The objective of this project was to perform activities in support of commercializing and producing soy-based surfactants for laundry detergent applications. In previous work, Battelle has shown that formulations based on both commodity and high oleic soybean oil (HOSO) can meet the requirements of laundry detergent stain removal. CAS registry numbers for 6 candidate surfactants were generated to aid in the PMN (premanufacturing notice) EPA application. This project sought to obtain formulation biodegradation values and TSCA TERA to support a TSCA environmental release application which is required for a product like detergent to be sold in the US. The goal was to acquire data to aid in licensing of the technology. For 4 years, Battelle has worked on developing soybean surfactants for use in cleaning applications with formulations that can address the laundry detergent market. Laundry applications contain the largest market consumption of all surfactants. Anionic and nonionic surfactants account for ~6.7 billion pounds (2017; BBC Research) of all surfactants used in laundry detergent with potential for ~22 million pounds of HOSO (or ~2 million bushels HO soybean) new use assuming a modest 0.5% market penetration. HOSO surfactants offer several key advantages including an alternative to C12 surfactants that dominate the market and are petroleum, coconut, or palm based.
For FY24, Battelle continued to meet with potential industrial partners and licensees to share surfactant data and discuss commercialization interest in the technology. The large portfolio of surfactant candidates was reviewed with the intention to narrow and focus the primary offerings based on the feedback. Additional quantities of preferred candidates were produced for sampling and formulations for testing. A selection of candidates requested by two surfactant companies were identified and prepared for sampling and an initial soy surfactant candidate was provided to a company offering a firefighting foam formulation to be evaluated as a potential replacement for their conventional non-soy surfactant. In preparation for biodegradation testing, Battelle submitted soy-based surfactant laundry detergent formulations to confirm cleaning performance. SoyMix8 and SoyMix8E formulations contained 5 soy surfactant candidates as well as a soy-based chelant. SoyMix8E incorporated an enzyme package and performed the best overall, exceeding that of a commercial laundry detergent formulation which also contained an enzyme package. The soy formulations performed on par or superior to the commercial formulation with stains of Coffee, EMPA 101 (Carbon Black and Olive Oil), Grass, Red Wine and Spaghetti. The enzyme package significantly enhanced the soy formulation performance with EMPA 112 (Cocoa), EMPA 116 (Blood, Milk and Ink), and Grass. SoyMix8 has been submitted for OECD 301 B – Biodegradation testing as another demonstration and step toward TSCA registration requirements. Reporting of results are expected in November due to delays in the submission and duration of the testing.