Of the materials that go into specialty chemicals, 90% are derived from fossil materials. Although the use of biobased feedstocks is increasing, processes to derivatise and purify materials in a sustainable, cost-effective manner are lacking. This project aims to address this by scaling alternative filtration techniques for biopolymers, thus ensuring that biobased materials are used in the most efficient manner, increasing yields, reducing waste and in turn reducing emissions. Proteins also known as biopolymers, are substances that are present in all living matter. They are found in nature in an insoluble form, which can be processed to create ingredients that provide functional benefits. Nature offers a wealth of protein sources for chemical applications. Some examples include wheat, soy, potato, and oat, with the industry moving to using predominantly 'wastes' of these feedstocks. Croda are a FTSE 100 specialty chemicals producer, founded 100 years ago in Yorkshire, with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation. In many of our current products we use bio-based raw materials, with around two-thirds of our materials already coming from these sources. Proteins are extremely versatile materials used in a variety of applications which span crop protection products to drug delivery to cosmetics. Croda have a long history of producing biopolymers, many of which are made at our Widnes site in the UK. In 1976 we launched a protein derivative which would come to be the first in a long line of market-changing protein-based products that revolutionised hair care. To make proteins useful, they are processed and further derivatised using both chemicals and enzymes. Once this has been done, the material needs to be filtered, to extract the useful protein-based product. The efficiency of the filtration process dramatically influences yield, with a large amount of waste 'biobased' material being generated. This is a challenge faced by many users of natural derived materials, hence new technologies are needed that improve filtration, in a way which minimises waste production, valorising as much of the biomass input as possible. Croda have already conducted a number of trials at lab scale to try and improve the filtration for our biopolymer products. The technologies which are being process to pilot scale are more cost effective and have significant yield improvements. This lowers the carbon footprint of these biobased materials primarily with Scope 3 savings. The funding money would be used to put in the necessary engineering changes to trial these technologies.

The development of gene therapies holds immense significance for medical innovation. Yet, the realization of their full therapeutic impact hinges on the urgent need for technological advancements that can further improve drug product (DP) quality and efficacy. Formulation, the penultimate operation prior to final fill, is crucial for robust stability that can impact product shelf-life, therapeutic delivery and potency. However, the complexity and resource investment required, coupled with a lack of comprehensive understanding of formulation science and best-practice for stability characterisation to ensure appropriate product quality control, have hindered progress. To overcome and address formulation and stability characterisation challenges, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC) established a consortium leveraging expertise of key industry stakeholders, including a therapy developer (Ikarovec), specialist chemicals company (Croda), and academic research institution (UCL), each contributing their expertise, capabilities, and assets to deliver tangible solutions that will benefit the wider cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry. Following industry assessment, this project's activities represent novelty, depth and scale beyond what is currently being performed and will be foundational for future consortium activities aiming to benefit manufacturers across the industry.

To move the home care products industry to more resource efficient and sustainable products, a major programme of new ingredient discovery and replacement is required. In SimPol we will specifically target the replacement of petrochemical-derived acrylate rheology control polymers with renewable polymers for use in laundry detergents. Polymer and formulation design are major bottlenecks in innovation for manufactured goods such as laundry detergents. Polymers have multiple variables which can be tailored to change the polymer properties and there can be 20 or more ingredients in a given laundry formulation, any of which may interact in ways which are currently difficult to predict. New polymers also need to biodegrade when released into the environment to avoid undesirable chemical accumulation. SimPol will deploy leading-edge digital methods to help scientists design new functional and biodegradable polymers, and to predict their interactions in laundry detergent formulations. Outcomes from the project will include: 1.Synthesis of candidate renewable polymers which will be tested in formulations to confirm the validity of the digital predictions 2.Packaged digital protocols made available via an App that scientists can use in future polymer development projects 3.A case study of the application of digital tools to new material and formulation design Simpol will impact on the Liverpool City Region manufacturing cluster by developing novel 100% renewable and biodegradable polymers which would be manufactured in the region by Croda at their plant in Ditton, Widnes. These would displace imported acrylate polymers currently used in laundry detergent manufacturing by Unilever at their Port Sunlight factory. SimPol will also leave a powerful legacy, the SimPol App, an easy to use and interface connected to powerful simulation technologies, for further polymer discovery for other applications and products.

This project is about the development of a new business model and capability to enable the utilisation of industrial waste gases from the foundation industries, to generate affordable feedstocks and chemicals for use in the production of consumer products in the UK. Such an industrial symbiosis model will displace the import of non-sustainable materials from outside of the UK currently used to supply the consumer goods industry thus building a new UK value chain whilst simultaneously helping to mitigate the waste emissions from the foundation industries (specifically paper, chemicals, and steel). Aside from the technical aspects of the project, additionally, the business model development will frame the economic incentives that will likely be required to make the model work (e.g., carbon taxes on imports of fossil-based materials). The project will uniquely bring together partners from across the whole supply/value chain to achieve this.

Seed coatings increase agricultural productivity; improve seed handling; reduce dust formation; increase flowability of seeds through planters; protect seeds from pests and diseases; provide fungicides and pesticides; increase germination and plant growth; and, deliver active ingredients and beneficials. However, most seed coatings rely on petroleum-derived polymers, which release microplastics in agricultural soils. These microplastics are considered an emerging threat to soil stability, crop development, biodiversity, and ecosystem function and are expected to be banned in Europe by 2027\. Working with Croda International and researchers at NIAB, Xampla will develop a bio-based, biodegradable and microplastic-free replacement for conventional petroleum-derived seed coatings.

The world has changed markedly with respect to transparency and need to know in the last years, particularly in relation to Personal Care formulated goods. Market trends for; cruelty-free, biodegradable, natural, 'free-from', coupled with increased social media and online influencers, growth in independent cosmetic companies and the need for established formulators to protect their brand image has meant "what" a product is, what it contains, and where it came from is as important as "how does it work". This project will explore the feasibility of developing a digital supply chain platform that is accessible to all in the Personal Care supply chain which furnishes Brand Owners with the data they require to support consumer needs. The platform will be developed by a UK-based technology start-up working with to UK based manufacturing companies producing specialty ingredients for Personal Care sector.

Driven by a range of sustainability challenges such as climate change, resource depletion and an expanding population, a circular bioeconomy concept is emerging which envisages the use and re-use of sustainable resources to meet pressing societal needs. This will accelerate in the coming decades, with biorefineries and bio-based products as key cornerstones. This in turn demands the development of new technologies to replace fossil resources as the primary feedstocks; such technologies will only be adopted at suitable scale if the economics are right for all involved. Levwave seeks to explore an innovative and highly efficient technology to produce a key sustainable chemical, levulinic acid (LA) by using aqueous streams available in the paper industry. LA has been identified as one of the top-10 bio-based chemicals. Seen as a "platform" molecule it can displace the use of fossil resources in many applications including as a green solvent, precursor for the production of advanced polymers, pharmaceuticals, additives and other commodity chemicals we all rely on. However, there is no current production in the UK. A project team with outstanding and complementary expertise has been assembled, this contains all the necessary expertise in science, technology, process design, techno-economic and environmental impact assessment and spans the entire value chain. At the heart of this concept is the microwave assisted catalytic transformation of aqueous biomass containing streams into LA. The biochar also be produced will be assessed for energy generation. The basic concept has been demonstrated by the University partner. There are several innovative aspects of this project; the impact of advanced catalysts on process and product will be assessed, the scale up to a continuous process will be studied and the end uses of the products will be investigated. These combined activities will provide data that will inform techno-economic and environmental assessments that will determine the commercial viability of the process from the perspective of both the paper and chemical sectors. This critical new data will be a key output of the project and allow a follow on to be structured accordingly, focussing on the critical aspects. This project clearly responds to the ISCF call to bring together two foundation industry sectors to explore mutually beneficial technology developments that would not occur independently. Longer term the production of this key platform molecule will drive the national ambition to become leaders in low carbon, sustainable manufacturing and create regionally distributed, highly skilled manufacturing jobs.

The project will enable PET bottle manufacturing to be conducted in a more efficient and sustainable manner, with the use of a novel additive. To do this Croda, a multi-national, UK headquartered specialty ingredient supplier will partner with Queen's University Belfast, a leading academic institute in polymer orientation and stretch blow moulding for PET bottles and BOPET films. Croda and Queen's University Belfast and will develop a new additive which will act as a processing aid & slip agent for PET plastic packaging. With the use of this new additive, the bottle manufacturing process will produce fewer rejects (i.e. post-industrial waste), will be conducted at lower temperatures (i.e. energy savings) and will demonstrate reduced coefficient of friction (CoF) on the produced bottles, resulting in reduced downtime often caused by bottle stiction on the conveyor belt. The reduced CoF will also remove the need of externally applied lubricant sprays, which are potential contaminants, making the overall process safer too.

Surfactants are chemicals with both hydrophilic (water loving) and hydrophobic (water hating) regions, which makes them extremely useful for mixing oils and water, stabilising foams and removing dirt from surfaces and laundry. As a result, surfactants are used across a broad array of industrial sectors and products, including laundry detergents and cleaning, personal care (shampoos, hand and body wash liquids), plant protection as wetting agents, in paints and coatings and as emulsifiers in pharmaceuticals. Most of the surfactants available today are substantially derived from fossil fuels. Biobased surfactants could be an alternative but those that are currently available have limited functionality and are typically 3 to 5 times more expensive that fossil-based surfactants. However, customers and consumers are demanding sustainable biobased ingredients and there is a real need now for highly functional, biobased surfactants for an array of applications. This project will demonstrate the potential for a novel family of biobased surfactants, based on the furan headgroup derived from sugars from waste agricultural residues, to replace fossil-derived surfactants. Led by _in silico_ data modelling, a number of furan surfactant variants will be selected for synthesis and testing. A commercially relevant process for manufacturing the lead furan surfactants will be demonstrated at lab scale. Availability of suitable feedstocks and building blocks to manufacture the furan surfactants in the UK will be mapped. Potential furan building block producers, feedstock converters and customers will be invited to engage with the project via a stakeholder board to align Furafact both with the UK chemicals manufacturing industry and customer demands.

"The projects aims are to develop and demonstrate low cost 12V batteries for electrified vehicles. These batteries are used for lighting, security, control of the traction battery management system and other critical features. Generally, in electrified vehicles, these batteries use lead acid technology on account of their low cost and specialised requirements. The consortium is seeking to replace these batteries with lower weight and lower volume batteries of comparable cost and performance based on sodium-ion chemistry, a technology which uses more sustainable and lower cost materials than lithium-ion technology but is otherwise very comparable. The consortium members include Jaguar Land Rover the automotive supplier, Croda the specialty chemicals company who will be developing electrolyte additives, Talga Technologies who will be focussing on natural carbon anodes, Faradion Ltd the developer of sodium-ion batteries and Warwick University home to the Warwick Manufacturing Group and the centre for battery pilot plant manufacturing in the UK.."

Soya is an important crop best known as a source of protein in food production it is however also the primary source of material used to produce biodiesel. Over 30% of the world’s soya is grown in South America from where Europe imports 97% of its soya. Increasing global demand for soya for food and bioenergy production, coupled with concerns over the environmental impact and sustainability of South American production (deforestation, loss of biodiversity and pollution), are driving demands to increase soya yields for a given land area. Soya requires a constant supply of nutrients to ensure the growth of a healthy, high yield, crop. Of particular concern is calcium since deficiency in this element is a serious problem that leaves soya susceptible to pathogens and reduced yields. The aims of this project are to develop new calcium-containing nutrient formulations, and to enhance technology to monitor calcium uptake and distribution in soya plants. This will increase the yield of soy crops resulting in a decrease in land needed.

The aim of this project is to develop advanced antimicrobial coatings to control and prevent biofilm formation, which costs the UK economy tens of billion pounds per annum in damage. The project is led by the global market leader in speciality chemicals, Croda, in collaboration with SME, Scanwel, and the University of Liverpool who provide advanced characterisation tools to help optimise the technology and enable its translation to a number of market sectors.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

Surfactants are surface-active molecules which we encounter daily for instance in cleaning agents or personal care products. The major amount of surfactants is still produced petro-chemically. Surfactants from chemical synthesis based on renewables are on the rise but the required oils originate from tropical plants. Thus there is a special interest in new tailor-made, biodegradable surfactants from renewable substrate flexible processes with native European sustainable resources. Natural biosurfactants, especially glycolipids, can be produced using microbial or enzymatic processes which results in a wide range of molecules with varying sugar groups and hydrophobic lipid moieties. Their unique molecular structure often leads to beneficial effects which create an added value for the desired applications. Only few microbial glycolipids are already manufactured on an industrial scale due to a low microbial productivity of desired glycolipid derivatives and a cost-intensive downstream processing. One aim of SurfGlyco is to enhance the potential of the underexploited microbial glycolipids which show promising yields and an enormous molecular variability. By adjusted feeding strategies and fermentations connected to an effective downstream processing we want to produce tailor-made biosurfactants with optimized performance in various market areas. As second aim SurfGlyco will generate novel glycolipids of varying sugar and lipid components by using highly selective enzymatic reactions under mild reaction conditions. Currently, enzymatic synthesis still suffers from low space-time yields and a narrow range of products. SurfGlyco wants to overcome these problems by using stable enzymes with altered substrate specificities and the use of deep eutectic solvents as non-toxic reaction media which recently have been shown to enable high glycolipid yields.

A collaborative R&D project to design, build & trial a modular unit for the continuous production of a range of market leading surfactants, currently manufactured in the UK by Croda Europe Ltd. Based on patented Continuous Oscillating Baffle Reactor technology, the project will deliver a new process for the manufacture of existing products, with significant improvements in operational & capital costs & process sustainability without impacting product quality. Processes are specifically designed for integration with existing batch manufacturing assets to provide increased capacity without the need for new supporting infrastructure & extended footprint. The consortium believes that the 30% targeted reduction in operational costs, combined with reduced capital requirements will make investment in UK manufacturing a competitive option in a global market. This industry led, four partner consortium (Croda, CPI, UoC IfM & NiTech) will establish technical & commercial viability of the concept; de-risking future commercial investment in the proposed technology. The impact of this strategy to create flexible manufacturing capacity on existing business models will be explored.

Saponins are soap-like substances or surfactants produced by certain plants. They have huge potential as a natural, biobased alternative to petrochemical surfactants for use in detergent products. However, extraction from plants is not economically feasible for use in detergents or sustainable on the basis of land use. This project sets out to establish a sustainable, commercially viable supply chain for the production of saponins in yeast. It tackles complex challenges of developing a yeast strain to produce the saponin at sufficient yield and how to recover the saponin from the fermentation medium. The project will also explore the physical properties of saponins alone and in mixtures with conventional surfactants, and will establish how best to formulate saponins into commercial detergent products for both economy and end results. Finally, the project will explore the safety of saponins using risk assessment methodology and in vitro methods.

To determine the biochemical effects of aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum on biomarkers of skin function and its commercial application towards the modulation and intervention of such effects.

Innovative ICT can play a crucial role in many innovation processes, but its potential is not always exploited in many industries. A route to innovation in chemical using industries is the exploitation of materials in what would otherwise be lost to waste streams from current manufacturing processes. This is interesting both in terms of realising additional value from manufacturing, but also in reduced utilisation of unsustainable material sources and exploitation of novel feedstocks for novel functional materials with new application benefits. This project will develop an information system based on highly innovative information technologies with the capability to rapidly identify the feedstock and functional material opportunities, and demonstrate its value in rapid bio-derived surfactant discovery. The key advances made will be in automation of large scale information analysis and mining, and in development of many-criteria optimisation algorithms to pin point innovative candidate materials from the very large numbers of possible options

Innovative ICT can play a crucial role in many innovation processes, but its potential is not always exploited in many industries. A route to innovation in chemical using industries is the exploitation of materials in what would otherwise be lost to waste streams from current manufacturing processes. This is interesting both in terms of realising additional value from manufacturing, but also in reduced utilisation of unsustainable material sources and exploitation of novel feedstocks for novel functional materials with new application benefits. This project will develop an information system based on highly innovative information technologies with the capability to rapidly identify the feedstock and functional material opportunities, and demonstrate its value in rapid bio-derived surfactant discovery. The key advances made will be in automation of large scale information analysis and mining, and in development of many-criteria optimisation algorithms to pin point innovative candidate materials from the very large numbers of possible options.

Saponins have already found industrial application as foaming agents in the beverage, food and cosmetics industries. However, the breadth of triterpene saponin structures has not been fully explored or exploited, and their application limited by accessibility and availability from plant extracts, depite broad-ranging physical and bioactive properties documented in the literature. This project will demonstrate the optimisation of triterpene saponin structures for efficacy and functionality for applications in the chemical industries. Saponin derivatives will be engineered using a synthetic biology tool kit and metabolic pathway expression in a Nicotiana benthamiana host. Extracted saponins will be evaluated for physical properties and in application screens. Structure-function rules will be built to iteratively optimise the saponin structures for functionality. The options for a biotechnology platform, scale-up and commercial production of the lead saponins will be assessed.

The use of renewable products to produce valuable and biologically sustainable materials and to minimise waste is a major challenge for current global research and development. This project aims to use a biomass feedstock, from waste processing, employing enzyme catalysts in an aqueous environment at ambient temperatures, to produce a wide range of sustainable product ingredients. These could be used for a variety of applications in Personal Care, for example rheology modifiers, deposition aids, moisturisers and antimicrobial agents. The initial enzymatic modifications at a small scale will be carried out by Almac Group and Glyndwr University. The optimum processes will be scaled up to in excess of a 1000L by Croda. Unilever will evaluate the product ingredients developed for a variety of applications in Personal Care. The successful candidates will be commercialised by Croda and launched in products by Unilever.

The project is a collaboration between Newcastle University and Croda Europe to develop tools to produce natural UV-absorbing substances for use in sunscreens. These materials are produced by microorganisms which survive in ecosystems which are exposed to high light intensity and are an important mechanism for protecting cells against the harmful effects of UV-light. The project uses the genes from a natural organism (algae) in a bacterium with a long history of safe use in the manufacture of amino acids and vitamins. The manufacturing process is renewable and uses sustainable raw materials which do not compete with the food chain. The products developed in the project will be shown to be safe to humans and the environment and will reduce the overall dependence on petrochemical resources.

The proposal is to develop a commercially viable downstream process using the green solvent Supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) as a means to separate and fractionate glycolipid based biosurfactants from their production medium. In turn this will move current processes from an environmentally and economically costly process, based upon the use of highly flammable solvent extraction, to that of a more economical and environmentally sustainable process. To date It has been demonstrated, on a small scale, that ScCO2 can be used to fractionate glycolipid / triglyceride solutions to a far greater extent that current processes with practically zero waste owing to the ability of the technique to isolate all components. If successful this project will develop a highly innovative process capability, at the commercial scale, that to date has not been applied to the isolation of biologically generated materials.

The object of this project is to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of added-value chemical formulation materials based on renewable feedstocks and to enhance competitiveness of the UK chemical producing and using sector, including industrial process chemicals and consumer products. This follows from a scientific insight (an outcome of Marie-Curie funded work at Unilever R&D, on Green Chemistry) into the liquid structuring capacity of modified cellulose fibres in combination with other materials and the potential commercial value of this innovation across sectors, starting with consumer products and extending to agrochemicals and drilling fluids. Functional, renewable & sustainable hybrid (FR&SH) rheology modifiers for aqueous formulations will be developed collaboratively by a team of end-users, producers and scientific experts. Recognising the need for the UK to find ways to add value to commodity renewable feedstocks, produced at scale for other purposes (i.e. principally for pulp & paper), in a way that leverages the capacity of the existing chemical supply industry, without requiring extensive capital outlay, while addressing the commercial needs of UK based commercial R&D and manufacturing, the focus is on "adding value" rather than on production of input feedstocks (e.g. cellulose fibre), which tend to be a lower value activities and largely based elsewhere (e.g. N. American or Scandinavian pulp industries). As well as developing compelling functional and sustainability advantages for the materials concerned, collaborative development of an innovative business model to realise that potential will be pursued and end of life impacts minimised.