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

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是通过开发一种单一的洗涤剂化学品来取代现有洗涤剂配方中的多种化学品，从而将配制洗衣洗涤剂的成本降低30-50%。所提出的双功能洗涤剂分子的商业化消除了对通常用于在硬水条件下保持功能的化学品的需要。减少洗涤剂配方中所需的化学品的量和数量将使生产的洗涤剂产品浓度提高25%，降低包装成本，并使单剂量片剂的配制更容易。该技术通过使用植物为基础的原料而不是目前占主导地位的石油为基础的产品来抵消洗涤剂化学品生产的碳足迹。此外，减少洗涤剂中使用的化学物质的量可以减少对水资源和野生动物的环境影响。 该SBIR第II阶段提出进一步开发用于洗衣洗涤剂应用的双功能表面活性剂化学品，包括（1）鉴定用于商业化的最佳性能表面活性剂，（2）使用高通量自动化反应器系统开发规模化合成工艺，以及（3）证明材料在洗衣洗涤剂配方中的性能并测量生成配方的清洁性能。该技术将通过消除对螯合剂的需求来降低洗衣粉配方的成本，螯合剂用于减轻清洁应用中常见的硬水的负面影响。双功能表面活性剂分子同时起到表面活性剂和螯合剂的作用，从而能够实现更浓缩的洗涤剂，特别是对于植物基环境友好型洗涤剂的配制者。本发明的技术目的是通过反复设计和测试洗涤剂结构来指导新洗涤剂分子的开发，从而鉴定出第一个上市的产品，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.

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.