Microemulsions formed with palm oil-based materials as all-purpose spray liquid cleaners for hard surfaces

This article describes the formation of microemulsions by utilising fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and a surfactant or mixed surfactant system derived from palm oil-based oleochemicals. The effects of 1,2 hexanediol as a conventional non-toxic co-surfactant were investigated by observing the ternary phase behaviour of palm oil-based microemulsions for three types of surfactant systems, i.e., fatty alcohol ethoxylates 7EO (FAE 7)mixed surfactants FAE 7 and fatty alcohol ethoxylates 2EO (FAE 2) in a 75:25 ratioand mixed surfactants FAE 7, FAE 2 and methyl ester sulphonate (MES) in a 60:20:20 ratio. The microemulsion (?E) solutions formed were characterised by conductivity, viscosity and droplet-size measurements. The cleaning performance of selected palm oil-based microemulsions as all-purpose spray liquid cleaners for hard surfaces is also reported