TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Coatings
Evonik officially inaugurates its new sustainable biosurfactant plant together with key customers in Slovakia. The triple-digit million-euro facility is the first worldwide to manufacture industrial-scale quantities of rhamnolipid biosurfactants.
Huge Potential in Coatings Industry
The exceptionally high-quality, sustainable biosurfactants are already transforming the cleaning, beauty, and personal care industries. It has huge potential in
coatings, animal nutrition, agriculture, and many other applications.
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We go beyond to create entirely new solutions and drive the sustainable transformation across multiple industries. Our leadership, based on systems thinking and a shared vision with our customers, has made this scalable action possible,” said Christian Kullmann, CEO of Evonik.
Evonik has been leading the development of industrial-scale biosurfactants with its IP-protected, fermentation-based process for rhamnolipid production. Rhamnolipids are made from renewable corn feedstocks using a biotechnological process. This yields a high-performing, non-toxic, biodegradable biosurfactant. Rhamnolipids are increasingly in demand because they provide a sustainable alternative to surfactants based on fossil sources or tropical oils.
By 2030, Evonik aims to have invested more than €3 billion in next generation solutions – products with superior sustainability benefits. One example is the biosurfactant technology platform that Evonik is building to serve diverse industries.
The new facility is based at Evonik Fermas, the company’s site in Slovenská Ľupča, Slovakia. Biotechnology capabilities at the site have been built up over many decades. This makes it the logical choice for the first industrial-scale rhamnolipid production facility. This reinforces the position of Evonik Fermas as a biotechnology scale-up and launch platform for Evonik.
Source: Evonik