Overview
EN ISO 18254-2:2019 - Textiles: Method for the detection and determination of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO) - Part 2: Method using NPLC. Adopted by CEN from ISO 18254-2:2018, this standard specifies a normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) separation method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of extractable APEO in textiles and textile products. It defines sample preparation, chromatographic separation, detector options and calculation/reporting principles.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope: NPLC separation for extractable APEO analysis in textile matrices.
- Principle: textile specimens are cut, extracted (methanol, ultrasonic bath), filtered and analysed by NPLC.
- Instrument options supported:
- NPLC/MS (mass spectrometer)
- NPLC/FLD (fluorescence detector)
- NPLC/CAD (charged aerosol detector)
- NPLC/ELSD (evaporative light scattering detector)
- Reagents and standards: HPLC-grade solvents (methanol, acetonitrile, acetone), ammonium formate, formic acid; example reference materials include OPEO (Triton® X-100) and NPEO (IGEPAL® CO-630).
- Apparatus: HPLC system with appropriate detector, normal phase and C18 columns (examples provided), ultrasonic water bath (≈70 ± 5 °C), filtration and optional solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup (≥200 mg sorbent).
- Procedure elements: standard preparation, mobile phase recipes, sample extraction, SPE cleanup (optional), chromatographic separation by ethoxylate degree, calculation of congener concentrations, calibration curves and total APEO concentration.
- Annexes: examples of chromatographic conditions (Annex A), SPE procedures (Annex B), interlaboratory test results (Annex C), and mole-fraction (contribution percentage) study of APEO congeners (Annex D).
Applications and who uses this standard
- Textile testing laboratories performing routine screening and confirmation of APEO residues.
- Regulatory bodies and compliance teams assessing adherence to chemical restrictions and environmental regulations.
- Textile manufacturers and suppliers for internal quality control and supplier verification.
- Environmental and public health laboratories monitoring consumer products for endocrine-disrupting surfactants.
- Use cases: compliance testing, product safety certification, supply‑chain audits, research on surfactant residues and method development.
Related standards
- Part of the ISO 18254 series (see ISO website for other parts). Adopted as EN ISO 18254-2:2019 by CEN - national standards bodies are required to implement it.
Keywords: EN ISO 18254-2:2019, APEO, alkylphenol ethoxylates, NPLC, textiles, NPLC/MS, NPLC/FLD, NPLC/CAD, NPLC/ELSD, HPLC, SPE, chromatographic separation, textile testing.