Abstract: Bio-based surfactants have great opportunity for use in a variety of applications such as laundry detergents, industrial cleaners, adjuvants, and oil & gas. Surfactants in these applications can be nonionic, anionic, cationic, or amphoteric. Utilizing high oleic soybean oil as a platform chemical, a variety of surfactants and properties can be produced. While early work focused solely on surfactant use in laundry cleaning and fracking, recent work has expanded functional groups and application evaluations in hard surface cleaning. The current invention expands on Battelle's high oleic soybean oil (HOSO) surfactant technology. Use of HOSO overcomes the limitations of regular soybean oil and significantly reduces or eliminates undesirable byproducts in most chemistries. However, with use of select reagents, a few candidates were achievable with regular epoxidized soybean oil (ESO).

Abstract: Aqueous prepolymer dispersions are provided, as are methods for making aqueous prepolymer dispersions. For example, an aqueous polyurethane prepolymer dispersion may be prepared by a process. The process may include contacting a soybean oil polyester polyol and an isocyanate reactive monomer together in a first mixture. The isocyanate reactive monomer may be functionalized with a tertiary amine salt of an isocyanate-unreactive organic acid. The process may include contacting the first mixture with a diisocyanate to form a neutralized polyurethane prepolymer. The process may include contacting the neutralized polyurethane prepolymer with water to form the aqueous polyurethane prepolymer dispersion.

Abstract: Aqueous prepolymer dispersions are provided, as are methods for making aqueous prepolymer dispersions. For example, an aqueous polyurethane prepolymer dispersion may be prepared by a process. The process may include contacting a soybean oil polyester polyol and an isocyanate reactive monomer together in a first mixture. The isocyanate reactive monomer may be functionalized with a tertiary amine salt of an isocyanate-unreactive organic acid. The process may include contacting the first mixture with a diisocyanate to form a neutralized polyurethane prepolymer. The process may include contacting the neutralized polyurethane prepolymer with water to form the aqueous polyurethane prepolymer dispersion.

Abstract: Compositions are provided, the compositions comprising: a silica compound containing at least one nitrogen atom; and a carboxylated polymer containing at least one nitrogen atom. The compositions may be useful to control algal growth, including harmful algal blooms (HAB).