Understanding interactions between surfactants and enzymes - in the pursuit of greener detergents
PhD defence, Friday, 7th February 2025, Marcos López Hernández
During his PhD studies, Marcos López Hernández researched the proteins used in laundry detergent and their interactions with different biosurfactants. Synergies between surfactants and enzymes are responsible for the low temperature efficiency of laundry detergents used nowadays, and use of biosurfactants instead of the surfactants derived from petrochemical sources can have a great impact on improving the environmental. Enzymes are responsible for reducing the complexity of stains and help surfactants solubilize them. Marcos López Hernández used advanced small-angle X-ray scattering modeling approaches and other biophysical techniques to study the changes in enzymatic structure and activity occurring due to the presence of biosurfactants compared with other anionic surfactants.
The new research findings contribute to the understanding of how kinetically stable proteins are resistant to harsh anionic surfactants and will help designing new greener laundry formulations.
The PhD study was completed at Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.
This summary was prepared by the PhD student.
Time: Friday, 7th February 2025 at 13:15
Place: Building 1593, room 012, iNANO Auditorium, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus
Title of PhD thesis: Understanding Laundry Formulations for Sustainable Washing: Interactions and Synergies between Surfactants and Enzymes
Contact information: Marcos López Hernández, e-mail: marcoslh@inano.au.dk, tel.: +45 55240202
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate Professor Annette Eva Langkilde, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Senior Researcher Niki Baccile, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, France
Associate Professor Elena Ferapontova (chair), Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Professor Jan Skov Pedersen, Department of Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Professor Daniel Otzen, Department of Molecular Biology and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English
The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C