New Application of Emulsification Technology for the SDGs Era
~Reducing waste through control of emulsification and separating~
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Presented by: Yuki Kimura
Introduction
Cosmetics are important products that enrich our lifestyle. On the other hand, in exchange for beauty they have a negative impact on the environment, such as CO2 emissions from manufacturing and large amounts of unused products (cosmetics-loss). Although activities to enable reuse without environmental impact are spreading in many industries, such as the plastics and fashion industries, little action has yet been taken in the cosmetic industry.
Conventional emulsification technology, which achieves high stability and a variety of textures, requires a heating process that enhances the function of the emulsifier to suppresses emulsifier release from the interface once formed. However, in terms of environmental impact, it has the drawbacks of CO2 emission from the heating process during emulsification and cosmetics-loss due to the difficulty to separate the materials from the emulsion.
In a previous study, we developed a new emulsifier -we call it M-polymer- that can emulsify any oil, providing a variety of textures without heating via fine particles formed at under 50 wt%. In other words, by controlling the concentration range, the emulsion may be easily separated.
Therefore, by realizing the recovery and reuse of separated components, we expected that we could establish an innovative production method which emulsifies without heating, separates, recovers and reuses cosmetics on demand, thereby reducing CO2 emission and cosmetics-loss simultaneously.
In this study, we designed a process to release M-polymer from the emulsion surface and reuse it as an emulsifier to control emulsification and separation easily on demand. Then, we evaluated the amount of CO2 emissions reduced by using M-polymer.
Methods
To confirm if emulsion can be separated, water was removed from the emulsion until M-polymer was at a concentration where it cannot form fine particles, above 50 wt%, and the structure of the water-removed emulsion was observed using a Raman microscope. To assess reusability of M-polymer, water was added to dilute M-polymer to less than 50 wt% and then the mixture was homogenized at room temperature. Next, the properties of the recovered emulsion were evaluated.To evaluate reduction of CO2 emission, we calculated the amount of CO2 emissions based on the thermal energy required to manufacture our conventional products and the thermal energy required to manufacture them at room temperature by substituting M-polymer.
Results
We checked if emulsion made from M-polymer could be separated by removing water. The results of the Raman microscopy showed that M-polymer, oil, and water soluble humectant formed individual layers, indicating the emulsion could be easily separated. Next, we checked if separated M-polymer could once again emulsify the concentrated mixture. We were able to successfully create an emulsion at room temperature using the separated M-polymer after only adding water and the properties of the re-emulsion were sufficient for use. Finally, we wanted to check the CO2 emission reduction effect of M-polymer. When we compared the M-polymer based emulsion to our current heat based emulsion using conventional emulsifiers, we found that CO2 emissions could be reduced by a maximum of 70%.
Discussion and conclusion
A very important aspect of reuse of cosmetic materials is to separate emulsions. Our findings indicate that M-polymer can be used as emulsifier which enables emulsification and separation on-demand. In addition, the separated M-polymer was reusable for emulsification. The unique features of M-polymer made it possible by just controlling concentration. By using this feature, CO2 emissions in the production process could be reduced by up to 70% as well. In other words, the M-polymer emulsification technology should enable a process of repeated reuse of materials, which has not been possible with conventional emulsification technologies. Needless to say, since M-polymer can emulsify a wide variety of oils, it is possible to use M-polymer for both current and new products and produce various textures. Here, we propose this cyclic production system as a "round-flow production system". By sharing this concept across corporate boundaries and establishing it in the cosmetics industry, we hope that it will serve as an inspiration for other industries that deal with emulsification to adopt the system for global sustainability from the perspective of the entire product life cycle.
Cosmetics are important products that enrich our lifestyle. On the other hand, in exchange for beauty they have a negative impact on the environment, such as CO2 emissions from manufacturing and large amounts of unused products (cosmetics-loss). Although activities to enable reuse without environmental impact are spreading in many industries, such as the plastics and fashion industries, little action has yet been taken in the cosmetic industry.
Conventional emulsification technology, which achieves high stability and a variety of textures, requires a heating process that enhances the function of the emulsifier to suppresses emulsifier release from the interface once formed. However, in terms of environmental impact, it has the drawbacks of CO2 emission from the heating process during emulsification and cosmetics-loss due to the difficulty to separate the materials from the emulsion.
In a previous study, we developed a new emulsifier -we call it M-polymer- that can emulsify any oil, providing a variety of textures without heating via fine particles formed at under 50 wt%. In other words, by controlling the concentration range, the emulsion may be easily separated.
Therefore, by realizing the recovery and reuse of separated components, we expected that we could establish an innovative production method which emulsifies without heating, separates, recovers and reuses cosmetics on demand, thereby reducing CO2 emission and cosmetics-loss simultaneously.
In this study, we designed a process to release M-polymer from the emulsion surface and reuse it as an emulsifier to control emulsification and separation easily on demand. Then, we evaluated the amount of CO2 emissions reduced by using M-polymer.
Methods
To confirm if emulsion can be separated, water was removed from the emulsion until M-polymer was at a concentration where it cannot form fine particles, above 50 wt%, and the structure of the water-removed emulsion was observed using a Raman microscope. To assess reusability of M-polymer, water was added to dilute M-polymer to less than 50 wt% and then the mixture was homogenized at room temperature. Next, the properties of the recovered emulsion were evaluated.To evaluate reduction of CO2 emission, we calculated the amount of CO2 emissions based on the thermal energy required to manufacture our conventional products and the thermal energy required to manufacture them at room temperature by substituting M-polymer.
Results
We checked if emulsion made from M-polymer could be separated by removing water. The results of the Raman microscopy showed that M-polymer, oil, and water soluble humectant formed individual layers, indicating the emulsion could be easily separated. Next, we checked if separated M-polymer could once again emulsify the concentrated mixture. We were able to successfully create an emulsion at room temperature using the separated M-polymer after only adding water and the properties of the re-emulsion were sufficient for use. Finally, we wanted to check the CO2 emission reduction effect of M-polymer. When we compared the M-polymer based emulsion to our current heat based emulsion using conventional emulsifiers, we found that CO2 emissions could be reduced by a maximum of 70%.
Discussion and conclusion
A very important aspect of reuse of cosmetic materials is to separate emulsions. Our findings indicate that M-polymer can be used as emulsifier which enables emulsification and separation on-demand. In addition, the separated M-polymer was reusable for emulsification. The unique features of M-polymer made it possible by just controlling concentration. By using this feature, CO2 emissions in the production process could be reduced by up to 70% as well. In other words, the M-polymer emulsification technology should enable a process of repeated reuse of materials, which has not been possible with conventional emulsification technologies. Needless to say, since M-polymer can emulsify a wide variety of oils, it is possible to use M-polymer for both current and new products and produce various textures. Here, we propose this cyclic production system as a "round-flow production system". By sharing this concept across corporate boundaries and establishing it in the cosmetics industry, we hope that it will serve as an inspiration for other industries that deal with emulsification to adopt the system for global sustainability from the perspective of the entire product life cycle.