DEVELOPMENT OF NANOFLUID DETERGENT BASED ON TIO2 AND PALM OIL-BASED PRIMARY ALKYL SULPHATE

Abstract

Abstract: Surfactant is widely known as the main active ingredient of detergent.  It derived from petrochemicals that are toxic and non-renewable. Its lack of performance to remove dirt due to random distribution of surfactant is also the limitation of conventional surfactant. Therefore, the necessity of developing detergent based on environmental-friendly surfactant and good dispersing agent effectively rises. Palm-based Primary Alkyl Sulphate (PalmPAS) is a surfactant derived from palm oil that can potentially replace the existing surfactant due to its non-toxic and renewable characteristic. TiO₂ nanoparticle is widely known as a hydrophobic material that can be turned into a hydrophilic when exposed to photon/light source. It is also expected to be a good surfactant dispersing agent without altering the surfactant performance. In addition, TiO₂ can produce powerful oxidizing species which can degrade organic pollutants, including dirt. The aim of the present study is to discuss the PalmPAS-TiO₂ detergent formulation that is expected to effectively remove dirt and degrade the leftover waste. The methods of the research are synthesis of PalmPAS-TiO₂ detergent, PalmPAS and TiO₂ stability test by MBAS method and UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, and detergent performance (detergency). Performance testing analysis of the detergent consists of dirt/Methylene Blue (MB) removal and PalmPAS degradation/leftover waste analysis using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. PalmPAS-TiO₂ concentration that has been synthesized was 0.1, 0.2, to 0.5% of PalmPAS with specific concentration of_. In terms of stability, all concentrations showed good stability. PalmPAS concentration that decreased was less than 2% during 14 days of storage while the precipitation of TiO₂ in the detergent is less than 1% after 3 hours being synthesized. MB removal performance of detergent reached optimum conditions on the composition of 0.4% PalmPAS. Detergency on the cloth reached 93% by stirring the cloth using magnetic stirrer while it only reached 84% if the cloth was washed by soaking.