Evonik wins bio-based materials award

Essen, Germany. REWOFERM® SL 446 is a novel biosurfactant that Evonik manufactures from sophorolipids using biotech methods. The reasons given for the award highlighted the fact that REWOFERM® SL 446 is 100% bio-based, has excellent cleaning properties in addition to an outstanding toxicological and ecological profile, and is completely biodegradable.

Each year, the nova Institute for Ecology and Innovation in Hürth, Germany, recognizes the three most innovative materials in the bio-based economy. The Bio-Based Material Award was presented at the ninth International Conference on Bio-Based Materials, which was held in Cologne in early April. The conference advisory board and nova Institute experts nominated six manufacturers in advance, and these companies gave ten-minute presentations introducing their innovations to the audience. Conference participants then selected the three winners.

"REWOFERM® SL 446 meets absolutely all of the demands on modern biosurfactants: excellent cleaning capacity, environmental sustainability, and is manufactured from renewable resources," says Dr. Xiaolan Wang, the head of the Household Care Business Line. "The profile of sophorolipids opens up good opportunities for formulators wishing to distinguish their products from the competition in the interesting and growing bioproducts market."

Sophorolipids are a special type of biosurfactants that are produced naturally by yeasts. Up to now, they have only been on the market as specialty products. Evonik has succeeded in developing an economical manufacturing process and operates a fermentation plant in Slovakia.