{"id":146046,"date":"2024-06-17T07:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T05:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=146046"},"modified":"2024-06-20T17:29:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:29:45","slug":"could-co2-be-a-viable-material-for-making-cleaning-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/could-co2-be-a-viable-material-for-making-cleaning-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Could CO2 be a viable material for making cleaning products?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\u00a9 Unilever<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

With nearly 60% of our greenhouse gas emissions coming from the raw materials and ingredients we buy, finding alternatives to fossil-fuel-based chemicals is our biggest challenge in reaching net zero by 2039.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also presents us with a huge opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When our R&D scientists work at the molecular level, they\u2019re looking for discoveries that deliver product superiority and improved sustainability. And developing entirely new chemistry can also sometimes unearth other unexpected benefits along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This happened with our work on rhamnolipids<\/a>: a 100% renewable and biodegradable ingredient, which delivers superior cleaning performance as well as exceptional skincare benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re aiming for a similar outcome from our partnership with Econic Technologies, a deep-tech start-up pioneering renewable carbon solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together we\u2019re exploring how we can transform CO2<\/sub> into usable carbon to create fossil-free and palm-free raw materials for our household cleaning and laundry products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From early phases of the trial, we\u2019re confident this method will bring advantages compared to other ways of using CO2<\/sub>, and that the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of the material will be significantly lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also hoping that harnessing CO2<\/sub> in this way will lead to the potential for untapped performance benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As Martin Crossman, Unilever<\/strong> Science & Technology Platform Leader, says: \u201cWith this programme, we\u2019re not looking to force-fit CO2<\/sub> into an existing petrochemical-based or palm-based process, and simply copy existing ingredients \u2013 that\u2019s essentially just making the same thing but more expensively. We\u2019re developing new-to-the-world chemistry, using CO2 <\/sub>differently, to reach a different end material with different features. That\u2019s how we\u2019ll really unlock the advantages of CO2<\/sub> utilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is about changing the rules of the game. It has the potential to be truly transformative,\u201d adds Ian Howell, Home Care Advanced Materials and Surface Science Director.<\/strong> \u201cFor the chemicals industry to transition away from fossil-fuel-derived ingredients, we need to look to all carbon sources, and CO2<\/sub> offers opportunities yet to be discovered.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A first for household cleaning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CO2<\/sub> is a problem for the world because it\u2019s such an incredibly stable molecule. All of the atoms are as happy as they could possibly be, covalently bound together.[a]<\/a><\/sup> The challenge \u2013 of turning CO2<\/sub> into useful carbon \u2013 is how you break that bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are various ways you can do that, for example, through fermentation or bioprocesses. Or you can do it through catalysis \u2013 the process of adding a catalyst to facilitate a reaction \u2013 which is how Econic\u2019s patented technology works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One benefit of this method over others is that it can take place at a relatively low pressure and temperature, meaning it can be retrofitted into existing production facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polyurethane products that incorporate materials made using this process are due on sale later this year. But Econic\u2019s work with Unilever is its first venture into household cleaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As Keith Wiggins, Econic Technologies CEO<\/strong>, says: \u201cThis partnership is incredibly important for us, as it\u2019s a big step towards fulfilling Econic\u2019s overall purpose, which is to take CO2<\/sub> and turn it into usable carbon that can enhance the performance of products we all use every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

All part of a bigger push to clean up cleaning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the project proves viability at scale, our aim is to get it to market as quickly as possible. That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll see products in the shops just yet. If all goes well, we\u2019ll be looking to run small-scale consumer testing next year, with a full launch coming after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This initiative complements the work we\u2019re doing with our Geno<\/a> and Flue2Chem<\/a> projects, which are also looking at ways to commercialise alternatives to palm oil and fossil-fuel-derived cleaning ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOur work with Econic is another example of how we\u2019re investing in and exploring new technologies to help shape the future of the cleaning category and reach net zero by 2039,\u201d says Ian<\/strong>. \u201cImpactful partnerships like this are integral in helping us find new solutions and ultimately deliver on our Clean Future<\/a> strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To read more about our updated commitments on climate, nature, plastics and livelihoods, visit our Sustainability Hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[a]<\/a> Covalent bonds \u2013 which form when two non-metal atoms share a pair of electrons \u2013 are strong with a lot of energy needed to break them.<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With nearly 60% of our greenhouse gas emissions coming from the raw materials and ingredients we buy, finding alternatives to fossil-fuel-based chemicals is our biggest challenge in reaching net zero by 2039. It also presents us with a huge opportunity. When our R&D scientists work at the molecular level, they\u2019re looking for discoveries that deliver […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":146090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Unilever is exploring new technologies that will help make their cleaning products superior and more sustainable. As part of this, they have extended their partnership with Econic Technologies: a start-up that\u2019s pioneering a process to replace fossil-based raw materials with renewable carbon","footnotes":""},"categories":[5571],"tags":[10744,10416,16621,12312,5528,10743],"supplier":[6265,2414,455],"class_list":["post-146046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-co2-based","tag-carboncapture","tag-circulareconomy","tag-cleaningproducts","tag-detergents","tag-sustainability","tag-useco2","supplier-econic-technologies","supplier-genomatica-inc","supplier-unilever"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146046"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=146046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}