New Structured Emulsions Based on Renewable Resources Generated by Leather and Fur Industry, with Application in Agriculture

The paper is focused to development of new structured emulsions, based on bolaform and gemini surfactants and collagen, keratin additives, with applications in agriculture as foliar fertilizers. Collagen and keratin are renewable resources generated by leather and fur industry. The preparation of new emulsions was based on optimisation of main parameters system: composition, emulsifiers, shearing speed and temperature in a two-stage process. The used lipophilic nonionic emulsifier is a long chain fatty acid ester-isopropyl oleate, the hydrophilic emulsifier is a diester of sucrose and a vegetable oil in order to obtain a multiple water-oil-water emulsion due to the ability of surfactants to orient and make honeycomb formations. The saturation of an aqueous solution of collagen and keratin hydrolysates with microelements was done up to 40% by using 2% of diester of sucrose. Due to biodegradability, nontoxicity, adherence to surfaces, surfactants based on sugar may used as fertilizers in agriculture. We have elaborated a new method for including microelements and collagen or keratin hydrolysates in emulsions, with application as a new class of foliar fertilizer. Experiments regarding the nutritional and biostimulation capacity on plant growth, were performed with dilutions of these new structured emulsions on wheat seeds (Tamino and Mirastar type) and plants. The germination of wheat seeds was monitored and a stimulation effect was recorded against the control samples. The use of new emulsions in foliar fertilization of wheat plants indicated an increase in plant length as compared to the water-treated control samples, which demonstrates a stimulating growth effect.