- ACI Distinguished Paper Award Presented at AOCS Annual Meeting
- Published in the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, the study demonstrates a high-throughput approach to screening surfactant additives and linking structure to performance.
A group of Dow researchers who developed new methods of evaluating surfactant effectiveness and efficiency has been recognized with authoring the best paper published in 2025 in the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents.
The honor was presented during the 2026 American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting, taking place May 3-6 in New Orleans, LA.
The Distinguished Paper Award is an annual recognition presented by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) to highlight exceptional scientific contributions with meaningful implications for the cleaning products industry.
The Dow researchers developed a faster, more efficient way to evaluate surfactants that help remove water from bitumen during oil sands processing an important step in improving extraction efficiency and product quality. Their new “high-throughput” screening method allows scientists to test dozens of surfactant additives at once, dramatically reducing the time and resources typically required to identify effective formulations.
The authors of the research include Daniel S. Miller, Tzu-Chi Kuo, David Brennan, Adam Schmitt, Kathryn Grzesiak, Roxanne Jenkins, Harpreet Singh, Heather Wiles, Taylor Martin, Andrew Banks, David Hayes, Rohini Gupta, Jonathan Moore, Jonathan Mendenhall and Tom Kalantar, all from Dow Inc.
The awarded article explores innovative approaches to surfactant design, characterization and performance optimization, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and next-generation formulation strategies. The research provides new insights into molecular structure–performance relationships, helping bridge fundamental science and practical applications in cleaning product development.
By combining advanced analytical techniques with formulation science, the authors demonstrate how tailored surfactant systems can improve oil recovery while supporting environmental goals such as reduced resource use and enhanced biodegradability. Their findings are readily leverageable to cleaning product design and offer valuable guidance for formulators seeking to balance performance, cost and sustainability in an evolving regulatory and consumer landscape.
“Receiving this recognition is a tremendous honor,” the authors noted. “Our work aims to contribute to the development of more effective and environmentally responsible surfactant systems. We hope these findings support continued innovation across the cleaning products value chain.”
The paper highlights opportunities for future research, including scaling novel systems, refining structure–function models, and integrating renewable feedstocks.
The paper, “A high-throughput method for screening surfactant additives and structure–property relationships for the removal of water from bitumen”, was published in the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, July 2025, Volume 28, Issue 4, pp 977-989.
The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.