Green Projects Awards honor research into Green Detergents

The research on green detergents, developed in the thesis by Nuno Faria, PhD from the MIT Portugal Program (MPP), Frederico Ferreira, Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico and the MPP, and César Fonseca, Researcher in charge of the FCT "TAKE-OFF" project at the National Energy and Geology Laboratory (LNEG), was distinguished with the Jerónimo Martins/Green Project Awards, in the Research and Development category, the result of a Call evaluated by Quercus, the Portuguese Environment Agency and GCI, to reward sustainable development.

More than 90% of detergents on the market today are chemically synthesized from non-renewable resources. In most cases, they are not biodegradable and therefore have a significant environmental impact, particularly in terms of water contamination. Even the biodetergents available on the market are produced from vegetable oils, competing directly with food production. This new technology develops the manufacture of green detergents from renewable resources, using biomass as a raw material, thereby reducing the environmental impact and lowering the cost of production. It uses less intensive product purification processes and the resulting waste is biodegradable and non-toxic.

The process includes some of the operations used in the production of biofuels, specifically second generation bioethanol (2G or lignocellulosic). The raw materials and enzymes are prepared in the same way, but with a different yeast, which instead of producing ethanol produces a glycolipid with biodetergent properties. At the moment, production takes place in the laboratory and takes 10 days, including preparation of the raw material, bioconversion using yeasts cultivated in a bioreactor and recovery and purification of the product obtained for later application.

Green detergents are a sustainable alternative that can be used at home and in businesses, as well as in other applications for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, with a much reduced environmental impact. The research has already led to an international patent, and the team is hopeful that the product will soon be marketable, having started contacting national and international companies to develop the technology on an industrial scale. It is also planned to develop other applications of this technology, with a view to creating a pipeline of environmentally friendly products.

This research is part of the objectives of the second phase of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) - Portugal partnership, one of the 4 partnerships with American universities funded by the FCT. Renewed in November 2012 for another 5 years, the second phase of these partnerships foresees a greater emphasis on joint research projects between universities/research centers and companies, aimed at solving concrete problems and in which students and researchers participate. It is based on a shift in focus, from postgraduate training and the creation of critical mass, to strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship.

(From the MIT-Portugal Program)