Glycine-acyl surfactants prepared from black soldier fly fat, coconut oil and palm kernel oil

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae are a new source of high quality bio-based materials that can be implemented for technical applications. Black soldier fly larvae can be bred in high numbers on small surfaces and on organic waste streams, making large scale industrial breeding possible. Fats from the black soldier fly are very rich in lauric acid and the fatty acid profile resembles that of palm kernel and coconut oil. Therefore, similar applications of black soldier fly fats to these plant-derived oils can be envisaged. The aims of this work were (1) to use black soldier fly fat, palm kernel and coconut oil to synthesize a glycineacyl surfactant by means of a Schotten-Baumann reaction; (2) to determine the yield and purity of the reaction products; and (3) to determine solubility, foaming capacity, surface tension and critical micelle concentration of the surfactants in comparison to a commercially-available glycine-coconut oil surfactant, Amilite GCS-11®. The average yield of each reaction was satisfactory (70% or higher). The in-house synthesized surfactants had a fatty acid profile similar to the fatty acid profile of the initial fat/oil. All in-house synthesized surfactants showed similar properties, regardless of the source of the fat/oil, but they were slightly less performant regarding foaming capacity compared to the commercial surfactant. It is concluded that black soldier fly fats are a proper alternative to coconut or palm kernel oil to prepare glycineacyl surfactants.