Advanced eco-friendly formulations of guar biopolymer-based textile conditioners

TL;DR

This paper reviews eco-friendly textile conditioners using guar biopolymers to reduce surfactant content, analyzing their physicochemical properties and deposition on fabrics to promote sustainable home-care products.

Contribution

It introduces modified guar biopolymers as a means to develop environmentally friendly fabric conditioners without compromising performance.

Findings

Guar biopolymers influence vesicle stability and rheology.

Modified guar enhances surfactant deposition on cotton fibers.

The methodology quantifies surfactant deposition effectively.

Abstract

Fabric conditioners are household products used to impart softness and fragrance to tex-tiles. They are colloidal dispersions of cationic double chain surfactants that self-assemble in vesicles. These surfactants are primarily derived from palm oil chemical modification. Reducing the content of these surfactants allows to obtain products with lower environmental impact. Such a reduction, without adverse effects on the characteristics of the softener and its performance, can be achieved by adding hydrophilic biopolymers. Here, we review the role of guar biopolymers modified with cationic or hydroxyl-propyl groups on the physicochemical properties of the formulation. Electronic and optical microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray scattering and rheology of vesicles dispersion in absence and in presence of guar biopolymers are analyzed. Finally, the deposition of the new formulation on cotton fabrics is examined through scanning electron microscopy and a new protocol based on fluorescent microscopy. With this methodology it is possible to quantify the deposition of surfactants on cotton fibers. The results show that the approach followed here can facilitate the design of sustainable home-care products.