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| USDA-ARS chemists working on new biosurfactant yeasts |
In the new technology session, presenters will include Solazyme, LS9, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Codexis, P2 Science and Amyris as well as viewpoints from cleaning products manufacturers P&G Chemicals.
I will tweet from that conference (hopefully there's wifi available) via @ICISChemicalBiz. In the meantime, here are two interesting developments on biobased surfactants that the blog has been keeping in its draft for months now.
One is this company called AGAE Technologies LLC, which has shipped its first laboratory research-grade biosurfactant called rhamnolipid that is used in environmental remediation, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, etc. AGAE started in May 2011 and has licensed this biosurfactant technology from the Oregon State University.
Rhamnolipids can be produced by fermenting a C18 fatty acid source using a certain bacteria, and mannosylerythritol lipids, which can be produced via microbial conversion of glycerin. I first wrote about this biosurfactant (and saphorolipids) in 2010 on ICIS Chemical Business, where Germany-based Henkel and Belgium-based Ecover were also looking into it.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also been working on rhamnolipids (and saphorolipids) while US-based Janeil Biosurfactant has already been selling laboratory research-grade rhamnolipids as well.
Please continue reading at: http://www.icis.com/blogs/green-chemicals/2012/03/green-surfactants-update.html
