LAUSR

In this work, we explore a novel application for rhamnolipid (RHL) biosurfactants as emulsifiers for water-in-oil microemulsions, focused on enhancing the state of the art of oil hydrolysis in emulsion systems. We show that RHL can form microemulsions with a stability comparable to that provided by the widely used synthetic surfactant bis(2-ethylhexil) sulfosuccinate (AOT). In addition, we test RHL-based microemulsions as reaction media for the enzymatic hydrolysis of waste frying oil (WFO) to produce added-value products. To this aim, we analyze the influence on the hydrolysis degree of several key parameters, such as the amount of cosurfactant, the water/surfactant molar ratio, and the oil volume fraction in the organic phase. Remarkably, under the same conditions RHL leads to a hydrolysis degree 35% higher than that of AOT. Furthermore, RHL also increases the average hydrolysis rate and shows an extraordinary enhancement of the enzyme stability in comparison to that of AOT. Our results demonstrate that...