Development of sustainable biodetergent formulation using second generation biosurfactants

• Grant number: 24/09167-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Silvio Silvério da Silva
• Grantee: Gabriel Eirinhas Alves dos Santos
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/00873-1 - Development of a sustainable sunscreen formulation using mica minerals and second-generation biosurfactant., BE.EP.IC

Abstract

The growing demand for the adoption of sustainable products that cause less impact on the environment has become an increasingly recurrent topic in industrial and academic sectors. As an alternative to synthetic detergents, which contain fossil fuel derivatives in their composition, biodetergent formulations using biosurfactants as the main active ingredient have stood out due to their high biodegradability, lower toxicity, greater efficiency, and the possibility of being synthesized from renewable raw materials. Moreover, biodetergents possess superior foaming, detergency, and surfactant properties compared to their synthetic counterparts. This project aims to evaluate the performance of biodetergent formulations prepared for washing cotton fabric in the presence of mechanical friction. The objectives include formulating the biodetergent based on biosurfactant produced through a fermentation process using hemicellulosic hydrolysate from sugarcane bagasse, drying the liquid biodetergent formulation, conducting washing tests with the obtained liquid and solid formulations, and performing colorimetric analysis of the washes. Drying will be done using a spray dryer, and the washing tests in the presence of mechanical friction will use white cotton fabrics embedded with soluble coffee, chocolate pudding, and tomato paste stains. With these results, it is expected to aid in the development of practical and sustainable biodetergent formulations with better physicochemical characteristics that are similar to and more efficient than synthetic detergents available in the market, with significant benefits for the environment and society.