BBI helps bring biosurfactants to market
The Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) has launched a €6m project with the aim of developing new processes and resolving bottlenecks in the fermentative production of biobased biosurfactants and specialty carbohydrates.
The new three-year €5.6m CARBOSURF project brings together 11 partners from four European countries, including research and technology organisations, biotech SMEs, industry players and an open innovation pilot plant.
In addition, sufficient amounts of new products will be produced as part of the project for application testing in order to evaluate their market potential in a wide range of application fields. Furthermore, the technical, economic, environmental and social sustainability of processes over the whole value chain from biomass to product application will be assessed, with an emphasis on identifying and addressing the bottlenecks in the innovation chain. A valorisation plan will also be drafted to complete the innovation process.
The venture is receiving just over €2.7m in funding from the first call of the BBI JU, part of Horizon 2020. The project is co-ordinated by Professor Soetaert from Ghent University, Belgium.
