German chemical and biotech giant BASF is working in partnership with biotechnology company Acies Bio on a project to develop fermentation technology to produce fatty alcohols from methanol.
The aim of the collaboration was to develop a commercially viable technology to diversify raw materials for home and personal care products, the companies said on 5 November.
As part of the partnership, BASF’s Care Chemicals division would use Acies Bio’s OneCarbonBio platform to convert methanol into a range of chemical raw materials.
Meanwhile, BASF would bring its expertise in developing processes, providing integrated value chain solutions and accessing global markets to the partnership.
The companies said they aimed to combine their strengths to build on their combined research and development expertise.
“With a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, our research scope of the partnership covers the entire chain from production strain development to large scale manufacturing,” Care Chemicals BASF global director sustainability Dr Matthias Maase said.
BASF’s Care Chemicals division is organised into six segments: chemicals; materials; industrial solutions; surface technologies; nutrition & care and agricultural solutions. The portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters.
Acies Bio develops new bioproducts and production processes for a range of industrial sectors including food/feed, agricultural and industrial biotechnology.
