Surface-active compounds, i.e. surfactants, constitute one of the major groups of chemical compounds which is of fundamental importance to household chemistry, mining, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, the high-tech sector, molecular biology and nanomedicine. The massive use of surfactants, which exceeds 10 million tonnes a year on a global scale, and is forecast to reach 25 million tonnes in 2020, poses a serious threat to the natural environment.
