Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.39, No.6, 1137-1143, 2016
Influence of Processing on the Physical Stability of Multiple Emulsions Containing a Green Solvent
The influence of the emulsification process on the microstructure and physical stability of model water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions formulated with a green solvent and a mixture of amphiphilic copolymers as emulsifiers was investigated. Emulsions were prepared by applying a homogenization step with a rotor-stator device followed by high-pressure homogenization. Viscous flow tests, transmitted light optical microscopy, globule size distribution (GSD), and multiple light scattering (MLS) measurements were carried out. The GSDs obtained were the result of a recoalescence due to overprocessing and the coalescence of inner droplets with the outer water phase. MLS detected a main destabilization mechanism by creaming. The passing of the emulsion through a high-pressure homogenizer (HPH) significantly delayed the creaming process.