Biosurfactants

Evonik’s biosurfactants make a clean sweep – literally. They not only remove grease and dirt but are also eco-friendly and gentle on the skin. They are 100 percent biodegradable and therefore enable circular economy. They come with the lowest aquatic toxic profile available on the surfactant market and are safe for oceanic life. All our biosurfactants are produced from locally sourced (EU) bio-based raw materials without the use of tropical oils. They are produced by a safer, mild and low energy fermentation process. Our biosurfactants perform in any condition -independent from water quality.

Entering a new era of surfactants

Evonik has succeeded in developing a cost-effective biotechnological production process, so that biosurfactants are now available on a large scale for the usage in detergents and home care cleaning products. Evonik offers a range of biosurfactants for the use in cleaning product formulations and the first household cleaners containing REWOFERM® Biosurfactants are already on supermarket shelves. This new generation of biosurfactants will convince formulators and consumers that environmental compatibility and cleaning power need not be contradictory. According to currently available knowledge, REWOFERM® Biosurfactants are the most environmentally compatible surfactants on the market. It satisfies the requirements of OECD 301 F and EN ISO 11734 for rapid biodegradability under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The products have an outstanding Renewable Carbon Index (RCI) of 100 percent. In water toxicity tests (OECD 211 and 202) REWOFERM® biosurfactants again performed significantly better than all conventional reference surfactants products.

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We go beyond with biosurfactants

Biosurfactans are surface-active agents produced by the fermentation of natural feedstocks

Beyond Clean

How Biosurfactants are Transforming the Cleaning Industry

This white paper explores how biosurfactants - produced through advanced biotechnological processes - are redefining cleaning. It examines the science behind biosurfactants, their performance and sustainability benefits, and how Evonik’s platforms enable formulators to create next-generation products that meet evolving consumer expectations.

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Check out our REWOFERM® Biosurfactants

REWOFERM® RL 100

Our unique rhamnolipid REWOFERM® RL 100 is the first rhamnolipid commercially available on industrial scale.Rhamnolipids are a class of glycolipids that are produced from corn-derived sugar that is fermented by bacteria. REWOFERM® RL 100 can act as primary and secondary surfactant. Due to its unique properties in terms of performance, formulability, and sustainability it has the potential simplify complex formulations. REWOFERM® RL 100 shows synergies with enzymes and other anionic, non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants It offers excellent cleaning performance, exceptional foam forming properties and provides wetting and emulsification benefits at once. REWOFERM® RL 100 can be used in laundry detergents, hard surface cleaners, car shampoos, metal cleaners, membrane cleaning, industrial cleaners, food and beverage cleaners and general purpose cleaners. REWOFERM® RL 100 is in general suitable for ecolabel formulations.

REWOFERM® RL 100

REWOFERM® RL 210

REWOFERM® RL 210 is a high-performing biosurfactant that further achieves your eco-certification needs. It is a rhamnolipid that is suitable for ecolabel formulations, such as the Groupe ECOCERT.

As part of the first rhamnolipids commercially available on industrial scale, REWOFERM® RL 210 is based on plant-based, regional sourced (EU) raw materials and produced by mild fermentation process.

REWOFERM® RL 210 can act as primary and secondary surfactant and reduce the complexity of cleaning formulations. It offers excellent cleaning performance in a wide variety of applications and provides wetting and emulsification benefits at once.

REWOFERM® RL 210

REWOFERM® SL ONE

REWOFERM® SL ONE is a novel sophorolipid-based biosurfactant that uncompromisingly satisfies all the requirements on a high-end biosurfactant: excellent cleaning performance, environmental compatibility, and production from renewable raw materials. Sophorolipids are glycolipids that are produced from sugar-beet-derived sugar and rapeseed oil through synthesis with a yeast called Candida Bombicola. Sophorolipids act as a secondary surfactant and cleaning booster. It provides excellent grease removal, is low foaming but provides foam stabilizing properties. REWOFERM SL ONE can be used in broad range of applications such as dish wash, laundry, hard surface cleaners, general purpose cleaners, car shampoos, membrane cleaning, food & beverage cleaners, metal cleaning.

REWOFERM® SL ONE