Fish oil waste source for the production of bio based surfactants

This project investigated the feasibility of using oils extracted from fish industry waste to produce ingredients such as detergents and foaming agents for use in industrial products.

Introduction

Mark Hamilton, Ecoclean

The aquaculture industry in Scotland is growing fast with a total production of fish around 350K Ton/yr, with ongoing plans for expansion up to 2030 (up to 50%). There is an opportunity to valorise the waste from the fish industry to produce high-value bio-based surfactants (compounds that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Bio-based surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants.)

Challenge

This project sought to investigate whether waste from the fish industry could be used to create high-value bio-based surfactants and therefore reduce the reliance on petrochemicals to produce products for industrial purposes.

Solution

The academic partners in the lab.

Ecoclean obtained funding from Zero Waste Scotland for market analysis, defining the market to use, regulatory standards to meet and guidance on surfactant types to produce. They also visited fish producers and potential clients.

The academic partners developed economic and environmentally sustainable process to produce bio-based surfactants from fish oil.  Several final surfactant molecules were produced for further development.

The project team tried two main synthetic routes to produce bio-based surfactants from fish oil. One used a catalyst developed as a by-product from the construction industry to produce Ethoxylated biobased surfactants. The other used an enzymatic process to produce sugar derived ester surfactants. This feasibility study proved that surfactants can be produced from fish oils. The partners are now seeking further funding to refine the process and scale-up.

Outcome

The feasibility of the process has been proved and the project partners have secured further funding to refine and scale up the process. The academic team have also benefited from a proven use of their technology.