BASF, a leading German chemicals company, has announced a partnership with Slovenian biotechnology firm Acies Bio aimed at advancing fermentation technology for producing fatty alcohols from methanol. The collaboration, which was revealed in a joint press release on Tuesday, seeks to leverage Acies Bio’s expertise in synthetic biology in conjunction with BASF’s resources and market access.
Fatty alcohols serve as key ingredients in the home and personal care industries, particularly in the production of surfactants. Acies Bio has created a flexible synthetic biology platform known as OneCarbonBio, which efficiently converts renewable methanol sourced from captured CO2 emissions into various chemical raw materials.
Through this partnership, BASF’s care chemicals division and Acies Bio will work together to use specialized microbes to scale up the fermentation process for the production of fatty acids and their derivatives. BASF is expected to contribute its extensive experience in process development, integrated value chain solutions, and access to global markets.
Gregor Kosec, Acies Bio’s director of R&D, highlighted the significance of the partnership, noting that it reflects recognition of the company’s research and development 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,” he stated.
For BASF, the partnership is anticipated to enhance production scale and flexibility, diversify its portfolio of renewable feedstocks, and strengthen the resilience of its global supply chain in the care chemicals sector. This collaboration marks a notable step forward in the development of sustainable biotechnology solutions within the industry.
