Laundry+Detergents+and+Enzymes

=__The importance of enzymes in Laundry detergents__=



//Have you ever wondered how washing powders can remove different kinds of stains? Did you notice that some laundry detergents are more efficient than others?// There are two types of washing powders: __biological__ and __non biological__. Let's take a tour in the inside of this last one//.//

__**Biological washing powders**__
[|Enzymes] are a special type of proteins found in every living organism's cells and their job is to facilitate and speed up chemical reaction that are fundamental for life. In digestion. for instance, they accelerate the break down of food. [|(1)]

However, today enzymes are also used in many sectors of industry, such as the production of laundry detergents and washing powders. These are called //biological// laundry products.



As we can see from the two pictures above, enzymes are used to eliminate stains that are usually very hard to remove with standars washing powders, but because each of them is specialized in a specific function, there are various types of enzymes. Proteins, fats and starch are the main stain's components and there's a specific enzyme for each of them: the most commonly used in today's laundry detergents are //proteases//, //lipases// and //amylases.//

The action of protease as the name itself implies, breakes down [|protein] stains such as food and blood by a process called [|Hydrolysis], where a large protein molecule is hydrolyzed: the peptide bonds that hold the molecule together break down and many polypeptides are released. [|(2)] Lipase comes from [|Lipids], and therefore is specialized in the removal of greasy stains, like oils, lipstick signs and shoe polish from your cloth with the use of a relatively low energy.
 * [|Protease:]**
 * [|Lipase:]**

Unlike proteases and lipases the name amylase doesn't really suggest the substance it's specialized in. Amylase is particularly efficient in the removal of starchy stains, therefore it aids the removal of stains like chocolate pudding by speeding up the breakdown of the large [|starch] molecule into smaller segments.
 * [|Amylase:]**

__**What's the difference between Biological and Non Biological washing powders?**__

 * **__Biological__** || __**Non Biological**__ ||
 * Contains Enzymes || No enzymes ||
 * Low temperature [|(Why?)] || High temperature ||
 * More efficient || *Less efficient (?) ||
 * There are still debates on the effectiveness of this statement: some people think that biological washing powders are less efficient than the non biological ones. But one thing is for sure: biological washing powders use less energy because of the low temperature needed. If we tried to use higher temperature on enzymes, they would denaturate. So, biological laundry detergents are less harmful to the environment.
 * There are still debates on the effectiveness of this statement: some people think that biological washing powders are less efficient than the non biological ones. But one thing is for sure: biological washing powders use less energy because of the low temperature needed. If we tried to use higher temperature on enzymes, they would denaturate. So, biological laundry detergents are less harmful to the environment.

__**How do biological washing powders work?[[image:http://img.tfd.com/dict/104/091480-washing-powder.jpg]]**__
The enzymes contained in these biological laundry detergents function as a [|catalyst] which means that they speed up reactions. In this case, they accellerate the rate of breaking down the bonds between large molecules turning them into smaller segments.

This is a simple diagram that outlines the characteristics of an average biological detergent:

Diagram from [|Health and Technology]
 * Biological washing powders and liquids use enzymes to help cleaning
 * //Enzymes// are chemicals that reduce the temperature at which cleaning can be done.
 * The enzyme digests the stains
 * Most stains are biological like sweat and food
 * The enzyme breaks the stain down (//digests//) into chemicals that dissolve easily
 * It is claimed that this saves energy and results in less damage to delicate fabrics.
 * Washing at lower temperatures reduces fuel consumption
 * This reduces the pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels in power stations.
 * Enzymes are produced in large quantities by bacteria cultured in industrial fermenters.
 * Enzymes are covered in a harmless coating to prevent allergic reactions which can cause skin rashes and eczema

__Sources:__
[|http://www.answers.com] [|www.schoolscience.co.uk] [|www.glue.umd.edu] [|www.americanbiosystems.com] [|www.europabio.org]