Solubilization of active molecules in microemulsions for improved environmental protection

Various industries including food and pharmaceuticals are sharing increasing interest in microemulsions. Also, one can demonstrate that solubilization of active materials within the core or interface of microemulsions may have environmental benefits.

In this work, we report three examples of new microemulsion formulations specially designed to be capable of solubilizing active materials and protecting the environment from the emission of hazardous matter or protecting sensitive molecules from the detrimental effects of the environment.

In the first example, fire-resistant ingredients were incorporated in hydraulic fluids based on water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions and their typical characteristics were described. In the second example, five-component oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsions were designed to solubilize lycopene and protect it from exposure to light. In the third example, a friendly solvent (butyl lactate) was microemulsified to form nanosized liquid droplets capable of solubilizing bromine-based bactericide formulations of sophisticated wood preservatives.

The new vehicles exhibit a very significant solubilization capacity and can be applied in aqueous media. In the last example, the active matter may be triggered when demanded and the release will be followed by film formation.