Evonik has said it is now the first in the world to use biotech methods for producing industrial-scale quantities of high-quality surfactants.
The achievement has been made possible by over five years of research and a unique combination of expertise in the fields of biotechnology, process engineering, and interfacial chemistry. Evonik scientists from Germany, China, and Slovakia were involved in the project. Evonik is primarily targeting its new biosurfactants at the attractive growth markets for household and personal care products. “Increasing prosperity has meant access to modern cleaning and personal care products for more and more people throughout the world. Biosurfactants promise significant growth and will complement our conventionally manufactured products. Evonik sees itself as a future leader in this market, which is still in its infancy,” explained Hans Henning Wenk, head of research for biobased materials within Evonik’s Nutrition & Care Segment.
The first household cleansers containing Evonik biosurfactants are already available to consumers in supermarkets. These products contain what are known as sophorolipids, which are produced in nature by a yeast and which can be found in the honey produced by bumblebees, among other sources. Evonik produces sophorolipids at Slovenská L’upca in Slovakia, an important production site of the Group for biotechnologically manufactured products. Evonik intends to work closely with key international customers in order to tap into other sophorolipid applications quickly. The company’s scientists are also working to develop other ways of improving the production process. These improvements are expected to allow the company to build even larger plants.
The company also plans to develop and market another class of biosurfactants known as rhamnolipids. These materials have exceptional foam-forming properties, which will open up additional applications as a result. Also under construction at the Slovenská L’upca site is a pilot plant that will produce rhamnolipids through fermentation. Bacteria will be used in this process instead of yeasts.
Evonik biosurfactants meet all of the requirements of modern surfactants. They have good cleaning properties, are gentle on the skin, and completely biodegrade more quickly. At the same time, these materials are even more gentle to aquatic organisms such as algae and daphnia.
