HiProSoph – High productivity Sophorolipid manufacturing for rapid market expansion

There is increasing industrial, regulatory and consumer sentiment towards to the use of greener alternatives for a range of everyday products with a particular focus on formulated non-food items (with over 73% of eco-consumers researching environmentally-friendly credentials of household cleaning and personal care products, compared to only 61% for food products, GlobalWebIndex, 2018).

It is a key strategy for the government, associations and manufacturers to provide bio-based alternatives to surfactants as a key components in such cleaning and formulated products. Bio-based replacements for synthetic surfactants (petroleum/vegetable/animal-derived) have existed since the 1990's, however, their current production process suffers from a range of limitations including low productivity (<2 gL-1h-1), high energy costs, high water usage, significant waste-water production and downstream processing requirements that lead to a high price point, limiting the full potential of market adoption.

Holiferm aims to test the feasibility of their larger-scale novel gravity separation technique by designing a demonstration plant for the production of sophorolipids (key target molecule in synthetic surfactant replacement activities in household cleaning and laundry applications) at a cost-effective price point with a facility capable of producing 1000t per annum before building an industrial-scale plant. Alongside this, The University of Manchester will undertake feedstock development work to reduce dependence on food-grade feedstocks, focussing on lower-grade or even waste-streams. Holiferm's technology enables a step-change in the cost of sophorolipid production, allowing manufacturers of formulated products to overcome current adoption barriers, passing savings onto potential users and consumers. Holiferm have engaged with Star Brands, a leading household cleaning and laundry care formulation company, to undertake initial preliminary formulation work, testing and validation to ensure market viability for material produced within the demonstration plant.

With market need validated (through discussion with end-users such as Dow, Henkel, BASF and Star Brands) and building on a prior Innovate UK ICURe proof of concept study, this project will proceed to validate a pilot scale process. This novel solution has the potential to completely revolutionise the way in which sophorolipids are manufactured, allowing wide-scale adoption of biosurfactants through a reduction in price for low-value high-volume applications. Holiferm's technology is also inherently applicable to a range of biofermentation process for biosurfactants and other molecules including Mannosylerythritol Lipids (MELs) and Rhamnolipids, providing large cost saving potential. This innovative solution has the potential for global exploitation in a range key sectors and will reduce the environmental impact of synthetic surfactants whilst being cost-competitive.