Eco Clean, a Scottish start-up, has embarked on a research initiative in collaboration with experts from the University of St Andrews to pioneer a novel process utilizing by-products from fish farming for the production of surfactants. This project, supported by a six-figure funding grant from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), aims to create a more sustainable alternative to conventional petrochemical-based surfactants, scalable for industrial and institutional cleaning products.
Surfactants, integral components in detergents and various cleaning solutions, act as surface-active agents by disrupting surface tension, facilitating the removal of dirt. Eco Clean’s circular approach focuses on repurposing waste from the growing Scottish aquaculture sector, particularly targeting fish oils rich in fatty acids, which constitute approximately a quarter of the sector’s by-product output. In 2020, the sector produced about 192,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon, with ambitions to expand its economic output to £3.6 billion by 2030, highlighting the substantial potential for a circular approach in aquaculture.
While the aquaculture sector has made strides in reducing and repurposing by-products, such as in biodiesel formulation, this collaborative project seeks to unlock opportunities for creating higher-value sustainable products with enduring applications.
The bio-based process, developed by researchers at the University of St Andrews, offers a more cost-effective, efficient, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional surfactant production methods. The next phase of development aims to ensure the replicability and simplicity of the new method, enabling the production of surfactants at high volumes. This initiative aligns with broader efforts to promote sustainability in the aquaculture sector and signifies a step forward in creating environmentally friendly alternatives for industrial and institutional cleaning solutions.
