Synergisms between Surfactants, Polymers, and Alcohols to Improve the Foamability of Mixed Systems

Luís Alves (), Solange Magalhães, Cátia Esteves, Marco Sebastião and Filipe Antunes
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Luís Alves: University of Coimbra, CERES, Department of Chemical Engineering, Rua Silvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
Solange Magalhães: University of Coimbra, CERES, Department of Chemical Engineering, Rua Silvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
Cátia Esteves: University of Coimbra, CQC, Department of Chemistry, Rua Larga, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal
Marco Sebastião: Mistolin Company, Zona Industrial De Vagos, Lote 58, 3844-909 Vagos, Portugal
Filipe Antunes: University of Coimbra, CQC, Department of Chemistry, Rua Larga, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal

J, 2024, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: In order to produce detergents with improved performance and good market acceptability, it is crucial to develop formulations with improved foamability and cleaning performance. The use of a delicate balance of surfactants and additives is an appealing strategy to obtain good results and enables a reduction in the amount of chemicals used in formulations. Mixtures of hydrophobically modified linear polymers and surfactants, as well as balanced mixtures with co-surfactants and/or hydrotropes, are the most effective parameters to control foamability and foam stability. In the present study, the effect of the addition of hydrophobically modified linear polymers, nonionic co-surfactants and hydrotropes, and their mixtures to anionic and zwitterionic surfactant aqueous solutions was evaluated. It was found that the presence of the hydrophobically modified polymer (HM-P) prevented the bubbles from bursting, resulting in better stability of the foam formed using zwitterionic surfactant solutions. Also, the surfactant packing was inferred to be relevant to obtaining foamability. Mixtures of surfactants, in the presence of a co-surfactant or hydrotrope led, tendentially, to an increase in the critical packing parameter (CPP), resulting in higher foam volumes and lower surface tension for most of the studied systems. Additionally, it was observed that the good cleaning efficiency of the developed surfactant formulations obtained a higher level of fat solubilization compared to a widely used brand of commercial dishwashing detergent.

Keywords: foamability; critical packing parameter; surface tension; hydrotropes; surfactants; adsorption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 I10 I12 I13 I14 I18 I19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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