Use of Biowaste-Derived Biosurfactants in Production of Emulsions for Industrial Use

Abstract

This study reports a study on the use of soluble bio-based substances (SBO) with emulsifying properties in the production of oil-in-water emulsions for industrial consumption.One of the potentially interesting applications is in the formulation of metalworking fluids, which typically consist of oil-in-water emulsions used in metal manufacturing industries. Soluble bio-based substances (SBO) were collected from urban food and gardening wastes in a waste management plant located in a densely populated area in North Italy. The biowastes were fermented under anaerobic and/or aerobic conditions, and then treated chemically to yield four different SBO samples, which were characterized for chemical composition, solution behavior by water surface tension measurements, and ability to form stable 10 % oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of emulsions with surfactant concentrations in the 2-8 w/w % range. Stable emulsions were obtained with at least 3 w/w % surfactant concentrations. All SBO samples presented the characteristics necessary for acting as emulsifiers, when compared with conventional emulsifiers. According to rheology, particle size and centrifugation tests, SBO samples isolated from composted biowastes performed better than samples isolated from the digestate of anaerobicallyfermented biowastes. The product ash content and/or isolation process also affect the emulsifier performance. The effects of the biowaste source, chemical composition, and surface activity on the emulsifier performance were evaluated, indicating the feasibility of attaining stable emulsions with environmental benefits.3

Extruded Poly(ethylene–co–vinyl alcohol) Composite Films Containing Biopolymers Isolated from Municipal Biowaste

“…The process does not require secondary waste treatment. The performance of the above SLP has been studied in diversified fields of the chemical industry, agriculture and animal husbandry.…”

Isolation, Characterization, and Environmental Application of Bio-Based Materials as Auxiliaries in Photocatalytic Processes

“…The presence of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic functionalities forming the chemical structure of such BBS confers to these substances amphiphilic properties, as testified by the literature on analogous substrates [36][37][38]. As reported in our previous study [39], these BBS can be used in several industrial applications (as emulsifiers, foaming agents, in detergent formulations or as textiles auxiliaries, for the production of nanostructured materials, in animal husbandry, as fertilizers, or for the production of biofuels and bioplastics).…”

Soluble Bio-based Substances Obtained from Urban Wastes: Isolation and Characterization

“…1.2); e.g. in the formulation of detergents-textile dyeing baths, emulsifiers [15], auxiliaries for soil/water remediation [16] and enhanced oil recovery [17], flocculants, dispersants and binding agents Solid residue recovered after 270 days aerobic biodegradation of plant residues UB CV T360 Solid residue recovered after 360 days aerobic biodegradation of plant residues for ceramics manufacture [11], nanostructured materials for chemical [18] and biochemical catalysis [19], plastic materials [20], soil fertilizers and plant biostimulants for agriculture [21,22] and animal feed supplements [23,24]. Such variety of applications is possible due to the fact that SBO is a mixture of molecules with molecular weights comprised in a wide range over 5 kD which contain a variety of functional groups (see virtual molecular fragments in Fig.…”