Slovakia: Engineering World's First Large-Scale Production Plant for Rhamnolipids to be Developed by Evonik

Evonik has unveiled its plans to develop the mega production plant for bio-based and fully biodegradable rhamnolipids in Slovakia by investing a significant three-digit million-dollar amount. The new plant is expected to come on stream in the next two years.

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Essen/Germany – Evonik is investing a three-digit million-dollar sum in the construction of a new production plant for bio-based and fully biodegradable rhamnolipids. The decision to build the plant follows a breakthrough in Evonik's research and development. Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants and serve as active ingredients in shower gels and detergents. Demand for environmentally friendly surfactants is growing rapidly worldwide.

The investment at the Slovenská Ľupča site in Slovakia strengthens Evonik's partnership with the consumer goods group Unilever, which began in 2019. At the same time the investment allows Evonik to further expand its own market position in the growth market for biosurfactants. The new plant is scheduled to come on stream in two years.

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"We invest more than 400 million dollars a year in our research and development," says Harald Schwager, Evonik's Chief Innovation Officer. "The journey of rhamnolipids from the initial idea to the finished product has been long, but it is worth it. This partnership with Unilever is a result of our expertise in biotechnology. "

“Rhamnolipids are an important part of our Clean Future initiative which has set the goal to replace fossil carbon in all cleaning products by 2030. We want to make sustainability easy for everyone that uses our products. The partnership with Evonik helps move our brands away from fossil fuels without compromising on performance or affordability.” says Peter Dekkers, Executive Vice President Middle Europe, Unilever.

"With the construction of the world's first industrial-scale production facility, we can supply this rapidly growing market with excellent quality," says Johann-Caspar Gammelin, Head of the Nutrition & Care division.

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