Investigation of biosurfactant usage in raw wool scouring by response surface methodology

In recent years, there is a growing demand for eco-friendly chemicals for sustainable textiles. This paper examines an eco-friendly chemical, plant-derived biosurfactant, for scouring of raw wool. Box-Behnken response surface experimental design was chosen to study and optimize the influence of process variables; on the whiteness, weight loss and grease content of wool fibers. The regression model provided a good explanation of the relationship among the independent variables and the response. The morphological and chemical changes of wool fibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the effluents was measured in order to determine wastewater quality. The achieved results indicated that the plant-derived biosurfactant Quillaja saponaria saponin could be an environmental friendly alternative for scouring of raw wool