Removal of Motor Oil Stain from Cotton Fabric by Using Nonionic Surfactant Brij-30 and Its Effect on Biodegradation by Bacteria

• Main Author: Bibiana, Pojen
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2015
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QD Chemistry
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/33457/1/Bibiana%20%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/33457/

This project describes on the removal of motor oil stain from fabric by using Brij-30 surfactant and its effect on biodegradation by bacteria. The selection of surfactant to remove the oil is important by considering its effect on environment. Brij-30 surfactant was used as it is biodegradable regarding on its nonionic properties. In addition to this study, there are few parameters being studied which are concentration of surfactant, shaking speed and time, types of oil and biodegradability effect. At the end of this project, it was determined that Brij-30 surfactant was efficient in removing oil stain from cotton fabric which was proven by FTIR. The efficient conditions for the oil removal from fabric are at 0.004 mM for fresh motor oil and 0.008 mM for used motor oil. The result from the biodegradable test shows that the oil can be degraded.