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2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.

Biotechnology

Surfactants and Detergents

Biosurfactants and Biobased Surfactants

Hydrotrope Properties of Sophorolipids

Tuesday, April 29, 2025
1:35 PM – 1:55 PM PST
Room: B115
Abstract:

The detergent industry is at the forefront of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.  The use of biobased raw materials to prepare surfactants is one approach.  Biosurfactants offer several potential advantages over conventional synthetic or biobased surfactants including: lower eye and skin irritation, faster and more complete biodegradability, lower toxicity in the environment, and higher foaming.

 

Biosurfactants come in several unique chemical structures including low and high molecular weight glycolipids and lipopeptides. Sophorolipid biosurfactants are glycolipids produced by fermentation using yeast.  Sophorolipids exist in a lactonic form and a hydrolyzed free acid form.  The free acid form is extremely soluble in high electrolyte environments.  Work was performed to investigate the use of sophorlipids as hydrotropes in detergent applications.  The physiochemical properties of sophorolipids in combination with alcohol ethoxylates were measured.  Above the pKa, sophorolipids dramatically increase the cloud point and solubility of linear and branched alcohol ethoxylates.  This offers the possibility of using alcohol ethoxylates in high caustic formulations without the need for phosphate ester hydrotropes.