US carbon recycling company LanzaTech has collaborated with materials science company Dow to launch a new biodegradable surfactant for the home care market.
Designed for a range of home care applications, Dow’s surfactant EcoSense 2470 is made from recycled carbon materials using LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart technology.
LanzaTech’s bio-recycling technology works in the same way as the brewing process: proprietary bacteria consume carbon-rich pollution from industrial facilities, such as steelmaking plants, and convert it into CarbonSmart chemicals, such as ethanol. This ethanol can be converted into ethylene oxide and then used to produce surfactants.
“We have been active in the ethoxylates space for several years, converting ethanol to surfactant ingredients, and now our collaboration [with Dow] will enable us to … expand our reach in this market, which was valued at US$19bn in 2022,” LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren said on 29 September.
“The capacity to provide cleaning solutions made from recycled carbon … significantly influences the purchasing decisions of household consumers,” Dow Home Care global strategic marketing director Farooq Alam said.