Nonylphenol ethoxylate degradation in detergents during shelf time, a new exposure pathway, and a perspective on their substitution

Detergents are highly produced pollutants with environmental problems like foam generation and toxic effects in biota. Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) are efficient, economical, and versatile surfactants, used in detergents for more than 40 years due to their detergency capacity. In the environment, NPE biodegrades into the metabolite nonylphenol (NP), classified as an endocrine disruptor. The identification and quantification of 4-NP in a designed detergent and 30 commercially available detergents were performed to prove the degradation of NPE into 4-NP during storage time. This investigation introduces the first evidence of NPE degradation during storage in commercially available detergents, demonstrating a novel exposure pathway in humans that has not been explored before, representing potential human health risks. Therefore, simple, easy, low-cost, and available approaches to remove and substitute NP is paramount. Alkyl polyglucoside (APG) was assessed as a substitute, and the feasibility of this substitution was proven according to physical and chemical properties, cleaning performance, and antimicrobial properties. NPE substitution in detergents is demonstrated as a viable strategy to minimize exposure risks in humans and the environment.

Strawberry Protease as a Laundry Detergent Additive Candidate: Immobilization, Compatibility Study with Detergent Ingredients, and Washing Performance Test

The potential of strawberry-derived protease as a component of laundry detergent is investigated. The compatibility of the enzyme with various surfactants, oxidizing agents, and commercial detergents is tested. The immobilized enzyme prepared by immobilizing Co2+ ions together with the enzyme is also tested. Strawberry crude protease shows high stability in the presence of surfactants frequently used in detergents. The enzyme is found to be relatively stable to oxidizing agents. In addition, it is determined that strawberry protease works in excellent compatibility with different commercial solid and liquid detergents in the Turkish market and also maintains its stability very well. Washing tests based on visual examination also reveal that the enzyme improves the washing performance of the tested detergent. All these properties and high activity at alkaline pH make this enzyme a very strong candidate for use in laundry detergent formulations.

A State-of-the-Art Review of Radioactive Decontamination Technologies: Facing the Upcoming Wave of Decommissioning and Dismantling of Nuclear Facilities

The average share of nuclear energy in electricity production is expected to increase under the background of the global pursuit towards carbon neutrality. Conjugating with its rapid development, the wave of decommissioning and dismantling (D&D) of nuclear facilities is coming. The surface decontamination is a prerequisite to D&D, which will make it easier and reduce the volume of radioactive wastes. However, there are no comprehensive studies on the decontamination methods, which is not helpful for the sustainable development of nuclear energy and environment protection. Therefore, in this work, the current status and future trends of global energy and nuclear energy are first analyzed. Then, various decontamination approaches are comparatively studied, including cleaning mechanisms, application subjects, and intrinsic advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the criteria and factors for selecting a decontamination process, the challenges, and future studies are directed. Among the mechanical methods, laser-based cleaning is high-speed, having automation ability, and thus is promising, although it creates a dust and airborne contaminant hazard. In further studies, factors such as selecting a proper laser facility, optimizing operating parameters, and designing a high-efficiency dust collection system could be studied. Regarding the chemical method, chemical gels are good for decontaminating complex shapes and vertical and overhead surfaces. In addition, they can enhance other decon agents’ efficiency by improving contact time. However, the formulation of colloidal gels is complex and no gel type is useful for all contaminants. Therefore, novel and versatile gels need be developed to enlarge their application field. Combining various decontamination methods will often have better results and thus a reasonable and effective combination of these decontamination methods has become the main direction.

Synergistic behavior of SLS-OPE-10 binary mixtures at their CMC

The micellation behaviour of mixtures of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and octylphenol ethoxylate-10 (OPE-10) was investigated using tensiometry and dye solubilisation. The interaction parameters for the system were determined using Rubingh’s model for non-ideality and the adsorption parameters were calculated. The surfactant mixture was found to behave synergistically in terms of CMC reduction and dye solubilisation. Furthermore, the mixture appears to mimic the adsorption and micellation properties of OPE-10 more closely than SLS, regardless of composition. With this knowledge, and considering that OPE-10 is typically more expensive than SLS, the formulator can now use only a fraction of the required amount of OPE-10 for a given application (instead of using 100% OPE-10), resulting in high performance yet economical products. It was also found that the said mixture exhibits azeotropic behaviour at a certain fixed composition.

Evaluation of Ethoxylated Rapeseed Oil Fatty Acids Methyl Esters as Nonionic Co-Surfactants in Hand Dishwashing Liquids

The effect of ethoxylated rapeseed oil fatty acid methyl esters (ROFAME) on the viscosity, functional properties and skin compatibility of hand dishwashing liquids was analyzed. It was found that, over the test range, both the degree of ethoxylation and concentration in the formulation were essential for the properties of the evaluated products. Among others, this was due to the fact that ROFAME had the favorable effect of modifying the viscosity of these formulations to an acceptable range. The relationship between the concentration and degree of polyaddition of ROFAME on the detergent and foaming properties of the complete formulation was presented, showing their increase in comparison to the reference dishwashing liquid without ROFAME. With respect to the parameters relating to the skin irritant, the degree of skin dryness after dishwashing with the auxiliary surfactants was lower.