Presence, toxicity and biodegradability of surfactants in nature

Surfaktanti su skupina kemijskih spojeva koji su zbog svojeg amfipatskog karaktera naišli na široku upotrebu u industriji, domaćinstvu, kozmetici, farmaceutskoj industriji, medicini te biološkim istraživačkim laboratorijima diljem svijeta. Zbog toliko široke upotrebe, određeni dio korištenih surfaktanta neizbježno završava u okolišu ispuštanjem u otpadne ili površinske vode iz kojih se dalje procjeđuju u sediment i dublje slojeve tla, ali i sam proces sinteze nepovoljno utječe na onečišćenje okoliša. U većini slučajeva koncentracije surfaktanata ispuštenih u okoliš ne premašuju legalno propisane koncentracije, međutim do negativnih utjecaja na floru i faunu u izloženih područjima može doći i pri niskim koncentracijama. Najproblematičniji su QAC koji su pokazali najveću toksičnost za vodene organizme, međutim danas nastaje sve više alternativnih rješenja poput gemini QAC, kao i zelenih surfaktanata koji posjeduju istu, ako ne i veću moć smanjenja površinske napetosti, ali su ekološki prihvatljivi kako u procesu sinteze, tako i u procesu (bio)razgradnje. Napretkom razvoja znanosti zasigurno će doći i do novih otkrića glede otkrića mehanizma djelovanja, ali i sinteze i razgradnje novih, ekološki prihvatljivijih surfaktanata.Surfactants are widely used chemical compounds regarding its amphiphilic character. They are used in industry, household, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, medicine as well as in many biology research laboratories all around the world. Because of them being ubiquitous, a great deal of them inevitably ends up in environment. Surfactants are being released via wastewaters as well as being directly released in surface waters from which they percolate in sediment and soil. The surfactant synthesis process affects environmental pollution as well. In most cases environment released surfactant concentrations aren't above the toxicity level, however, even low concentrations are able to harm flora and fauna in the „exposed“ area. The most troubling are QACs. They have shown the highest toxicity rate on aquatic organisms. On the other hand, as each day passes by many new surfactants as gemini and green surfactants, are being invented. Their cleaning power is as good, if not better, as the standard surfactants cleaning power and they are biofriendly regarding both the synthesis and (bio)degradation process. As science moves forward there will surely emerge new revelations related to the mechanisms, synthesis and degradation of new, environmental friendly surfactants