In a quest to find alternatives to laundry detergents that could trigger ecosystem-altering algal blooms, researchers have used a combination of cellulose nanofibres and a protein from corn to develop an eco-friendly alternative.
THE RESEARCH: The research, published in ACS’ peer-reviewed scientific journal Langmuir, reported that the researchers combined cellulose nanofibres from wood with zein protein from corn to create an emulsion.
- Cellulose can attract and repel water, so it is effective at forming such emulsions and attracting different types of stains. The zein protein, on the other hand, helps stabilise the emulsion and trap oils.
A comparison of the cleaning capacity of the cellulose/zein detergent with laundry powder and commercial dish soap solutions with deionised water on cotton fabrics and dishes stained with ink, chili oil and tomato paste, revealed:
- The cellulose/zein detergent was slightly less effective at cleaning the cotton cloth compared to a laundry powder solution of equal dilution (1% detergent or powder by weight).
- At a 5% concentration, however, the researchers' product was more effective than the 1% laundry powder solution at cleaning each of the stains from the fabric.
- Microscopic examination showed that the cellulose/zein detergent left no residue on cotton fabric after washing and rinsing, which suggests it would not damage the cloth.
The researchers suggested that these results show that their natural detergent could be an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable alternative to synthetic cleaning agents currently on the market.
- The research was conducted by Wenli Liu and colleagues at the State Key Laboratory of Biobased Fiber Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, and the paper titled ‘Physical Cross-Linking of Cellulose Nanofibrils with Zein Particles as an Eco-Friendly Detergent’ was published in Langmuir.
