Among many interesting items in thecurrent issue, one that has particularlycaught my attention is the introductionof a new range of biosurfactants byLogos Technologies (p 2). TheNatSurFact product line is based onrhamnolipids, a class of naturallyoccurring, microbially producedglycolipid surfactants. Though thepotential of rhamnolipids has beenbandied about for some time – theywere in fact first discovered in the1940s – they have remained verymuch in the research domain. NowLogos aims to change that with itsnew product line, which it claims is‘one of the first commercialapplications of rhamnolipids’.

Rhamnolipids consist of either oneor two rhamnose sugars (mono- or di-rhamnolipid) covalently linked totwo fatty acids, typically 3-hydroxy-decanoic acid. They are producedfrom mannosylerythritol and a suitablefatty acid source via bacterialfermentation. In their pure formrhamnolipids are nonionic but in abuffered solution of pH greater than 4-5, the presence of a free fatty acidgroup means that they becomeanionic surfactants. Their structuresuggests that they also have potentialfor vesicle formation.

Diversified science, engineeringand technology company Logoscurrently produces three NatSurFactgrades: a pure crystalline solid, andaqueous and oil-based solutions. Thefully biodegradable products areclaimed to be 100 to 1000 times higherin activity than ‘industry standardingredients’ (which I take to meanconventional anionic surfactants).

They reportedly possess a CMC thatis ‘orders of magnitude’ lower thanthat of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), aswell as a medium-high HLB value.NatSurFact can therefore provideexcellent wetting, detergency and oil-in-water emulsification, according tothe company. It forms a dense, stablefoam with ‘better longevity’ than SLS,and can also act as a foam boosterfor SLS at very low concentrations,Logos reports.

The company has pilot-scalecapacity of about 1 kg/week of activematerial, and is seeking partners/investors as it scales up its productionvolume. It will be interesting to see ifLogos manages to achieve cost-competitiveness as volumes increasetowards true commercial levels. Whileinitially targeting personal care andhousehold cleaning applications,Logos believes that NatSurFact, withits high potency and favourableenvironmental profile compared withconventional surfactants, has thepotential ‘to be disruptive’ in a varietyof other sectors, including agricultureand chemical enhanced oil recovery.The company reports that the level ofsample requests indicates a high levelof interest.

According to a recent study, theglobal market for biosurfactants isgrowing at a compound annual growthrate of 4.3% and is expected to reach$2.3 bn (462,000 tonnes) by 2020[Focus on Surfactants, Jul 2014].

Very briefly, I would also like to drawattention to the items on therelationship between ethylene oxideand surfactant production in the USA (p 3), and the potential offered by the oil

A MONTHLY REPORT FROMCAROLINE EDSER

AUGUST 2014

In this issue

RAW MATERIALS 2Fatty acids & ethanolamines in

Europe

SURFACTANTS 2-4Logos launches biosurfactant

range

ASSOCIATED PRODUCTS 4Triclosan ban in Minnesota

APPLICATIONS 4-5Personal & home care productsOther: Palsgaard’s new emulsifier

for margarine

ENVIRONMENT 5-6D4 producers agree to EPA

testing

MARKET REVIEWS 6Oil & gas sector to boost

surfactant demand

COMPANY RESULTS 6-7Updates from Henkel & HUL

COMPANY NEWS 7Henkel makes acquisitions

EVENTS 8

S U R F A C T A N T SFOCUS ON

S U R F A C T A N T S S U R F A C T A N T S S U R F A C T A N T S S U R F A C T A N T S

AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER MONITORING TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIALDEVELOPMENTS FOR ALL SURFACE ACTIVE AGENTS ISSN 1351–4210

‘RHAMMING’ HOME THE ADVANTAGE OF BIOSURFACTANTS

& gas sector (p 6) – both areas that, invery different ways, are likely to havesignificant consequences for thesurfactants industry in the years ahead.

Caroline Edser

RAWMATERIALS

The European scenario for fatty acids

Global demand for fatty acids hasincreased due to the growth in end-use consumption of the product andthe oleochemicals (fatty acids, fattyalcohol and glycerine) sector. Thesupply of palm- and tallow-based fattyacids in Europe remains in line withthe region’s demand. The use of oleicgrades in the continent is currentlyhigher than stearic acid grades. Someconsumers, particularly those in thesurfactants sector, are alternating theuse of vegetable-based and tallow-based fatty acids since their facilitiescan operate with blended palm/tallowacids. Due to natural disasters andweather conditions, upstream palm oilcosts became unstable, resulting inupward pressure on palm-based fattyacids. Higher feedstock costs havehelped the producers achieve highercontract 2Q 2014 prices for palmstearic and palm oleic acids. Duringthe quarter, trade prices of palmstearic acid and palm oleic acid wereat €950-1000/tonne FD NWE and€1140-1270/tonne FD NWE,respectively. Contract prices of tallowstearic acid dropped to €900-980/tonne FD NWE. Trade prices oftallow oleic acid marginally increasedto €1130-1250/tonne FD NWE. Thedemand for tallow oleic acids isgreater than for tallow stearic acids.The use of tallow-based alternativesis likely to grow due to the rise inprices of both palm stearic and palmoleic grades. Chances are the lowerprices of imported vegetable-basedfatty acids could lead to a decline inthe market. Lower palm kernel oilprices, which have been an additionalpressure on fatty acid costs inSoutheast Asia, will affect the pricingof palm-based products in Europe.

Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 26 May-1Jun 2014, 285 (20), 34 (Website:http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business InformationLimited 2014

Ethanolamines in Europe

Ethanolamines are utilized forproduction in the agrochemical,personal care, surfactant andconstruction industries. Stableethanolamine demand is expected inEurope in 2014. In Europe, pricing forethanolamines will be driven bysupply, which is influenced both byglobal and European producers.Imports in Europe are from NorthAmerica, Asia, South America andthe Middle East. However, a limitedimport activity into Europe is expectedin 2014 due to major shutdowns inother regions, particularly in May, andthe robust demand in North America.Also, the current production problemsof Sintez OKA in Russia through 1Q2014 restrained the product move-ment into Western Europe. Monthlycontract prices have been stablethrough 2014 with weak importsholding down the pricing pressure in2013. Small price movements wereobserved with monoethanolamine(MEA) and triethanolamine (TEA).The European demand forethanolamine is expected to grow at1-2%, consistent with GDP. A world-scale petrochemical complex is beingconstructed by Dow Chemical andSaudi Aramco’s joint venture Sadarain Jubail, Saudi Arabia, whichincludes an ethanolamines plant[Focus on Surfactants, Nov 2011].Sadara’s plant is expected toincrease import activities into Europe,particularly for MEA and TEA. Thecapacities of BASF ethanolamineplants in Ludwigshafen, Germany,and in Antwerp, Belgium, are 130,000tonnes/y and 110,000 tonnes/y,respectively. AkzoNobel inStenungsund, Sweden, has acapacity of 100,000 tonnes/y.

Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 19-25 May2014, 285 (19), (Website: http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business Information Limited 2014

SURFACTANTSLogos Technologies unveilsrhamnolipid-based biodegradablesurfactant range

Logos Technologies has introduced aline of highly efficient surfactants foruse in personal care and householdcleaning products, offering a fullybiodegradable and natural alternative

to petroleum-based equivalents. TheNatSurFact product line is based onnaturally occurring organic biosurfact-ants, called rhamnolipids, which havebeen proven to be many times moreefficacious than current industry-standard surface active agents, Logosclaims. Launched at TechConnectWorld Innovation Conference andExpo in Jun 2014 in Washington, DC,USA, NatSurFact is reportedly one ofthe first commercial applications ofrhamnolipids, natural compoundsproduced by microbes includingbacteria and yeast. A report by theUS Environmental Protection Agencyconcluded that rhamnolipids arereadily biodegradable and have noadverse effects on humans or theenvironment, differentiating thecompounds from conventionalsurfactants. Logos is actively seekingadditional industry partners across anumber of sectors.

Original Source: Logos Technologies, 2014. Found onSpecialChem Cosmetics and Personal Care Innovationand Solutions, 19 Jun 2014, (Website:http://www.specialchem4cosmetics.com)

MES: technology developments andwider availability to broaden usage

Methyl ester sulfonate (MES) isevolving to be a viable alternative totraditional active ingredients fordetergents. MES, which is derivedfrom palm stearin’s non-renewablefraction, has high calcium tolerance,good blending compatibility with soapand good detergency (but poorfoaming). Its biological properties arealso attractive, including low toxicity,biodegradability similar to soap (butquicker than linear alkylbenzenesulfonates). Production, however,faces some challenges such asdifficulty in processing, formation ofdark products and unwanted by-products, and more stringentrequirements to form a shelf-stableproduct. Since 2002, the US markethas seen the use of MES for liquidhousehold cleaners, laundry bars andpowders, and personal care products.Investment in raw material capacityhas already been made by twoplantation owners in Indonesia andMalaysia, which will generate around800,000 tonnes of methyl esters inthe next five years.

Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 3 Jun 2014, 184(Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com) © SevakPublications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2014

2 AUGUST 2014

F O C U S O N S U R F A C T A N T S