Project

Fermentative production and use of mannosyl Erythritol lipid biosurfactants

Code
179P2609
Duration
01 December 2008 → 30 November 2010
Funding
Regional and community funding: IWT/VLAIO
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • Biocatalysis and enzyme technology
    • Bioprocessing, bioproduction and bioproducts
    • Fermentation
    • Industrial biotechnology diagnostics
    • Industrial microbiology
    • Industrial molecular engineering of nucleic acids and proteins
    • Industrial biotechnology not elsewhere classified
Keywords
Mannosyl erythritol lipide
 
Project description

Conventional detergents and cleaners are mainly based on petrochemical raw materials. Glycolipids-biosurfactants owe their market growth due to their greatly enhanced environmental compatibility, combined with excellent performance in cleaning, food and cosmetics applications. Where the first generation was produced from renewable (plant) raw materials by a chemical process, the secondary generation is achieved through biochemical synthesis. So come fermentative formed rhamnolipids and sophorolipids gradually on the market. A third group of glycolipids, mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL's), with promising surfactant properties (biosurfactants), and great expectations in biocompatibility and biodegradability, is still in the research phase. They have lately attention by interesting application possibilities in the pharmaceutical and biochemical industries, in the purification of proteins, such as anti-afflomeratiemiddel especially as decontamination agent in the bodembioremediatie hydrocarbons and crude oil. The inhibitory factors for large-scale production (industrial valorisation) fermentation are the low yields in combination with the complexity of the reprocessing and clean-up from the nutrient medium, which give rise to high costs and a new stream of solvent waste streams. This research into successful commercial production is intended to maximize utilization of industrial waste through the development of an optimized fermentative production of biodegradable surfactants (MEL's) Naval with high added value. The research is gefocurst for process optimization and cost minimization application opportunities as biodetergent or bioremediation.