Synergy in the Microbial Cyclic Lipopeptide/Petroleum-Derived Surfactant Mixture Can Reduce the Total Surfactant Consumption

We report the synergistic effect of the addition of a microbial cyclic lipopeptide, surfactin (SF), to the most common petroleum-derived surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The addition of a small amount of SF (0.1 mol %) to an aqueous solution of SDS reduces the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS from 10–3 to 10–6 M order. The addition of SF to SDS at various ratios lowered the surface tension at the CMC of SDS, indicating CMC reduction and, thus, the minimization of total SDS consumption without loss of surface activity. Surface tension measurement and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were conducted to analyze the synergy between SDS and SF in aqueous solutions as a function of composition. The interaction parameters of the mixed monolayer and mixed micelles were negative, indicating the occurrence of attractive interactions between SDS and SF, which were stronger than those among the individual surfactants. Moreover, the surface tension at the CMC, area occupied per surfactant molecule, difference in the interaction parameter, and 1H NMR chemical shift values of the SDS/SF mixtures as a function of their composition exhibited an extremum at a mole fraction of 0.7. These results suggest that SF has the peculiarities of encapsulation of the anionic surfactant of SDS within the inner cavity and can screen the electrostatic repulsion of SDS via the formation of their inclusion complex at SDS:SF = 2:1, which facilitates the formation of mixed monolayers and micelles in a more stable state.