title: Characterization and emulsification properties of rhamnolipid and sophorolipid biosurfactants and their applications.
abstract: Due to their non-toxic nature, biodegradability and production from renewable resources, research has shown an increasing interest in the use of biosurfactants in a wide variety of applications. This paper reviews the characterization of rhamnolipid and sophorolipid biosurfactants based on their hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and their ability to form microemulsions with a range of oils without additives. The use of the biosurfactants in applications such as detergency and vegetable oil extraction for biodiesel application is also discussed. Rhamnolipid was found to be a hydrophilic surfactant while sophorolipid was found to be very hydrophobic. Therefore, rhamnolipid and sophorolipid biosurfactants in mixtures showed robust performance in these applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, 50 S Central Campus Drive, MEB 3290, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Thu T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sabatini
mesh_terms: D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004655:Emulsions; D006017:Glycolipids; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C418382:rhamnolipid; C067958:16-(2'-O-glucopyranosylglucopyranosyloxy)hexadecanoic acid 1',4''-lactone 6',6''-diacetate