Evonik enters new era of cleaning with launch of REWOFERM® RL 100 biosurfactant

Essen, Germany. Following a triple-digit million-euro investment to build a new biosurfactant plant in Slovakia, Evonik has launched the sustainable rhamnolipid REWOFERM® RL 100. The new biosurfactant meets demand from the cleaning solutions market for low-emission, low-impact cleaning products that enable a circular economy. REWOFERM® RL 100 is produced from locally sourced, renewable feedstocks and is fully biodegradable while providing excellent cleaning performance.

Manufacturing of increased volumes of rhamnolipids will take place at Evonik’s new plant in Slovenská Ľupča, Slovakia, which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2023. Evonik’s rhamnolipids are exceptionally high quality and provide Evonik a unique position in the market due to the IP-protected manufacturing process.

REWOFERM® RL 100 leverages the biotechnology platform of Nutrition & Care and supports the growth ambition of the division and the Care Solutions business line. The addition of the new rhamnolipid is a further step towards shifting the portfolio of Evonik’s life science division Nutrition & Care towards system solutions. Characterized by high growth prospects and above- average margin potential, Nutrition & Care aims to increase the share of system solutions it offers from 20 percent today, to more than 50 percent by 2030.

“With REWOFERM® RL 100 we are entering a new era of surfactants to fulfil our customer needs today and tomorrow. Our unique production process with sustainable, all-natural ingredients, yields a unique product,” says Yann d'Hervé, head of Evonik's Care Solutions business line.

Rhamnolipids are a class of biosurfactants which can be sustainably manufactured via a fermentation process using European corn sugar as the main raw material. This use of biogenic carbon requires no petrochemical raw materials or tropical oils. Rhamnolipids are fully biodegradable and have a low-impact life cycle. They are very mild on the skin and have an exceptionally low toxicological and ecotoxicological profile. The outstanding foam-forming properties of REWOFERM® RL 100 make it suitable for use in a broad range of applications including laundry detergents, hard surface cleaners, vehicle care and cleaning formulations for the food and beverage industry. REWOFERM® RL 100 also reduces the complexity of cleaning formulations because it can act as a primary and secondary surfactant.

With its well-established biosurfactant portfolio, the Care Solutions business line firmly cements its position as a sustainable specialties partner, while also further strengthening Nutrition & Care’s broad technology platform. The portfolio includes RHEANCE® One for personal care applications and the sophorolipid REWOFERM® SL ONE for cleaning solutions.

The Nutrition & Care division is one of Evonik’s three growth divisions and the home of the biotechnology excellence centre. The innovation power in Nutrition & Care stems from a clear focus on sustainability, which also drives its portfolio transformation. In addition to ingredients used in household, industrial, institutional, and vehicle cleaning as well as cosmetic products, Evonik’s Nutrition & Care division uses fermentation technologies across a range of other high growth markets including sustainable animal nutrition, medical devices, advanced food ingredients and pharmaceutical drug products.