Synergistic effect of alkyl-O-glucoside and -cellobioside biosurfactants as effective emulsifiers of crude oil in water. A proposal for the transport of heavy crude oil by pipeline

► We synthesized two series of natural occurring molecules by an innovative approach. ► Such biomolecules present interesting surface properties for emulsification. ► We prepared O/W emulsions of crude oil to facilitate their pipeline transport. ► Such O/W emulsion characteristics vary with the formulation of biosurfactant. ► There is a synergistic effect on the emulsification process with biosurfactant mixtures.