The goal of our research
is to develop a new class of safer surfactants as a sustainable alternative to
toxic Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). Although effective as cleaning agents,
NPEs are bio-accumulative and degrade into more toxic and less biodegradable
compounds that are known to be endocrine disruptors, threatening both aquatic
and human life. While there are several partly bio-based alternatives for NPEs
available commercially, their efficacy and bio-degradability are not well
established. Therefore, there is an immediate need for non-toxic, completely
bio-based alternatives (preferably obtained from biobased waste/ renewable
resources) that can be as effective as NPEs.
Our research focuses on
the use of renewable feedstock namely polysaccharide derived from bio-based
waste fruit peels [such as polygalacturonic acid (PGA)] or algae (alginic acid)
with no competing food application as starting materials for the synthesis of
surfactants. Due to their large abundance and structural diversity,
polysaccharides are ideal starting materials for well-defined modifications to
create surfactants. Our work establishes modifications carried out in accordance
to the principles of ‘green chemistry’ in aqueous/non-toxic solvents.
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