Decarbonising the Surfactant and Functional Polymer Value Chains by enzymatic processes

通过酶法使表面活性剂和功能聚合物价值链脱碳

• 批准号: BB/Y003292/1
• 负责人: Alex Conradie
• 金额: $ 444.08万
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FY003292%2F1
• 关键词: Decarbonising; Surfactant; Functional; Polymer; Value

As the UK aligns with a global market place outside of the European Union, the UK needs to forge ahead through its world-leading capabilities in science, engineering and technology. Invention and innovation have been a bedrock of Britain's global presence and a key driver of productivity. Exemplifying a history of economic competitiveness, the UK has long held a significant capability in surfactant and functional polymer technology. The purpose of this proposal is to maintain and extend the UK's technical and manufacturing leadership in this sector. In 1883, Unilever pioneered Sunlight Soap; it was innovative and had a purpose: to popularise cleanliness and bring it within reach of ordinary people. Since then, Unilever now has over 400 brands and the company remains driven by purpose. The use of fossil-derived feedstocks and a linear manufacturing paradigm has exacerbated climate change, shifting the future needs of the manufacturing landscape. Remaining competitive in a global setting requires renewed investment into the multi-disciplinary expertise that defines British innovation. This PP is an exemplification of Unilever's transition away from fossil-derived chemicals in product formulations, exploring innovative ways of reducing the carbon footprint of some of the world's biggest cleaning and laundry brands. As a key component of Unilever's Clean Future vision, Unilever expects this programme to markedly contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of product formulations by up to 20%. As such, Unilever aims to contribute globally to UN Sustainable Development Goals such as Sustainable Industrialisation and Climate Action by reducing the carbon intensity of both the manufacture and product life cycle associated with cleaning and laundry products worldwide. The manufacture of surfactants and functional polymers from renewable feedstocks through the transformative power of sustainable engineering science, represents an unrivalled opportunity to decarbonise this value chain though UK technology leadership spanning the global stage.The vision of this Prosperity Partnership (PP) is to achieve appreciable decarbonisation of the surfactant and functional polymer value chain, aligning the current linear (take-make-waste) manufacturing paradigm to greater resource circularity. In common with many materials derived from fossil reserve feedstocks, surfactants and functional polymers have multi-kilogram CO2eq emissions per kilogram of surfactant/polymer associated with manufacturing; depending on feedstock, process technology and location. Against this life cycle assessment (LCA) backdrop, the global scale of surfactant production is 1.5 - 2 million tonnes per year, necessitating action to reduce these carbon emissions globally. This proposal's far-reaching vision integrates both CO2 and process circularity into a comprehensive new paradigm for surfactant and functional polymer manufacturing, aiming to reduce global warming potential by an order of magnitude. Three work packages (WP) fill the knowledge gaps that exist within the proposed circular economy. Overarchingly, the PP aims to establish a techno-economically feasible circular economy with highly favourable life cycle assessment (LCA) outcomes, mitigating climate change through sustainable industrialisation. WP1 entails the redesign of key surfactants and functional polymers in cleaning and laundry products used worldwide. WP2 aims to enhance the techno-economic footing of rhamnolipid bio-surfactants, whilst WP3 looks towards a hybrid bio-refinery for the production of drop-in surfactants from renewable feedstocks. These UK advances in surfactant/polymer technol-ogy will have both national and global deployment capability, representing a first in class demonstration of decarbonisation through resource circularity in the bulk chemicals sector, framing and catalysing knowledge exchange towards net zero in 2050.

随着英国与欧盟以外的全球市场接轨，英国需要通过其世界领先的科学、工程和技术能力取得进步。发明和创新一直是英国全球影响力的基石和生产力的关键驱动力。英国长期以来在表面活性剂和功能聚合物技术方面拥有强大的能力，堪称经济竞争力历史的典范。该提案的目的是维持和扩大英国在该领域的技术和制造领先地位。 1883年，联合利华率先推出阳光皂；它具有创新性，并且有一个目的：普及清洁并让普通人能够接触到它。自那时起，联合利华现已拥有 400 多个品牌，并且公司始终以目标为动力。化石原料的使用和线性制造模式加剧了气候变化，改变了制造业的未来需求。在全球环境中保持竞争力需要重新投资于定义英国创新的多学科专业知识。该 PP 是联合利华在产品配方中放弃使用化石衍生化学品、探索减少一些全球最大清洁和洗衣品牌碳足迹的创新方法的例证。作为联合利华“清洁未来”愿景的关键组成部分，联合利华预计该计划将显着有助于将产品配方的碳足迹减少高达 20%。因此，联合利华旨在通过降低全球清洁和洗衣产品相关制造和产品生命周期的碳强度，为全球可持续工业化和气候行动等联合国可持续发展目标做出贡献。通过可持续工程科学的变革力量，利用可再生原料制造表面活性剂和功能性聚合物，通过英国在全球舞台上的技术领先地位，为该价值链脱碳提供了无与伦比的机会。这一繁荣伙伴关系 (PP) 的愿景是实现可观的目标表面活性剂和功能性聚合物价值链的脱碳，使当前的线性（回收-制造-废物）制造范式与更大的资源循环性保持一致。与许多源自化石储备原料的材料一样，表面活性剂和功能聚合物在制造过程中每千克表面活性剂/聚合物都会排放数千克二氧化碳当量；取决于原料、工艺技术和地点。在生命周期评估 (LCA) 背景下，全球表面活性剂生产规模为每年 1.5 - 200 万吨，因此需要采取行动减少全球碳排放。该提案的深远愿景将二氧化碳和工艺循环性整合到表面活性剂和功能聚合物制造的全面新范式中，旨在将全球变暖潜力降低一个数量级。三个工作包（WP）填补了拟议循环经济中存在的知识空白。 PP 的总体目标是建立技术经济上可行的循环经济，具有非常有利的生命周期评估 (LCA) 结果，通过可持续工业化缓解气候变化。 WP1 需要重新设计全球使用的清洁和洗衣产品中的关键表面活性剂和功能聚合物。 WP2 旨在增强鼠李糖脂生物表面活性剂的技术经济基础，而 WP3 则着眼于建立混合生物精炼厂，利用可再生原料生产直接表面活性剂。英国在表面活性剂/聚合物技术方面的这些进步将具有国家和全球部署能力，代表着通过大宗化学品行业的资源循环实现脱碳的一流示范，框架和催化知识交流，以实现 2050 年净零排放。