BASF and Acies Bio, a European biotechnology company, have formed a strategic partnership to further develop a platform for fermentation technology using methanol for the production of fatty alcohols. These ingredients are crucial components in various personal care products, such as soaps, shampoos and cosmetics.
Acies Bio developed the “OneCarbonBio”, a synthetic biology platform designed to convert renewable methanol, derived from captured CO2 emissions, into a variety of chemical raw materials, an approach created to reduce the industry’s reliance on traditional, often unsustainable, sourcing of these ingredients.
Under the terms of the partnership, BASF’s Care Chemicals division and Acies Bio will use the specialized microbes and expand the fermentation process to produce fatty acids and derivatives serving to manufacture various chemical compounds.
This collaboration aligns with BASF's commitment to sustainable innovation and reinforces its position as a leader in the chemical industry. The partnership is expected to contribute to a more sustainable future for the beauty and personal care industry.
Matthias Maase, Ph.D., global director sustainability, care chemicals, BASF, says, “Biotechnology complements our chemistry to create a more sustainable future. We are very pleased to have found the right partner in Acies Bio 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 be of benefit to our customers in personal care, home care, and I&I and industrial formulators worldwide.”
Gregor Kosec, Ph.D., director of R&D at Acies Bio, says, “Partnering with BASF marks an important milestone, reflecting a significant recognition of Acies Bio’s R&D efforts. By combining our advanced microbial production strains and the OneCarbonBio platform with BASF’s proven 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 specialty and industrial chemicals.”
