TOWARDS BIOSURFACTANTS: FROM PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES TO INDUSTRIAL UTILITY

The growing production of industrial formulations containing surfactants presents notable environmental challenges. Nevertheless, eco-friendly alternatives like biobased surfactants offer a way to reduce these negative effects. Increasingly, research is concentrating on creating sustainable chemicals and formulations that adhere to the principles of green chemistry, with a focus on biocompatibility and biodegradability. Surfactant-based formulations play a crucial role in many applications, from household and personal care products to industrial processes like oil recovery and environmental remediation, as well as in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors. Despite their extensive use, most surfactants are still produced from fossil-based sources, contributing to environmentally damaging industrial practices. As a result, developing biodegradable surfactants has become a vital area of study. The literature identifies two main types of surfactants in this regard: biosurfactants and so-called "bio-based" or "bio-inspired" surfactants. This thesis focuses on analyzing four surfactants from four different categories: fossil-based, partially bio-based, fully bio-based, and biosurfactants. The study also examines their behavior in the presence of a co-surfactant (fatty alcohol) and evaluates their effectiveness in oil recovery and cleaning using a standardized industrial procedure. Additionally, rheological tests were performed to assess the mechanical properties of the various systems, while their structural characteristics were studied using Small-Angle Scattering (SAS) and diffusional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) methods.