Horizon Europe SurfToGreen Project: Sustainable bio-based surfactants to boost the green industry

Formulations for industrial applications are primarily based on fossil-based surfactants/polymers, which contribute significantly to environmental pollution (increasing CO2, microplastics) and are unsustainable. The European Green Deal calls for new chemistries based on sustainable and natural compounds. Effective bio-based surfactants are poorly integrated into the industry and are in their early stages of research.

SurfToGreen will address this need with a completely new surfactant platform that encompasses diverse industrial applications and replaces current surfactant standards. SurfToGreen brings together a unique collaboration of leading industrial players and research centers of excellence, with advanced knowledge of raw materials and industrial processes essential to achieve this ambitious goal. Biomass-derived building blocks will be sourced from EU territorial value chains, including forestry and agricultural residues, to diversify biomass sources, and will be used to synthesize novel bio-based surfactants. The new products will encompass families of anionic, nonionic, cationic, and zwitterionic surfactants, as well as biopolymer-oligomers from renewable sources with no impact on the food chain.

The platform will be validated in three industrial demonstrators from the fastest-growing, crucial sectors: personal and home care, textiles, and agriculture. The surface properties of compounds will be assessed based on their detergent, interfacial, and rheological behavior. Polymers/oligomers, hydrotropes, and surfactants will be used for encapsulation to protect and control the delivery of active ingredients (perfumes and plant protection compounds). Digital technologies and safe and sustainable design methodologies will assess the functionality, safety, and sustainability of bio-based formulations within a circular value chain framework. Finally, extensive exploitation and communication will be undertaken to promote SurfToGreen's progress as a pilot project driving a paradigm shift in the European and global industry.