CESIMAR - CENPAT   25625
CENTRO PARA EL ESTUDIO DE SISTEMAS MARINOS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Eco-friendly anti-felting treatment of wool top based on biosurfactant and enzymes
Autor/es:
CYNTHIA SEQUEIROS; MARTÍN IGLESIAS; NELDA LILA OLIVERA; SEBASTIÁN GARCÍA
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
Editorial:
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019 vol. 220 p. 846 - 852
ISSN:
0959-6526
Resumen:
Anti-felting processes with low environmental impacts are important for improving wool fiber attributes, especially if fiber is intended for the organic market. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of proteolytic enzymes, alone or in combination with Bacillus subtilis O9 biosurfactant (surfactin), to reduce felting of Merino wool top. Different concentrations of extracellular proteolytic extracts from Bacillus sp. G51 and Bacillus patagoniensis PATO5T were used to treat wool top. As indicated by thefelt-ball test results, a significant decrease in wool felting tendency was achieved using 50 and 150 Enzyme Units (EU)/g wool of PATO5T and G51 proteases, respectively. Neither of these treatments caused a significant reduction in wool tensile strength. The addition of a pre-treatment step with biosurfactantsurfactin, at a concentration above the Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC), further reduced felting tendency of wool. The combination of biosurfactant pre-treatment followed by B. patagoniensis PATO5T protease treatment rendered the significantly smallest felt-ball density (0.049 ± 0.004 g/cm3), without asignificant loss in tensile strength. In PATO5T proteolytic extract, enzyme aggregates >100 kDa account for about 50% of the proteolytic activity. This could reduce the velocity of protease diffusion into wool fiber, promoting its action on wool surface. According to our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates the usefulness of a biosufactant in an environmental-friendly process aimed at reducing wool top felting.