“From laundry detergent to dishwasher tablets, cleaning products are an indispensable part of life,” begins a new article in ACS’ Langmuir. And those cleaning products themselves, as great as they are, don’t come cheap. Virtually all of them traditional ones use the kind of chemicals such as alkylphenol polyethoxylates and phosphates which are known to stick around, linger. These chemicals remain in the environment, forming potential toxic algal blooms that devastate aquatic life. Public outcry over such impacts initiated the quest for cleaner cleaners, but the way to effective but inexpensive and environmentally gentle cleaners was beset by setbacks until now. Group members under the leadership of Pengtao Liu developed a plant based cleanser that compares and, on a greater proportion, exceeds the cleaning performance of traditional chemical cleansers in a China Key Technologies R&D Program sponsored breakthrough.
The product utilizes a blend of wood shaved cellulose nanofibers and corn zein protein to create a biodegradable emulsion. Highly green in and of themselves as ingredients, specially selected, the two way water attracting, water repelling aspect of the cellulose is particularly well suited to picking up an extremely wide range of stains, and the zein protein to act as a binder and works well as an oil absorber. The researchers used their zein/cellulose soap on ink stained cotton fabric and contrasted it with commercial laundry detergent powder treatment and chili oil and tomato paste stained cotton fabric.
Plant made soap was less effective than its chemical equivalent at the optimal 1% concentration. At the 5% concentration, the zein/cellulose solution was superior to the 1% powder laundry solution in stain removal and overall cleaning. Microscopic inspection also revealed another important advantage the environmentally friendly soap was free of residue when washed and rinsed on cotton fiber, and it would not damage sensitive materials a huge concern in the event of man made cleaning products. Pepper and chili oil coated plates were the material on which scientists conducted their test, and plates made of ceramic, stainless steel, glass, and plastic were utilized for it.
Again, cellulose/zein cleaner proved more than sufficient for the task. Even when at the same concentration, it performed almost as well as commercial dish wash. On 5% concentration, plant detergent had a clear win. In stripping stain off stainless steel dishes, 5% cellulose/zein solution stripped off 92% of stain, and 87% off a 1% concentration of commercial dish soap. These findings determine the viability of the detergent as a green, eco friendly cleaning option compared to man made products, mitigating some of the drawbacks of earlier attempts at green products. Earlier natural cleaners were costly to make, difficult to wash off, and even surface and fabric hostile. With products composed of easily accessed renewable materials, Liu and colleagues have created something that is not only efficient but cheap and green.
The social impact of the find is enormous. Customers are increasingly seeking products with which they can connect, as knowledge of the environmental impact of locally produced products increases hourly. The zein, cellulose soap is a move in that direction, a truthful response to less harmful chemicals. The researchers’ desire is for the research to act as a catalyst to other clean technology breakthroughs, the key to a cleaner greener world.
While the research highlights experimental usage of the detergent, it also displays interdisciplinary collaboration to combat environmental concerns. Through material science expertise convergence, chemistry expertise convergence, and sustainability expertise convergence, Liu’s group demonstrated that innovation was the result of interdiscipline knowledge convergence. The study in the ACS journal Langmuir was not only timely because of the science it contained, but also because the study has the potential to transform customers’ lives.
As the American Chemical Society explains, “Its mission is to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community and champion scientific integrity.” That mission comes through in this soap with a vision for the good that science can do. With more studies, this eco cleaner could be among the everyday home cleaners in every home, demonstrating that no compromises can be made between cleaning efficacy and environmental friendliness. With Liu and his colleagues continuing to refine their innovation, the promise is that such technology would drive an even larger revolution toward making man made chemical material naturals and ultimately greener products for consumers. Meanwhile, cellulose/zein detergent is proof of what can be made when science and sustainability meet a cleaner alternative to a cleaner world.
