Evonik, a Slovakian company manufactures first product from world’s first industrial scale rhamnolipid biosurfactant plant.
- Surfactants – surface active agents – are amphiphilic molecules, which tend to accumulate at the interface between polar and non-polar solvents.
- Rhamnolipids are a class of glycolipid biosurfactants that are sustainably manufactured via a fermentation process using European corn sugar as the main raw material. This biogenic, carbon-based process does not require petrochemical feedstocks or tropical oils. So, it is sustainable.
- It is naturally produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They are composed of one or two rhamnose molecules linked to beta-hydroxy fatty acid chains.
Read more on this article.
Other industries involved in biosurfactant productions are:
- Givaudan: A Swiss manufacturer of fragrances and flavors that uses biosurfactants as natural emulsifiers and solubilizers.
- Ecover: A Belgian company that produces eco-friendly cleaning products that contain biosurfactants, such as alkyl Poly glucosides and sophorolipids.
- Jeneil: A US company that specializes in the production of rhamnolipids, a type of biosurfactant that has antimicrobial and anti-adhesive properties.
- Croda International PLC: A UK company that manufactures specialty chemicals and biosurfactants, such as sorbitan esters, sucrose esters, and glycolipids.
- Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation: A Japanese company that produces biosurfactants from vegetable oils, such as sucrose fatty acid esters and glycerol fatty acid esters.
The market for biosurfactant is anticipated to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% to 11.0% from 2023 to 2028, when it is likely to reach a projected value of USD 3.6 billion to USD 6.04 billion.
More on market trends for biosurfactants here.
More on Rhamnolipids from here.