, Malaysian Palm Oil Board; OECD, Organization for Economic Corporation and Development; PPD, palm-based
powder detergent; SME, alpha-sulfonated methyl ester; THOD, theoretical oxygen demand; WAS, washing active substance.
COPYRIGHT 2006 BY AOCS PRESS

sulfonated methyl ester (SME), which is more commonly

known to the industry as methyl ester sulfonate (MES).
SME derived from palm oilbased methyl ester offers interesting possibilities as a surfactant. The low cost of producing SME and its environmentally friendly properties have
been the driving force behind the industrys interest in producing it commercially. LAS is the most commonly used surfactant worldwide for cleaning. The Malaysian Palm Oil
Board (MPOB) studies revealed that SME has the potential
to biodegrade faster than LAS (1). The cost to manufacture
SME is lower than the cost to manufacture fatty alcohol sulfates (FAS), because SME is manufactured via the methyl
ester route instead of the fatty alcohol route; also, SME is
cheaper than LAS due to the high cost of linear alkyl benzene (2). SME also has received worldwide recognition because of its excellent detergency and resistance to water
hardness (35).
SME has been produced and applied in detergents and
cleaning products widely by large companies such as Lion
Corporation and Stepan. Huish has a plant in Houston that
produces 82,000 tons of sulfonates per year; Huish is producing SME from palm oil and using it in commercial laundry detergents such as Costco Kirkland Brand Select Ultra
and Safeway Select Ultra. The Safeway Select Ultra II has the
highest level of SME, containing approximately 23.5% SME,
and it has a very low cost per load (US$0.125 per wash) (6).
This paper will highlight the SME production process
and its application technologies in powder detergents. The
performance of the PPD in terms of their detergency, foaming power, stability, wetting characteristics, and physical
properties such as pH, density, moisture, and particle size
will be reported.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Materials. SME (purity, 89.53%) was prepared using a 20
kg/hcapacity sulfonation pilot plant in MPOB. The ingredients used in making powder detergents and reagents for
the analyses were obtained from commercial suppliers.
Experimental procedure. The production of PPD was carried
out using a 120-kg mixer equipped with a paddle mixer, a
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Z.A. MAURAD ET AL.

chopper, and two additional liquid-additive tanks. The SME

powders were directly agglomerated by mixing them with
admixtures of dry materials and liquid additives in order to
form concentrated powder detergent. Formulations of PPD
are tabulated in Table 1.
Washing active substance (WAS). The purity of the surfactant or active ingredient present in the detergent, its WAS,
was determined using a two-phase titration technique as described in ASTM D4251-89 via potentiometric titration,
Metrohm 809 Titrando.
Detergency test. The washing performance of the PPD and
the commercial detergent (COM P1) was determined via the
detergency test. The test was performed on 10 artificially
soiled swatches under ordinary washing conditions in
Malaysia using a 6 kgcapacity top-loading washing machine.
The test followed a series of steps according to the IEC 456
test methods (methods for measuring the performance of
electrical clothes-washing machines for household use). The
swatches were obtained from Testfabrics, USA. The reflectance (whiteness) of the soiled swatches was measured
using Minolta spectrophotometer CM 3600d. An appropriate amount of detergent was used to wash a 2 kgballast load
consisting of one bed sheet, four pillow cases, and 10 towels,
where four of the towels were pinned with five different
swatches on each of the towels (Fig. 1). The ratio of wash liquid used was 1:18.5 at a typical Malaysian water hardness

TABLE 1
Formulation of Concentrated PPD
Components (%)
Surfactants
SME
Co-surfactant 1
Co-surfactant 2
Builders
Sodium tripolyphosphate
Buffers
Silicates
Bleaching agent
Activator
Other ingredients

(% by weight of composition)
II
III
IV

18.7

18.7

22

16.5
2
4

30
30
30
30
20.8
34.8
21.1
35.1
9
9
9
9

12

12

2
----------------Add to 100----------------

FIG. 1. Two of the towels were pinned with

10 different swatches.

JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS, VOL. 9, NO. 2 (QTR 2, 2006)

of 50 ppm. The washing was conducted for 12 min. Upon

completion, the wash liquor was decanted, the swatches were
squeezed to remove any remaining liquor, and the rinsing
was executed under running water. Following that, the
swatches were dried at room temperature and ironed. The
reflectance of these wash swatches was measured. The detergency, or percentage soil removal, was calculated using the
following formula [1]:
( AW BW)
100
(OC BW)

Percentage soil removal =

[1]

where AW is the reflectance of the swatches after washing,

BW is the reflectance of the swatches before washing, and
OC is the reflectance of the original cloth before soiling.
Foaming power. A 200-mL volume of 0.1% solution of
sample was poured into a 500-mL measuring cylinder.
The solution was stirred 30 times at a constant rate using
a glass rod with a perforated base. The initial volume of
foam was recorded. The solution was left standing for 5
min, after which time the final volume of foam was again
recorded. The difference between the initial and final levels gave the volume of foam that was stable for 5 min
(foaming stability).
Wetting characteristics. A 250-mL volume of 0.1% solution
of sample was prepared and poured into a container. The
dried unsoiled cotton was cut into 2-cm by 2-cm squares and
conditioned at 20% humidity for 24 h. The unsoiled conditioned cloth was then dropped into the solution using a pair
of tweezers. The time taken for the cloth to be wetted after
being dropped into solution was recorded.
Particle size distribution. An automatic shaker with mesh
sizes of 2000, 1400, 1000, 500, 250, 125, and 106 microns
was used to determine the particle size of 50 g of sample.
The sample was shaken for 20 min.
pH. A 1% solution of SME product was prepared, and its
pH was measured using a pH meter.
Biodegradability and ecotoxicity. The biodegradability and
ecotoxicity of the samples were determined using standard
methods: OECD 301D, the Closed Bottle Test, and OECD
302, the Fish Acute Toxicity Test. The whole test followed a
series of steps according to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) test method. In the
biodegradation test, the solution of the test substance in a
mineral medium, usually at a concentration of 25 mg/L,
was inoculated with a relatively small number of microorganisms and kept at a constant temperature in completely
full, closed bottles that were stored in the dark.
The biodegradation test was followed by an analysis of
the dissolved oxygen over a 28-day period at 2225C. The
amount of oxygen taken up by the microbial population
during biodegradation of the test substance, corrected for
uptake by the blank inoculum run in parallel, is expressed
as a percentage of the theoretical oxygen demand (THOD).
The dissolved oxygen of the sample was measured every 4 d
to allow the construction of a biodegradation curve.

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SME IN PALM-BASED POWDER DETERGENTS

In the ecotoxicity test, fish were exposed to the test substance

in two stages. In the first stage (the range-finding test), the fish
were exposed to various concentrations (in logarithmic series)
of the test substance for 24 h. The concentration range between
no mortality and 100% mortality was used in the second stage
of the test (the definitive test). The fish were exposed to various concentrations (in geometric series) of the test substance
for 96 h. Mortalities were recorded at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h, and
the concentration that killed 50% of the fish (LC50) was determined. Table 2 indicates the rating scheme used by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Services to rate aquatic toxicity (7).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Technology to produce SME. The technology to produce SME
involves converting palm oil to methyl ester and then hydrogenating it to reduce the degree of unsaturation while
sulfonating the ester. The primary feedstock for SME is
methyl ester of iodine value (IV) less than 0.5. The chain
length of the methyl ester affects the detergency of SME at
50 ppm water hardness in the order C16 > C14 > C18 > C12,
even though C12 has the highest foam (8). The SME produced by MPOB is made from palm stearin, and the characteristics of the SME produced are illustrated in Table 3.
Technology to produce powder detergents based on SME. High-quality SME was used as an active ingredient in PPD, where the final
SME flakes can be directly agglomerated to form a powder detergent without spray drying. The ability of this technology is
an advantage because it allows manufacturers of laundry detergents to use low-cost equipmentwithout the energy and environmental penalties of spray drying. Furthermore, this technology (agglomerator) can maintain the stability of the SME in
detergent (9).
The goal of this study is to produce concentrated PPD with
densities at or above 0.7 g/mL with desirable properties and
performance. Detergent powder of 0.7 g/mL density falls in
TABLE 2
Rating Scheme for Aquatic Toxicity
Rating
Super toxic
Extremely toxic
Highly toxic
Moderately toxic

LC (mg/L)
<0.01
0.010.1
0.101.0
1.010.0

Rating

LC (mg/L)

10.0100.0
Slightly toxic
Practically nontoxic 100.01,000.0
Relatively harmless
>1,000.0

TABLE 3
Characteristics of Palm SME Produced by an SME
Pilot Plant in MPOB
Specifications

Value (%)

Washing active substance (WAS)

Disodium carboxy sulfonate (di-salt)
Color (Klett 5%)
pH (10%)
Moisture
Hydrogen peroxide
Methanol
Sodium sulfate

85.090.0
4.06.0
5.0100.0
5.06.0
2.04.0
0.010.10
0.10.4
1.01.5

Appearance

Off-white flakes

the range of concentrated powder, and introduction of concentrated powders has been accepted by many consumers. The
move to high concentration has provided many technical innovations leading to improved soil removal, lower washing temperatures, lower dosages per wash load, a good ecological profile, and less packaging (10). Even though powders have been
overshadowed by liquids, many powders are currently touted as
possessing numerous functions since powders can be blended
with any detergent ingredients without stability problems.
Performance of powder detergents based on SME. Applications
of SME in the detergent industry have been widely studied,
and these studies show that it has equal or better washing performance than LAS (1113). The differences between the interfacial and physical properties of SME and LAS, such as critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension, Krafft
point, and water hardness tolerance of different chain
lengths, have been well documented (14). Due to its excellent detergency and lower CMC, less SME is required in detergents than other surfactants for the same level of performance (15). The only setback is its high Krafft temperature,
which could affect the solubility of the products. Effective
methods to increase the solubility of SME include adding a
hydrotrope or mixing it with other surfactants that have a
lower Krafft temperature (16). Therefore, PPD have been developed based on incorporating SME with other surfactants.
The performance of the PPD was compared with the best
commercial detergent available in Malaysia to determine the
properties of SME in detergent applications. The performance of the detergents was evaluated based on their detergency, foaming power, stability, wetting characteristics, and
physical properties such as pH, density, moisture, and particle size. Table 4A shows the properties of the five most popular powder detergents in Malaysia; the best of these (COM
P1) was used as the control. Table 4B shows the properties of
formulated PPD in comparison with the control.
The physical or physicochemical properties of the powders could be modified by agglomeration. Key agglomerate
properties include size, density (porosity), strength, and
their associated distribution. Figure 2 shows the densities of
the PPD, which ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 g/mL. The PPD and
the control are assessed as concentrated products. Agglomerated products with higher densities result in lower transport costs and better compactability for tabletting.
Considerable variation exists for the term concentrated
powder detergents. Some concentrates have only increased
the powder density with the same active level. Some have increased both active and density levels in the formulation (17).
Surfactants, in particular anionic surfactants, are important as
the active ingredient in laundry detergent, comprising as
much as 10 to 40% of the total formulation. The active ingredients present in the formulated PPD and the control were
determined using a potentiometric titrator. Results indicated
that less than 20% active levels were used in the PPD while
30% of active level was found in the control (Table 5).
A description of the powder is given by its particle-size
distribution. Figure 3 shows the particle-size distribution of
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Z.A. MAURAD ET AL.
TABLE 4A
Properties of Commercial Detergents (COM P1 through COM P5)
COM P1

COM P2

COM P3

COM P4

II

III

IV

1000

500

250

Control

60

COM P5

50

Flow
density (g/mL)

0.84

0.96

0.73

0.84

0.77

Tap density
(g/mL)

0.88

1.15

0.96

0.98

0.84

Moisture (%)

11.73

15.16

11.05

7.05

13.56

pH

10.23

10.17

Appearance

White
Blue
powders powders
with green
and blue
specks
(medium)

1.016
White
powders
with
green
specks
(low)

11.10

10.54

White
powders
with green
and blue
specks
(low)

Yellowish
powders
with
green
specks
(medium)

Percentage, %

Physical
characteristics

40
30
20
10
0
2000

1400

125

106

Particle Size Distribution, microns

FIG. 3. A comparison of particle-size distributions.

TABLE 4B
Properties of the Formulated PPDs and the Control
Physical
characteristics

II

Flow
density (g/mL)

0.78

0.73

0.84

Tap density
(g/mL)

0.86

0.80

0.87

0.79

0.88

Moisture (%)

7.76

9.26

7.11

11.92

11.73

pH

10.97

10.36

10.93

10.35

10.23

Appearance

White
White
powders White
powders
powders
with green
specks

White
powders
with
green
specks

White
powders
with
green
and blue
specks

density tap

III

IV

Control

0.73

0.84

density flow

density, gm1

1
0.8
0.6

normal level for

concentrated
detergent

0.4
0.2
0
I

II

III

IV

Control

FIG. 2. Density of formulated PPD in comparison with the control.

TABLE 5
Active Levels in the Formulated PPDs and the Control
Products

Active level anionic (%)

I
II

13.26 (SME)
16.59 (SME)

III
IV
Control

18.31 (SME)
12.79 (SME/soap)
26.90 (LAS)

JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS, VOL. 9, NO. 2 (QTR 2, 2006)

formulated PPD as compared to the control. The particlesize distribution of the formulated PPD is similar to the control. The trend attained from the graph indicates that the
particle-size distribution of the PPD and the control is narrowing either at 500 or 250 m; this leads to increased the
product homogeneity, which is desirable. The homogeneity
of a powder detergent ensures that the same chemical composition is present in every use of the detergent. Agglomeration of small and large particles improves the handling
properties of the powder, such as its flowability, and reduces
dust formation. Other improvements of the agglomerated
powder include a higher dissolution rate by reducing lump
formation or flotation of the powder (18).
The washing performance of the formulated PPD was
evaluated via a detergency test on 10 artificially soiled
swatches under ordinary washing condition in Malaysia
using a top-loading washing machine. The use of washing
machines instead of a Terg-O-Tometer provides an overall
picture of the stain-removal efficiency that might be expected in real life. Table 6 describes the soiled swatches and
TABLE 6
Description of Artificially Soiled Swatches (19)
Swatchesa

Soiling

Effects

AS 12

Pigment/
groundnut oil/milk

Builder, bleach, and

enzymatic action

AS 9

Pigment/
groundnut oil

Builder action and

general detergency

AS 1

Soot/mineral oil

Surfactant action and

general detergency

CS 32

Sebum

Bleach action

CS 2

Cocoa

Overall detergency and

enzymatic action

CS 8

Grass stain

Enzymatic action

CS 23

Mango

Bleach action

CS 25

Spinach

Bleach action

BC 4

Curry

Bleach action

BC 3

Tea

Bleach and builder action

The swatches were obtained from Testfabrics, USA.

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SME IN PALM-BASED POWDER DETERGENTS

effects on detergency testing. The detergency tests have indicated that the PPD exhibit good washing performance
and are comparable to the control even though the level of
the active ingredient in the formulated PPD is lower than
the control (Fig. 4 and 5). At a total concentration of 0.8
g/L, good detergency of the PPD was obtained when only
using 12% to 18% SME compared to the control with 27%
active.
Additionally, the detergency of detergents formulated
with an equal weight percentage of LAS and SME was carried out. The results showed that detergents based on SME
have better soil removal on 10 soiled swatches compared to
the detergent based on LAS. SME is most effective at removing sebum soil types (unpublished data). This result indicates that SME has better detergency compared to LAS,
and this result is supported by other studies, as highlighted
earlier.
Foam has an aesthetic utility in many detergent products.
Consumer attitudes and expectations toward foaming products typically involve psychological factors where foam provides evidence of detergent activity (19). Foaming tests of
PPD in comparison with the control were carried out at
0.1% concentration with deionized water at room temperaAS1

CS 32

AS12

AS9

70
60
50

foaming

40
30
20
10
0
I

II

III

IV

Control

Instrument: Spectrophotometer CM-3600d (whiteness)

Condition: 50 ppm, 25oC, ratio wash liquor 1:18.5, dosage 0.8g/L.

350
300
250
200
150
100
50

FIG. 4. Detergency of formulated PPD in comparison with the control

on oils and pigment-based soiled swatches.

0
I

CS23

CS2

CS8

CS25

BC4

BC3

60

II

III

IV

Control

FIG. 6. Foaming power and stability of the PPD in comparison with

the control.

50

25

40
30
20
10
0

III

IV

Control

Wetting time in minutes

Detergency, %

stability

400
Foam Height, ml

Detergency, %

80

ture. The foaming power and stability of the PPD were in

the range of 365/183 to 345/167 (based on the foam height
in mL). The foaming power and stability of the control is
also within the same range (Fig. 6). Each foam volume decreased with time. Incorporation of foreign components
(other ingredients in the detergent formulation) could disturb the molecular arrangement of the surfactants, thus
lowering the critical packing parameter and increasing hole
formation in the foam (2021). This would reduce the
foaming and stability of the formulated products and the
control.
Besides providing good washing performance and foaming power, a powder detergent also requires good wetting
power or dissolution rate, which is important in the first
phase of washing. Good wetting characteristics can shorten
the time taken to wet the fabrics, therefore allowing the surfactants to reach the soils more quickly. Figure 7 indicates
the wetting characteristics of the PPD in comparison with
the control; the tests were carried out with a 0.1% detergent
solution at room temperature. The results showed that the
PPD take 16 to 19 min to wet the fabrics, which is similar to
the control. The dissolution rate of a solid surfactant or
powder detergent could be increased by improving its crystal structure (12).
Potential pollution to the environment is normally
measured in terms of biodegradation and ecotoxicity.
The biodegradation pathway of SME was studied; the
study identified monomethyl -sulfosuccinate gener-

20
15
10
5

Instrument: Spectrophotometer CM-3600d (whiteness)

Condition: 50 ppm, 25oC, ratio wash liquor 1:18.5, dosage 0.8g/L.

0
I

FIG. 5. Detergency of formulated PPD in comparison with the control

on foods-based soiled swatches.

II

III

IV

Control

FIG. 7. Wetting characteristics of PPD and the control.

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Z.A. MAURAD ET AL.

ated by -oxidation as the major intermediate, with a biological oxygen demand (BOD) removal of 65%, and
indicated that the inorganic sulfate release was one of
the final steps in the biodegradation (22).
The biodegradability and ecotoxicity of the PPD and
the control were determined and documented (2324).
The biodegradability of the PPD and the control were calculated based on the theoretical oxygen demand (ThOD)
values of the active ingredients only. This study has shown
that the biodegradability of PPD is faster than the control,
where the maximum period to reach the pass level (60%)
is 14 d. The control requires 24 d to reach the biodegradability pass level (Fig. 8). Studies have shown that the PPD
I formulation is a readily biodegradable compound because it reached the pass level (60%) in 12 d and its maximum biodegradability is 80.1%. The PPD II formulation
was found to achieve 80% biodegradability within 16 d.
Formulation III is biodegradable within 14 to 16 d, which
is when it reaches the pass level (60%). The biodegradability of formulation IV seems to proceed rapidly and has
reached the pass level within 4 d.
The ecotoxicity test was conducted to determine the
toxicity of the PPD and the control by exposing fish to various concentrations of the products. The test method
used was OECD 302, the Fish Acute Toxicity Test. The toxicity of the PPD and the control is tabulated in Table 7.
The results show that the toxicity of the PPD is in the
range of 5.668.0 mg/L, which is within the classification
of moderately toxic. The toxicity of the control is also
within the same range.
Based on these findings, SME may be the only oleochemical-based surfactant that has the potential to compete with
LAS in terms of price and performance. Due to increased

Biodegaradation, %

II

III

IV

Control

190
140
Pass level
60%

90
40
-10
-60
-110

12

16

20

24

28

Days

FIG. 8. Biodegradability of PPD in comparison with the control.

TABLE 7
Toxicity Level of the PPD and the Control
Powder detergents

LC50 (mg/L)

I
II
III
IV
Control

6.4
8.0
8.0
5.66
5.66

JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS, VOL. 9, NO. 2 (QTR 2, 2006)

consumer awareness of green products and favorable

prospects for the use of renewable resources, SME may soon
be commercialized worldwide for the surfactant and detergent industries.

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[Received September 23, 2005; accepted February 14, 2006]

Zulina Abd Maurad received her first degree in chemical engineering at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in 2001. Since
then, she has served as a research officer at Advanced Oleochemical
Technology Division (AOTD), MPOB. Her research interests are in
process development, product development, and optimization with
an emphasis on oleochemical derivatives.
Razmah Ghazali received her first degree in chemistry from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1993 and a master of environment degree from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 1998. She

joined PORIM (now MPOB) in 1993 as a research officer. Currently, she is a senior research officer in the Oleochemical Methods
and Standards unit in AOTD. Her research focuses on the
biodegradation and ecotoxicity studies of products.
Parthiban Siwayanan obtained his bachelor of chemical engineering degree from Universiti Technology Malaysia (UTM) in
1994. Then he joined PORIM (now MPOB). Currently, he is the
research group leader for the Process and Optimization group at
MPOB. His area of interest is in pilot-plant development projects.
Zahariah Ismail worked as an assistant research officer in PORIM
(now MPOB) in 1983. She received her first degree in science at the
Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1995. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2002;
her major was surfactant chemistry. Currently she is a senior research
officer and group leader for Cosmetic Pharmaceutical and Personal
Care group under the olechemical product development unit in AOTD.
Salmiah Ahmad received her first degree in 1977 and an M.S.
in 1980, both in organic chemistry from NIU (Illinois, USA). She
joined PORIM (now MPOB) in 1982 as a research officer. Then
she obtained her Ph.D. and DIC in physical chemistry in 1991. In
1992, she was appointed group leader for Non Research group; she
was later appointed head of the Product Development and Quality
unit in MPOB. In 1994, she was appointed head of the Advanced
Oleochemical Technology Centre (AOTC), MPOB. In 2004, AOTC
was upgraded to division (AOTD), and she was elected director of
AOTD, a position that she currently holds.

JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS, VOL. 9, NO. 2 (QTR 2, 2006)