BASF partners with Acies Bio to boost sustainable production of personal care ingredients

BASF's Care Chemicals division and Acies Bio will use the specialised microbes and extend the fermentation process to produce fatty acids and derivatives for the production of various chemical compounds

13 of November of 2024
BASF x Acies Bio

BASF, the German chemical company, has made the agreement with Acies Bio official. Acies Bio is one of Europe's leading biotech companies and they have entered into a transformative partnership to further develop a methanol-based fermentation technology platform for the production of fatty alcohols. Fatty alcohols are essential components of several ingredients in the household and personal care markets, in particular surfactants. Acies Bio's biotechnological expertise complements BASF's drive towards innovative solutions and contributes to shaping a more sustainable future.

Acies Bio has developed ‘OneCarbonBio’, a fully flexible synthetic biology platform designed to efficiently convert renewable methanol, derived from captured CO2 emissions, into a variety of chemical feedstocks. Under the terms of the partnership, BASF's Care Chemicals division and Acies Bio will use the specialised microbes and scale-up the fermentation process to produce fatty acids and derivatives that can be used to manufacture a variety of chemical compounds. BASF will contribute its expertise in process development, providing integrated solutions for the value chain and accessing global markets.

Acies Bio and BASF intend to combine forces in a co-development effort and leverage their combined research and development expertise. For BASF, the expected benefits of the project include increased scale and flexibility, leading to a diversification of the renewable feedstock portfolio and contributing to the resilience of Care Chemicals' global supply chain.

Biotechnology complements our chemistry to create a more sustainable future,’ said Dr. Matthias Maase, Global Head of Sustainability at Care Chemicals BASF. ‘We are very pleased to have found in Acies Bio the right partner to further develop this innovation at an early stage. With a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, our research scope of the partnership covers the entire chain from production strain development to large-scale manufacturing. This will benefit our Personal Care, Home Care and Industrial Formulators and I&I customers around the world."

Dr. Gregor Kosec, R&D Director of Acies Bio, said: ‘The partnership with BASF marks an important milestone, reflecting significant recognition of Acies Bio's R&D efforts. By combining our advanced microbial production strains and OneCarbonBio platform with BASF's process development and supply chain expertise, we are poised to bring our technologies to a global scale. This collaboration demonstrates the transformative potential of Acies Bio's microbial innovations to drive net-zero production of speciality and industrial chemicals.’