Alliance Biosurfactants

The aim of the innovation alliance is to produce function-optimized biosurfactants economically using biotechnological methods from domestic renewable raw and residual materials. The production and purification of such biosurfactants are to be optimized so that they can be used as an alternative to chemically synthesized surfactants in the application areas of detergents and cleaning agents, cosmetics, bioremediation, plant protection and food. To achieve this goal, renowned companies and research institutions in Germany have joined forces strategically for the first time, forming a globally unique innovation alliance in the field of biosurfactants since 2018.

Funding period:

Phase 1: 01.01.2018 – 28.02.2021

Phase 2: 01.07.2021 – 30.06.2024

Reference number:

031B0469M (Phase 1) und 031B1059M (Phase 2)

Within the innovation alliance, various biosurfactants are produced fermentatively or enzymatically. By using different microorganisms, enzymes and raw materials, the surface-active properties can be varied over a wide range, thus optimizing the functional properties. With the help of this structure-based development, biosurfactants with application-adapted functional properties are to be defined and produced. Throughout the entire process chain, a sustainability analysis and assessment of the renewable raw materials used, the processes used and the products manufactured as well as an evaluation of the technological maturity, economic viability and market relevance of the products developed will accompany the development.

During the first funding phase, the provision of regionally available raw materials containing sugar, fat and oil was examined, various microorganisms for the production of different biosurfactant classes were investigated and promising candidates were selected for subsequent process development on a laboratory scale. The process development included the optimization of the microbial and enzymatic production of different biosurfactant structure variants on the one hand and the further development of product processing to obtain purified biosurfactants on the other. The biosurfactants were then made available for technical application tests and potential areas of application were identified. The work was accompanied by life cycle assessments and techno-economic evaluations.

In the second funding phase, a gradual scaling up to the next orders of magnitude is to be made possible by further developing the fermentation and treatment processes with regard to robust, controllable processes and simplified treatment methods. Unknown biological characteristics and a lack of equipment or technical developments on a larger scale pose considerable risks for an early scale-up to the m³ scale. For example, uncontrolled foaming, overdosing of feed or depletion of essential nutritional components can occur during fermentation. This leads to non-reproducible biosurfactant synthesis or to the process coming to a standstill. If we look at the purification stage, complex processing is often the biggest cost driver. Here, existing and innovative technologies need to be investigated, combined and optimized so that the number of biosurfactant purification steps is minimized. The partners will focus on this holistic process-related risk and cost minimization in the second project phase.  In addition, open questions within the performance profiles of individual application areas are to be answered in detail by providing larger sample quantities.

Beck, A., and Zibek, S. (2020). Growth Behavior of Selected Ustilaginaceae Fungi Used for Mannosylerythritol Lipid (MEL) Biosurfactant Production – Evaluation of a Defined Culture Medium. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.555280

Oraby, A., Werner, N., Sungur, Z., and Zibek, S. (2020). Factors Affecting the Synthesis of Cellobiose Lipids by Sporisorium scitamineum. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.555647

Beck, A., Vogt, F., Hagele, L., Rupp, S., and Zibek, S. (2022). Optimization and Kinetic Modeling of a Fed-Batch Fermentation for Mannosylerythritol Lipids (MEL) Production With Moesziomyces aphidis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 10, 913362. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.913362

Oraby A, Rupp S and Zibek S (2022) Techno-Economic Analysis as a Driver for Optimisation of Cellobiose Lipid Fermentation and Purification. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 10:913351. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.913351

Oraby, Amira, Isabell Weickardt, and Susanne Zibek. "Foam fractionation methods in aerobic fermentation processes." Biotechnology and Bioengineering 119.7 (2022): 1697-1711. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.28102