International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)

ISSN: 2249-8958 (Online), Volume-11 Issue-3, February 2022

Biosurfactants and Their Biodegradability: A

Review and Examination
Shrey Patel, Kaashvi Kharawala

Abstract: Surfactants are extensively employed in industrial, Additionally, it also provides a detailed review about
agricultural, and food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals surfactants, and particularly bio-surfactants. The paper is
applications. Chemically produced surfactants cause organized as follows. The next section deals with an in-
environmental and toxicological hazards. Recently, considerable
research has led to environmentally friendly procedures for the depth review about surfactants, their various types, need for
synthesis of several forms of biosurfactants from biosurfactants, types and advantages of biosurfactants, and
microorganisms. In comparison to chemical surfactants, applications of bio-surfactants. The next section discusses
biosurfactants have several advantages, such as biodegradability, the materials and methods used for testing the
low toxicity and ease of availability of raw materials. This paper biodegradability of selected four surfactants. This is
offers an in-depth review of the types of surfactants, the need for followed by the findings of the tests conducted. Finally, the
bio-surfactants, their types and advantages, especially
biodegradability. It also examines the biodegradability of selected discussion section provides the conclusion, practical
four surfactants and finds that the biosurfactant is more easily implications of the study, limitations and further scope for
biodegradable than the chemical surfactants. research.
Keywords: Surfactants, Biosurfactants, Biodegradability, COD,
BOD II. MEANING AND USES OF SURFACTANTS
Surfactants are active chemicals in soaps and detergents that
I. INTRODUCTION can concentrate at the air-water interface. They are
frequently employed to remove oily materials from a
Surfactants are extensively employed in industrial, particular medium due to their propensity to concentrate at
agricultural, and food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals the air-water interface which comes from their ability to
applications. Chemically produced surfactants lead to enhance the aqueous solubility of Non-Aqueous Phase
environmental and toxicological hazards due to their Liquids (NAPLS), by lowering the surface/interfacial
composition (Makkar and Rockne, 2003). Recently, tension at air–water and water–oil interfaces (Yin et al,
2009). Surfactants are one of the primary ingredients of
considerable research has led to environmentally friendly
household detergent of all types, home cleaning products
procedures for the synthesis of several forms of
including floor cleaner and toilet cleaner, and personal use
biosurfactants from microorganisms. Biosurfactants can be
products like shampoos, shower gels and hand soaps.
classified into glycolipids, polymeric biosurfactants, Surfactants perform functions such as wetting, emulsifying,
phospholipids and lipopeptides (Fakruddin, 2012). foaming, disinfection and decontamination (Yuan et al,
According to Marchant and Banat (2012), biosurfactants 2014) due to which they are widely used in various
may be more biodegradable than chemical ones. However, industries such as oil and mining, textiles, pharmaceuticals,
Vecino et al. (2017) believe that the antimicrobial properties food processing, paper manufacturing, cosmetics, rubber
of biosurfactants could prevent or delay their and metal processing (Wang, Li and Liu, 2005). Surfactants
biodegradation. Millioli et al. (2009) state that this could produce molecular clusters called micelles in the water or oil
cause problems from an environmental perspective. phase solution and adsorb to the interface between a solution
Therefore, it is important to examine whether biosurfactants and gases or solids. In order to exhibit these properties, a
are biodegradable to understand their effect on the surfactant’s chemical structure should have two functional
environment (Chen et al., 2017). However, there is not much groups with differing affinities in the same molecule.
existing research that evaluates the biodegradability of Surfactants are often classified according to their use, but
biosurfactants. This study attempts to fill the gap in the such a classification may not be very useful because of the
existing literature by testing a small sample of four sheer number of uses. A better classification is based on
surfactants (of which three are chemical and one is a their dissociation in water (Salager, 2002). Using this
biosurfactant) and comparing the biodegradability of each. characteristic, surfactants can be categorized as hydrophilic
– those that are soluble in water, or hydrophobic (lipophilic)
– those that are soluble in lipids. Surfactants are also
Manuscript received on December 19, 2021. categorized into ionic surfactants and non-ionic surfactants.
Revised Manuscript received on December 30, 2021. Ionic surfactants can be further divided into anionic (where
Manuscript published on February 28, 2022. the hydrophilic group dissociates into anions in aqueous
* Correspondence Author solutions), cationic (that dissociate into cations), and
Shrey Patel*, Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of amphoteric surfactants (that dissociate into anions and
Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad (Gujarat), India
Kaashvi Kharawala, Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of cations often depending on the pH) (Nakama, 2017).
Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad (Gujarat), India

© The Authors. Published by Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and

Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license ([Link]

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 Biosurfactants and Their Biodegradability: A Review and Examination

Ionic surfactants are usually hydrophilic in nature, whereas prominent is the fluorocarbon surfactant which exhibits high
nonionic surfactants can be hydrophilic or lipophilic in degree of surface activity and is highly thermally and
nature, depending on the balance between the ability of the chemically stable which makes it ideal for use in fire
hydrophilic group to attract water and that of the lipophilic protection, mineral processing, and manufacturing of textile,
group to attract oil (Nakama, 2017). paper, leather, pesticides and chemicals (Wu and Li, 2002).
Anionic Surfactants are the most commonly used
surfactants. They dissociate in water in an amphiphilic III. EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL SURFACTANTS
anion, and a cation. This is usually an alkaline metal (Na+,
Surfactants have applications in numerous fields, and their
K+) or a quaternary ammonium. Anionic surfactants are of breadth of use will continue to expand, as will their
various types such as alkylbenzene sulfonates, fatty acid, consumption. After use, wastewater containing surfactants is
lauryl sulfate, di-alkyl sulfosuccinate, lignosulfonates, etc. invariably released into bodies of water, posing a major
About 50 % of the world’s total production of surfactants is threat to ecosystems. Some of the major effects are:
anionic (Salager, 2002). They have a range of uses such as
foaming agents, detergents, dispersants, emulsifiers, A. Effects on aquatic plants
antistatic agents and stabilizers (Yuan et al, 2014). The degree of surfactant harm to aquatic plants is
Cationic Surfactants often originate from natural fatty acids proportional to the degree of its concentration. When the
and are costlier than anionic surfactants, as a result of the quantity of surfactants in the water is large, it affects the
high-pressure hydrogenation reaction needed to synthesise growth of algae and other microorganisms in the water,
them. their synthesis. They dissociate in water into an lowering the primary productivity of water bodies and
amphiphilic cation and an anion, usually of the halogen therefore jeopardising the aquatic food chain. The reason for
type. Most cationic surfactants are nitrogen compounds. For this is that surfactants can cause acute poisoning by
increasing membrane permeability, allowing material
e.g. fatty amine salts and quaternary ammoniums. Cationic
exosmosis and cell structure to deteriorate over time.
surfactants can be categorized into open-chain cationic
Superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase activity, and
surfactants, heterocyclic group cationic surfactants and
chlorophyll concentration all decline (Liu and Feng, 1997).
bonded intermediate connection cationic surfactants Surfactant build-up accelerates over time.
according to their chain structure. This type of surfactants
has applications in sterilization, rust, breaking, corrosion B. Effects on aquatic animals
and mineral flotation (Yuan et al, 2014). Amphoteric Surfactant toxicity can be passed on to aquatic animals
surfactants exhibit both anionic and cationic dissociations. through animal feeding and skin penetration. Surfactants can
They are categorized into imidazoline, betaine, lecithin, and enter the gills, blood, kidney, pancreas, gallbladder, and
amino acid-type as per the type of anion (Wang, Xu and liver causing aquatic poisoning (Yuan et al, 2014).
Wang, 2007). This type of surfactants is usually costly, less Surfactants are easily absorbed by the body surface and gills
toxic, mild on the skin and are biodegradable. These of fish, and they are dispersed to body tissues and organs via
properties make them ideal for use in products such as blood circulation. When fish come in contact with
cosmetics, shampoos and shower gels. They are also widely surfactants, they suffer several adverse effects evident by the
used in industrial softeners and antistatic agents because rise in serum transaminases and alkaline acid phosphatase
they are highly biologically compatible and less toxic activity. Contaminated fish enter human bodies through the
food chain, inhibiting numerous enzymes and so lowering
(Salager, 2002). Non-ionic surfactants make up around 45%
immunity (Zhang et al, 2008).
of the total production of surfactants. This type of
surfactants does not dissociate into ions in aqueous solutions C. Effects on the water environment
(Nakama, 2017). Their hydrophilic group is of a non- Water contamination can occur when wastewater containing
dissociable type, such as alcohol, phenol, ether, ester, or surfactants is dumped into the environment. When the
amide. Most non-ionic surfactants are in liquid and slurry surfactant concentration exceeds 0.1 mg/L, the water may
form and their solubility in water decreases with the form a foam insulating layer which reduces exchange
increasing temperature. Non-ionic surfactants have different between the water body and the gas environment, causing
physicochemical properties from ionic surfactants due to dissolved oxygen levels to drop. Hypoxia causes a high
their structural features (Li, Liu and Xie, 2008). They have number of microorganisms to perish, causing water bodies
several applications in industries such as paper, food, textile, to deteriorate. Surface tension decreases to a level below the
plastic, medicines, glass, dyes, fiber, pesticides, to name a critical micelle concentration (CMC) when the
few. Polymeric surfactants or surface-active polymers are concentration of surfactants increases. When the
created when one or more macromolecular structures concentration of surfactant exceeds CMC, it also leads to an
demonstrating hydrophilic and lipophilic properties combine increase in the concentration of insoluble or soluble-water
contaminants. This causes indirect contamination and
as separated blocks or grafts. They have several applications
changes in water characteristics (Michael, 1991).
in the production of foodstuffs, cosmetics, paints, and
Surfactants can also destroy bacteria in the environment and
petroleum production additives. Macromolecule surfactants
prevent harmful compounds from degrading.
are polymeric surfactants with a relative molecular mass
greater than 10000, and a surface-active substance. They are
useful as thickeners, gelling agents, fluidity-improving
agents, emulsifiers, dispersing agents and antistatic agents.
Specialty surfactants have many special properties that are
unique from conventional surfactants. One of the most
Published By:
Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijeat.B33191211221 Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.B3319.0211322 and Sciences Publication (BEIESP)
Journal Website: [Link] © Copyright: All rights reserved.
5
 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958 (Online), Volume-11 Issue-3, February 2022

Because most detergents use a lot of polyphosphate, the of mycolic acid, the number of carbon atoms, and the degree
effluent contains a lot of phosphorus, that causes of unsaturation (Asselineau and Asselineau, 1978).
eutrophication. When the concentration of surfactants in Sophorolipids are synthesized by yeasts and are composed
plant wastewater exceeds a particular level, it affects of a dimeric carbohydrate sophorose linked to a long-chain
aeration, sedimentation, sludge nitrification, and many other hydroxyl fatty acid through glycosidic linkage (Gautam and
processes, increasing the difficulty of wastewater treatment. Tyagi, 2006).
Surfactants enhance emulsification and dispersion and thus
B. Lipopeptides and lipoproteins
reduce treatment efficiency (Yuan et al, 2014).
This type of biosurfactants is comprised of a lipid joined to a
D. Effects on the human body polypeptide chain (Rosenberg and Ron, 1999). Surfactin is a
Surfactants can affect the human body on the skin and cyclic lipoheptapeptide biosurfactant (Arima et al., 1968).
within the body. Surfactants are the major elements in The physiochemical properties of such biosurfactants can be
modern-day detergents, and long-term use can cause modified by changing the length of the fatty acids or
irritation and harm to the skin. Surfactants harm enzyme replacing the amino acid components of the peptide ring.
functioning in the human body, causing the body's normal
C. Fatty acids, phospholipids and neutral lipids
physiological function to be disrupted (Yuan et al, 2014).
Surfactants are hazardous and can accumulate in the human Yeast and some other bacteria generate fatty acids and
body, making their degradation difficult (Stepanets, 2001). phospholipid surfactants during growth on n-alkanes. This
Non-ionic surfactants, in general, are not electrically type of biosurfactant is essential for medical applications
charged and are not associated with protein. They cause (Vijayakumar and Saravanan, 2015).
minor skin discomfort. Cationic surfactants are the most D. Polymeric biosurfactants
toxic, while the anionic surfactants are less so. Research These are the most widely researched polymeric
shows that sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) can biosurfactants and include emulsan, liposan, alasan,
be absorbed via the skin, leading to liver damage, cancer, lipomanan and other polysaccharide-protein complexes.
and other chronic symptoms (Lewis, 1990). They are developed by the saccharide units and fatty acid
residues. They are polymeric in nature and have many
IV. BIOSURFACTANTS applications as an emulsifier in food and cosmetic industries
The environmental impacts of surfactants have recently (Vijayakumar and Saravanan, 2015).
received a lot of attention due to their toxicity and difficulty
in being degraded in the environment (Van Hamme, Singh VI. ADVANTAGES OF BIOSURFACTANTS
& Ward, 2006). When compared to chemically surfactants, biosurfactants
Growing environmental concerns, biotechnology have a number of advantages, including:
advancements, and stricter regulations have led to Biodegradability: Microorganisms can quickly destroy
biosurfactants emerging as a viable option to artificial biological surfactants (Mohan, Nakhla and Yanful, 2006).
surfactants (Henkel et al, 2012). Low toxicity: Biosurfactants are less hazardous than
Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds produced by surfactants made from chemicals. Biosurfactants were found
living surfaces either on microbial cell surfaces or are to have greater EC 50 (effective concentration to reduce
excreted extracellular hydrophobic and hydrophilic 50% of the test population) figures as compared to synthetic
moieties. They can amass between fluid phases and lower surfactants (Desai and Banat, 1997). Raw material
inter-surface and interfacial tension (Cunha et al, 2004) availability: Biosurfactants can be made from relatively
through the same mechanisms as chemical surfactants inexpensive raw materials that are readily available in huge
(Singh, Van Hanne and Ward, 2007). amounts. They can use carbohydrates, hydrocarbons or
lipids, individually or in combination, as carbon sources
V. TYPES OF BIOSURFACTANTS (Kosaric, 2001). Physical factors: Environmental parameters
Biosurfactants are categorised primarily based on their such as temperature, pH, and ionic strength tolerances have
chemical structure and microbiological origin. little effect on many biosurfactants. Krishnaswamy et al
Biosurfactants are of four types - glycolipids, lipopeptides, (2008) found that temperatures of up to 50°C, a pH range of
phospholipids and polymeric biosurfactants (Fakruddin, 4-5-9.0, and NaCl concentrations of 50g/l and Ca
2012). concentrations of 25g/l had no effect on the lichenysin
generated by Bacillus licheniformis strain.
A. Glycolipids
Surface and interface activity: According to Mulligan
Most biosurfactants are glycolipids. Among these too, the (2005), an effective surfactant may reduce water's surface
most common ones are rhamnolipids, trehalolipids and tension from 75 to 35 mN/m and the water/hexadecane
sophorolipids (Yuan et al, 2014). interfacial tension from 40 to 1 mN/M. Surfactin may lower
Rhamnolipids are made of one or two rhamnose and up to the surface tension of water to 25 mN/M and the interfacial
three hydroxy fatty acids, each having chain length from 8 tension of water/hexadecane to 1 mN/M.
up to 22 carbons. They are widely studied and are generally
formed by P. aeruginosa (Edwards and Hayashi, 1965).
Trehalolipids are produced by various organisms and they
are comprised of disaccharide trehalose joined to mycolic
acids. These biosurfactants differ in their size, the structure
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DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.B3319.0211322 and Sciences Publication (BEIESP)
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 Biosurfactants and Their Biodegradability: A Review and Examination

VII. APPLICATIONS OF BIOSURFACTANTS than their chemical homologs” (Marchant and Banat, 2012,
p. 2). Most biosurfactants are antimicrobial in nature
Biosurfactants have sparked significant interest as they can
replace some chemical surfactants and contribute towards (Vecino et al., 2017). Though this makes biosurfactants
industrial sustainability. Biosurfactants have properties that ideal for many applications, especially pharmaceutical ones,
fall under the "environmentally friendly," category. it could lead to delay in or prevention of biodegradation.
Because they are made from renewable sources and are This could create problems from an environmental and
easily biodegradable, they cause less harm to the economic perspective (Millioli et al., 2009). Therefore, it is
environment than chemical surfactants. Additionally, their important to research the biodegradation of biosurfactants,
ability to withstand high temperatures and high salt to understand their impact on the environment (Vecino et
concentrations makes them appealing for a variety of al., 2017). There is limited research on the biodegradation of
industrial applications (Banat et al. 2010). Biosurfactants biosurfactants. However, the published data indicates that
introduce some physicochemical properties that are not biosurfactants can be easily biodegraded as compared to
found in chemical surfactants. The main application at the their chemical equivalents. Hirata et al. (2009) examined the
moment is due to their increased oil recovery and biodegradability of sophorolipids formed by the non-
hydrocarbon bioremediation which is possible as a result of pathogenic yeast Candida bombicola using the OECD
low critical micelle concentration (CMC) (Banat et al, Guidelines for Testing of Chemicals (301C Modified MITI
2010). Biosurfactants have also been recommended for a Test) and found that they begin to biodegrade immediately
variety of applications in the food industry (Denise Maria et after cultivation.
al, 2009), cosmetics, for wastewater treatment and in Another study demonstrated that rhamnolipid biosurfactants
detergent formulations (Banat et al, 2010; Damasceno, are biodegradable under aerobic and anaerobic conditions
Cammarota & Freire, 2012). Biosurfactants can also replace
(Mohan et al., 2006). The biosurfactant mannosylerythritol
synthetic surfactants in processes such as lubrication,
lipid (MEL) was found to be biodegraded in five days by
softening, adhering dyes, making emulsions, dispersions,
foaming, preventing foaming, as well as in biomedical Kim et al. (2002). Cappello et al. (2011) found an
industry and bioremediation of contaminated sites. Till date, exopolysaccharide biosurfactant (EPS2003) easily
biosurfactants have been mostly used in bulk product sectors biodegradable in marine environment through certain
such as detergents and cleaning products. However, there bacterial strains. Biodegradability tests carried out on five
are a variety of different applications where biosurfactants' biological surfactants formed by two Bacillus sp.,
unique features could be advantageous and could replace Flavobacterium sp., Dietzia maris and Arthrobacter
chemical surfactants. Rodrigues et al. (2007) describe how oxydans) demonstrated a direct relation between the
biosurfactants can be used to disrupt bacterial biofilms, as efficiency of their degradation and the bacteria used (Lima
well as for other medical applications. Biosurfactants could et al., 2011). Rhamnolipid was found to be biodegraded by
be used in preventing biofilm formation on surfaces such as 92 percent in loamy and sandy soil (Pei et al., 2009). Thus,
catheters, or in disrupting existing biofilms on surfaces by there are not many recent studies evaluating the
using them in cleaning products (Dusane et al. 2010). The biodegradability of biosurfactants.
chemical surfactants currently used in domestic cleaning
products are not very effective at disrupting biofilms, so IX. EXPERIMENT
replacing them with biosurfactants opens up a whole new
world of possibilities. The effort to make laundry detergents This study takes a small sample of four surfactants, of which
for low wash temperatures causes production of biofilm in three are chemical and one is a biosurfactant, and compares
waste pipes, which was earlier avoided by high water the biodegradability of each.
temperatures. The inclusion of biosurfactants in laundry A. Materials and Methods
detergent formulas may also aid in the resolution of this
issue. The environmental remediation field is another area The four surfactants that were tested for biodegradability
where chemical surfactants could be replaced by were Styryl Phenol Ethelene Oxide Condensate (Sample-1),
biosurfactants. The easier biodegradability of biosurfactants Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulphate (Sample-2), Lauryl
would be especially appealing in situations when they are Alcohol Ethelene Oxide Condensate (Sample-3) and APSA-
needed in bulk, such as in oil spill clean-up. In addition to 80 (Sample-4). Of these, Sample 4 is a biosurfactant. Styryl
the simple oil dispersion and emulsification process, Phenol Ethylene Oxide: Styryl phenol Ethylene Oxide has
biosurfactant synthesis by bacteria allows bacteria to gain strong properties of oil/ water solubility, emulsification,
access to oil substrates for growth (Perfumo et al. 2010). wetting/cleaning and dispersing.
Enhanced biodegradation in situ would be extremely As a result, it is widely used in the detergent, textile,
beneficial in terms of speeding up the bioremediation agrochemical, emulsion polymerisation and paint industries
process and, as a result, lowering the overall damage to the (India Glycols, n.d.). Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate:
environment (Franzetti et al. 2011). Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate is a triethanolamine salt of
Lauryl Sulfuric acid which is widely used in detergents, as a
VIII. BIODEGRADABILITY OF BIOSURFACTANTS stabiliser and a solubilizer. It is a slightly toxic compound
Biosurfactants are biological surfactants, “composed of a and cause irritation to the skin and eyes (Busch, 1982).
hydrophobic and hydrophilic chain, like their chemical
counterparts. However, biosurfactants are composed of
natural long chains, formed by biopolymers of lipids,
proteins, peptides, or sugars. Therefore, it can be speculated
that they are more biocompatible and more biodegradable
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 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958 (Online), Volume-11 Issue-3, February 2022

Lauryl Alcohol Ethylene oxide: Lauryl Alcohol Ethylene MgSO4 , Phosphate buffer solution and FeCl3 as reagents,
oxide is a nonionic compound, meaning that it has no sodium thiosulphate, distilled water, and cultured bacteria to
electrical charge on the hydrophilic end and is usually found form dilution water.
in the form of a highly viscous liquid. It is widely used in C. Method:
production of cosmetics, laundry detergents, surface
For the COD test, mercury sulphate was added to 20ml of
cleaners and personal care products, to name a few (Tristar,
the sample to remove any chloride if present. 10ml of 0.25N
2020). APSA 80: It is an all-purpose spray adjuvant which is
potassium dichromate and 30ml of concentrated sulphuric
primarily used for agricultural uses as an irrigation aid,
acid were added to the solution, which was then mixed with
pesticides and insecticides applications. It reduces the silver sulphate (AgSO4) that acts as a catalyst.
surface tension of water and helps in improving its This solution was put in the digestor at 150 °C for 2 hours.
absorption capacity. This helps in better spread of the Once it cooled down to the room temperature, it was put in
pesticides leading to improved disease control in crops the condensate. 0.1 N ferrous ammonium sulphate (FAS)
(Amway, 2019). The biodegradability of surfactants can be was used for titration. The amount of distilled water to be
examined by calculating the biodegradability index (ratio of added was determined using the formula N1V1=N2V2.
the COD/BOD of the surfactant sample). This index informs COD was calculated using the formula:
us about the nature of the polluting matters present in the
sample and the extent to which they are biodegradable. The (𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘 − 𝐹𝐴𝑆 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑) × 𝑁𝐹𝐴𝑆 × 8 × 1000
biodegradability index also helps in ascertaining the 𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
effectiveness of the possible biological treatment which can
be given to it. For testing for BOD, distilled water was aerated for 24 hrs
The thresholds for biodegradability are as follows: which was then used for dilution. The reagents used were
COD/BOD < 3 : Easily Biodegradable Sample CaCl2, MgSO4, Phosphate buffer solution and FeCl3 to
3 < COD/BOD < 5 : Fairly Biodegradable Sample which cultured bacteria were added to form seed water or
COD/BOD > 5 : Not easily biodegradable or even no dilution water. The sample volume and the dilution water
degradability shown were divided into three bottles, out of which one bottle was
used for the initial stage and the remaining two were used
B. Materials: for the later stage. The samples were kept in the BOD
The materials used for determining the COD and BOD of incubator for 3 days at 27°C, and sodium thiosulphate was
the four surfactants were mercury sulphate, 0.25N potassium used for the titration.
dichromate, concentrated sulphuric acid, silver sulphate
(AgSO4), 0.1 N ferrous ammonium sulphate (FAS), CaCl2,
X. FINDINGS
Table 1: Calculation of COD for all four surfactant samples
Sample Volume Volume used Volume used for Normality
Sr No Sample Description Parameter taken (ml) for Blank (ml) Sample(ml) of Result
(V) (V2) (V1) (N)
Styryl Phenol Ethelene
1 Oxide Condensate COD 0.5 28.0 15.7 0.08929 1757227
(Sample-1)
Triethanolamine Lauryl
2 COD 2 28.0 1.4 0.08929 950046
Sulphate (Sample-2)
Lauryl Alcohol Ethelene
3 Oxide Condensate COD 0.5 28.0 7.4 0.08929 2942998
(Sample-3)
APSA-80 (Sample-4)
4 COD 1 28.0 1.1 0.08929 1921521

Table 2: Blank Value Calculation of BOD for all four surfactant samples
Sr No Sample Description Parameter Initial DO of Blank B1 Final DO Of blank B2
Styryl Phenol Ethelene Oxide
1 BOD 7.3 6.9
Condensate (Sample-1)
Blank value(B) =0.4
Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulphate
2 BOD 7.3 6.9
(Sample-2)
Blank value(B)= 0.4
Lauryl Alcohol Ethelene Oxide
3 BOD 7.3 6.9
Condensate (Sample-3)
Blank value(B) =0.4
4 APSA-80 (Sample-4) BOD 7.3 6.9
Blank value(B) =0.4

Note: Blank value (B) for all samples = B1-B2 = 7.3 – 6.9 = 0.4

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DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.B3319.0211322 and Sciences Publication (BEIESP)
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 Biosurfactants and Their Biodegradability: A Review and Examination

Table 3: Calculation of BOD for all four surfactant samples

Initial DO of Final DO Of
Sr mL Sample
Sample Description Sample sample Factor Result
No used (V)
C1 C2
Styryl Phenol Ethylene Oxide
1 6.7 3.7 0.9995 0.5 519740
Condensate (Sample-1)
C = C1-C2=3
Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulphate
2 6.2 3.0 0.9990 1.0 279720
(Sample-2)
C = C1-C2=3.2
Lauryl Alcohol Ethylene Oxide
3 5.8 2.9 0.9997 0.3 833083
Condensate (Sample-3)
C = C1-C2=2.9
4 APSA-80 (Sample-4) 6.8 2.8 0.9995 0.5 719640
C = C1-C2=4.0

Table 4: Calculation of Biodegradability Index

Result
Styryl Phenol Lauryl Alcohol
Triethanolamine
Test Ethelene Oxide Ethelene Oxide APSA-80
Sr no. Parameter Unit Lauryl Sulphate
Method Condensate Condensate (Sample 4)
(Sample 2)
(Sample 1) (Sample 3)
IS 3025
Chemical
(Part 58):
1. Oxygen mg/L 1757227 950046 2942998 1921521
2006 RA
Demand
2017
IS 3025
Biological
(Part
2. Oxygen mg/L 519740 279720 833083 719640
44):1993
Demand
RA 2019
3. COD/BOD 3.3809 3.3964 3.5326 2.6701

The findings show that Sample 4 has the lowest COD/BOD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ratio (2.6701) due to which it falls in the range of “easily
biodegradable sample”. Sample 1, 2 and 3 have COD/BOD The authors are grateful to Dr. Shibu G. Pillai, Assistant
ratios of 3.3809, 3.3964 and 3.5326 respectively which falls Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of
in the range of “fairly biodegradable sample”. Thus, Sample Technology, Nirma University, for his invaluable guidance
4, Amway APSA-80, the only biosurfactant is more easily in conducting the research project that led to the publication
biodegradable than the other three chemical surfactants of this paper.
Styryl Phenol Ethelene Oxide Condensate, Triethanolamine
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 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958 (Online), Volume-11 Issue-3, February 2022

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 Biosurfactants and Their Biodegradability: A Review and Examination

AUTHOR’S PROFILE
Shrey Patel is currently pursuing his undergraduate
degree of Bachelor’s in Technology in Chemical
Engineering from Nirma University, Ahmedabad. He
has completed his schooling from Eklavya School,
Ahmedabad. His research focuses on bio-based
surfactants and their biodegradability. His research
interest also lies in the field of polymers and allied
products which are eco-friendly. He is a member of
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Kaashvi Kharawala is currently pursuing her

undergraduate degree of Bachelor’s in Technology in
Chemical Engineering from Nirma University,
Ahmedabad. She has completed her schooling from
Eklavya School, Ahmedabad. Her research focuses on
biosurfactants and their biodegradability. She has
research interests in dyes and inks which are
environment friendly. She is a member of American
Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Published By:
Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijeat.B33191211221 Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.B3319.0211322 and Sciences Publication (BEIESP)
Journal Website: [Link] © Copyright: All rights reserved.
11