Comparative Evaluation Between a Non-toxic Biodetergent and a Commercial Degreaser for Industrial Use

Abstract

To clean surfaces contaminated by petrochemicals, industries use products formulated with substances harmful to the environment and the health of workers. Nesse sense, the development of degreasers and non-toxic detergents formulated from natural sources can be a solution. Based on these needs, many companies offer products claiming to be biodegradable, non-toxic and environmentally compatible. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out comparative tests between a biodegradable and non-toxic biodetergent, produced from vegetable inputs and a commercial degreaser with the same purpose. In this sense, the efficiency of the products was evaluated in of tin removing OCB1 fuel oil from smooth and metallic surfaces, the destabilization capacity of heavy oil in was determined in relation to a time of 5 minutes and its toxicity using cabbage seeds (Brassica oleracea) and microcrustacean larvae (Artemia salina) as indicators. The comparative tests between the two formulations demonstrated very satisfactory results in favor of the biodetergent. Regarding the evaluation of the products for OCB1 removal efficiency, the biodetergent showed satisfactory results, with 100% removal of the oil impregnated on smooth and metallic surfaces and 90% for the commercial product. For the destabilization capacity in relation to time, the biodetergent demonstrated total destabilization of the petroderivative in just 2 minutes, whereas the commercial product required twice as long for partial destabilization of the oil. The ecotoxicological tests demonstrated the absence of toxicity of the detergent formulated with biosurfactant and for the commercial degreaser and a mortality rate of 100% was observed for the indicator organisms. Therefore, the biodetergent demonstrates superior efficiency in relation to commercial degreaser and safer and more reliable chemical and toxicological characteristics for human health and the environment.