Biosurfactant-containing products from an environmental perspective – life cycle assessment of a liquid laundry detergent and a personal care product

Abstract

This study evaluates the environmental impacts of products containing a biotechnologically produced biosurfactant in a prospective cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA). To gain better understanding of the product system and enhance the product sustainabilty, we analysed two potential applications of the glycolipd biosurfactant mannosylerythritol lipid (MEL) in a liquid laundry detergent (LLD) and a cosmetic cream. Although MEL manufacturing is currently conducted at laboratory scale and several aspects have been upscaled for the LCA, we anticipate further enhancements as the production scale and technology readiness rise. For LLD, the LCA results in 0.44 kg CO₂-eq. for the category climate change (CC) per wash load of 4.5 kg textile. The electricity demand for washing at 40 °C and the production of formulation components are identified as the main contributing processes. The cosmetic cream contributes 0.12 kg CO₂-eq. to CC per tube of 50 g cream, which is mainly influenced by the production of the cream ingredients and packaging. To identify potential improvements and address uncertainties in surfactant efficiency, a scenario analysis was carried out. For LLD, improving the washing performance is found to be particularly important, as a reduced washing temperature combined with optimistic assumptions revealed a potential reduction of 65% in CC. The impact of the cosmetic cream can be improved primarily through the type of ingredients used and improving their production, as well as packaging design, resulting in 32% reduction in CC in an optimistic case. In conclusion, the findings indicate that biosurfactants may significantly influence the environmental performance for both products considered. They highlight the need for continued research on both further process development for biosurfactant production and on tailored formulations.