Production of green surfactants: market prospects

Science has greatly contributed to the advancement of technology and to the innovation of production processes and their applications. Cleaning products have become indispensable in today's world, as personal and environmental hygiene is important to all societies worldwide. Such products are used in the home, in most work environments and in the industrial sectors. Most of the detergents on the market are synthesised from petrochemical products. However, the interest in reducing the use of products harmful to human health and the environment has led to the search for detergents formulated with natural, biodegradable surfactant components of biological (plant or microbiological) origin or chemically synthesised from natural raw materials usually referred to as green surfactants. This review addresses the different types, properties, and uses of surfactants, with a focus on green surfactants, and describes the current scenario as well as the projections for the future market economy related to the production of the different types of green surfactants marketed in the world.

Application of bacterial and yeast biosurfactants for enhanced removal and biodegradation of motor oil from contaminated sand

Background This study investigated the potential application of two biosurfactants for enhanced removal capability and biodegradation of motor oil contaminated sand under laboratory conditions. The biosurfactants were produced by the yeast Candida sphaerica and by the bacterium Bacillus sp. cultivated in low-cost substrates. The ability of removing motor oil from soil by the two biosurfactants was identified and compared with that of the synthetic surfactants Tween 80 and Triton X-100. Results Both crude and isolated biosurfactants showed excellent effectiveness on motor oil removal from contaminated sand under kinetic conditions (70-90%), while the synthetic surfactants removed between 55 and 80% of the oil. A contact time of 5-10 min under agitation seemed to be enough for oil removal with the biosurfactants and synthetic surfactants tested. The crude and the isolated biosurfactant from C. sphaerica were able to remove high percentages of motor oil from packed columns (around 90%) when compared to the biosurfactant from Bacillus sp. (40%). For the degradation experiments conducted in motor oil contaminated sand enriched with sugar cane molasses, however, oil degradation reached almost 100% after 90 d in the presence of Bacillus sp. cells, while the percentage of oil degradation did not exceed 50% in the presence of C. sphaerica. The presence of the biosurfactants increased the degradation rate in 10-20%, especially during the first 45 d, indicating that biosurfactants acted as efficient enhancers for hydrocarbon biodegradation. Conclusions The results indicated the biosurfactants enhancing capability on both removal and rate of motor oil biodegradation in soil systems.