SBIR Phase II: Bi-functional Surfactants Platform from Biomass-Derived Feedstocks

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to reduce the cost of formulating laundry detergents by 30-50% through the development of a single detergent chemical that replaces the need for numerous chemicals in existing detergent formulations. Commercialization of the proposed dual-function detergent molecule eliminates the need for chemicals commonly used to maintain the function in hard water conditions. Reduction of the amount and number of chemicals needed in a detergent formulation will enable production of 25% more concentrated detergent products, reducing packaging costs and enabling easier formulation of single-dose tablets. The technology offsets the carbon footprint of detergent chemical production by using plant-based starting materials instead of the current petroleum-based products, which currently dominate the industry. Additionally, reduction in the amount of chemicals used in detergents reduces environmental impact to water resources and wildlife. This SBIR Phase II proposes to further develop a bi-functional surfactant chemical for laundry detergent applications, including (1) identification of a best performing surfactant for commercialization, (2) development of a scaled synthesis process using a high-throughput automated reactor system, and (3) demonstration of the performance of the material in laundry detergent formulations and measure the cleaning performance of generated formulations. The technology will reduce the cost of laundry detergent formulations by eliminating the need for chelating agents, which are used to mitigate the negative effects of hard water common in cleaning applications. The bi-functional surfactant molecules take the role of both a surfactant and a chelating agent, thereby enabling more concentrated detergents, especially for formulators of plant-based, environmentally-friendly detergents. The technical objectives direct development of the new detergent molecules through iterative design and testing of detergent structures, resulting in identification of a first to market product, as well as reaction engineering and optimization to direct efficient design of the process technology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.