Linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS) and alcohol derived surfactants are common in commercial household detergent applications. These surfactants are sometimes found in river water, and in few cases foam is observed on river water.
The foam properties of these surfactants in water were studied and compared with 0.5 mg·l^-1 of alkylbenzenesulfonates (ABS) at which foam was well known to be limited. The surfactant solutions in test tubes were shaken for 5 min by mechanical shaker at about 3 times a second, allowed to stand and foaming recorded immediately and after 30 s, 1 min and 2 min. Foaming depended on a kind of surfactant and alkyl chain length of a surfactant molecule. The concentrations at which foaming is equal to ABS 0.5 mg·l^-1 are 0.3-0.4 mg·l^-1 for LAS, 0.2-0.4 mg·l^-1 for alkylpoly(oxyethylene) sulfates (AES) and alkyl poly(oxyethylene) ethers (AE) and 0.5-1.1 mg·l^-1 for α-olefin sulfonates (AOS). LAS, AES, or AE which generate much foam as compared with ABS are dominant in river water. AOS which are less reamers are little in river water. Then in river water the concentration at which foaming is equal to ABS 0.5 mg·l^-1 is about 0.3 mg·l^-1 for anionic surfactants only, and with nonionic surfactants it is less than 0.3 mg·l^-1 as anionic surfactants.