The detergent has the ability to turn on - off

Thanh Van

Australian researchers have developed a detergent that can ' turn on ' with a variety of potential applications: from washing powder that hardly requires a cycle of flushing to eyewash does not cause difficulty. bear to increase oil production that companies can draw from wells.

This unusual product, released at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, is a biological detergent or surfactant, called a Pepfactant® because it is made from peptides. .

'One of the applications made is a surfactant capable of switching between a washing cycle and a rinse cycle while washing clothes, which means you can remove the soap without having to use a large amount of water, ' said biochemist Annette Dexter. Dr. Annette Dexter was the inventor of the Pepfactant along with chemical engineer Anton Middelberg.

The left vial contains the original emulsion, while the right vial shows the rapid separation of the emulsion into water and oil after adding a new detergent capable of ' toggling '. (Photo: Annette Dexter, the University of Queensland)

' The unique feature of the Pepfactant is that it can' turn on 'or' off 'depending on its application. For example, in washing powder, there is a change in pH between the washing cycle and the flushing cycle. Pepfactant was created to react to that pH change and was added to detergent to reduce the time of flushing, ' Dr. Dexter notes.

During the washing cycle, the pepfactant will be ' on ', allowing the detergent to wash off dirty clothes. During the rinse cycle when the pH changes, the pepfactant will " turn off ", allowing the soap to be removed with a much smaller amount of water than traditional bleach. Similarly, pepfactants are used to extract oil from water and increase the number of oil barrels drawn from the well. ' Currently, only one-third of the underground oil is actually extracted from the well ,' Dr Dexter said.

Compared to traditional surfactants that cost about $ 10 / 1kg, synthetic pepfactants are more expensive, about $ 500 / 1kg . But she said: 'We are trying to lower that price down.'

Despite the high cost, but the huge potential that the pepfactactant has brought about is the industry's information. There has been interest from detergent manufacturers, Ms Dexter said, but she feels the most recent application could be in personal care such as shampoo, conditioner, skin cream or water. handwashing. There will also be potential applications for eye drops.

'Substances with chemical surfactants often cause discomfort to biological tissues. But we can use our peptide surfactant because they are extremely light, so they can be used directly as cleaners. '

According to Dr. Dexter, the potential applications of pepfactant are so great that it is difficult to say which applications will be the first available applications. She hopes that a personal care product will be available in the market within 18 months.