Making biodegradable detergents with wood and corn

According to RCO News AgencyDetergent and detergent products, from washing detergents to liquid and dishwasher tablets, play an important role in our daily lives by taking care of our cleanliness and hygiene needs.

However, the chemicals that make these products very effective are often difficult to break down in the environment. As a result, they can accumulate in water and sewage systems, causing algae blossoms in the ecosystem that disrupt aquatic life, reduce oxygen levels, and damage biodiversity.

According to IA, now to address this problem, Chinese researchers under the supervision of the Ministry of Science and Technology have made a sustainable herbal detergent made of fine wooden fibers and corn protein, killing stains on clothing and containers as well as conventional commercial products on the market more easily and more effectively than chemical detergents.

Herbal detergents provide a more green alternative

Production of environmentally friendly cleaners is usually challenging, as they are difficult to dispose of and are offered at high production and retail costs with possible damage to surfaces and fabrics.

In contrast, environmentally friendly herbal detergents developed by a research team led by the Pingao Liu, contain substances derived from many renewable sources.

Chinese scientists made an emulsion by combining cellulose nanofibers of wood with zein protein. The ability of cellulose to absorb and excrete water makes it effective in forming emulsion and absorbing different types of stains, while iane protein stabilizes mixture and traps oils and fats.

Liu and his colleagues then evaluated the effect of clearing cellulose/zein detergent on cotton fabrics and containers impregnated with ink, oil and tomato paste. They compared its performance with washing powder and commercial dishwashing soap solutions using deionized water.

Herbal detergents are better than traditional cleaners

When this herbal detergent was tested on the cotton fabric, it was slightly less effective than the washing powder solution at 1 % weight concentration. However, when it increased to 5 % concentration, it eliminated the lentils more effectively than the washing powder solution.

Microscopic analysis showed that cellulose/zein detergent was not left on the cotton fabric after washing and rinse, and this shows that it is unlikely to damage the clothing.

To further evaluate its effectiveness, the researchers tested the detergent on oil spots from pouring chili sauce on ceramic plates, stainless steel, glass and plastic.

Cellulose/zein detergent, almost like commercial soaps, succeeded in cleaning these materials and showed its superiority at 5 % concentration.

For example, on stainless steel plates, the solution eliminates 5 % of cellulose/zinen by 92 % of the stains, while the solution eliminated 87 percent of the stains.

According to the researchers, these results show that their natural and herbal detergent can be an efficient, affordable and sustainable alternative for artificial detergents available on the market.

Increasing public awareness of the environmental effects of home detergents containing substances such as “Alci -Fentephenol Polyoxylate” and “phosphates” has attracted the replacement of traditional cleansers with natural alternatives, and this is the latest invention as part of the movement.

The findings of this study are published in the journal of the American Chemical Society (American Chemical Society Journal Langmuir).

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