SBIR Phase I: Production of an Acyl Glycinate Surfactant by Fermentation

这个小型企业创新研究I期项目旨在证明酰基甘氨酸表面活性剂可以通过一种新的细菌发酵途径生产。本项目的目的是构建一种产生酰基甘氨酸的细菌菌株，并提供用于商业评估的表面活性剂样品。一个成功的结果将证明酰基甘氨酸可以通过发酵生产。表面活性剂是清洁产品的泡沫成分，赋予它们清洁能力。表面活性剂目前由石油或种子油如棕榈油制造。这些原材料的使用增加了温室气体污染，也导致雨林遭到砍伐。消费者要求更环保的产品，监管机构要求新的毒性最低的化学品。对更环保的化学品的需求为用更环保的替代品取代现有的表面活性剂创造了机会。对社会的额外好处是，使用该技术生产的化学品将使用国内种植的可再生原料生产，不会与食物来源竞争。此外，生产这些化学品所需的能量低，因为发酵反应在接近环境温度下进行。这些化学品本质上比传统化学品更安全，因为不使用有毒溶剂，并且表面活性剂是可生物降解的，不会增加温室气体的积累。该项目的成功完成将产生重要的新的科学和技术信息的新路线，使这种表面活性剂。

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project is aimed at demonstrating that acyl glycinate surfactant can be produced by a novel bacterial fermentation route. The objective of this project is to construct a bacterial strain that produces acyl glycinate, and to provide a sample of that surfactant for commercial evaluation. A successful outcome will demonstrate that acyl glycine can be produced by fermentation. Surfactants are the bubbly components of cleaning products that give them their cleansing power. Surfactants are currently manufactured from petroleum or from seed oils, such as palm oil. The use of those raw materials increases greenhouse gas pollution and also leads to deforestation of rainforests. Retailers are demanding greener products, and regulatory agencies are demanding new minimally toxic chemicals. The demand for greener chemicals creates an opportunity to replace current surfactants with greener alternatives.The broader/commercial impact of the proposed innovation would be commercialization of the acyl glycinate surfactant. Additional benefits to society are that chemicals produced using this technology will be manufactured using domestically grown renewable raw materials, which do not compete with food sources. Furthermore, the energy required to produce these chemicals is low since the fermentation reaction is performed near ambient temperature. The chemicals are inherently safer than traditional chemicals because toxic solvents are not used, and the surfactants are biodegradable and do not contribute to increased greenhouse gas accumulation. Successful completion of the project will generate significant new scientific and technical information on new routes to making such surfactants.