Submission from  bio.be/essenscia

The innovation.

Lactic acid and biosurfactants are currently produced commercially, primarily via fermentation from first generation sugar. The majority of this sugar is produced from sugar canes in Brazil and then imported into the EU, making the production processes dependent on that supply. Additionally, there is ongoing debate on the ethics of using potential human food as a fermentation feedstock. Therefore, it is key to also investigate potential production of these molecules using other sugar sources.

In the CBE-JU project WASTE2FUNC, the consortium partners enabled the production of biosurfactants and lactic acid from agricultural food waste, the food industry, supermarkets and restaurants. Technology owners AmphiStar (Biosurfactants) and TripleW (Lactic Acid) in close collaboration with Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant as the scale-up facility, optimised and demonstrated the production of these molecules. The lactic acid and biosurfactants were tested in several formulations and were eventually incorporated in the prototypes created by project partner Ecover, as part of the “Too good to waste” campaign. This marked the first demonstration of waste-based lactic acid and biosurfactants in home care products.

The benefits.

The innovations in this project opened the door for both technology owners. AmphiStar secured €6 million private funding to launch eco-friendly and cost-effective biosurfactants derived from waste and is also a key partner in the WASTE2FUNC follow-up CBE-JU project SURFs UP. In this project, AmphiStar will launch its first demonstration plant to take the next steps in bringing their innovation to the market. Meanwhile, TripleW launched several CIRCULAC ™ products and, with Series B funding of $16,5 million in 2023 and the €17 million WASTE2FUNC CBE-JU follow-up project CIRCLE that kicked-off in September 2024, TripleW will build its first of flagship plant in the Netherlands to enable the commercial production of waste-based lactic acid. Both innovations have laid the groundwork for reducing dependence on first-generation sugar in fermentation processes. These technologies and their benefits are also highlighted in the WASTE2FUNC project video.