Portuguese researchers recognized for cellulosic biodetergent development

In Portugal, researchers at MIT Portugal have recently won the Jerónimo Martins/Green Project Award, a prize given by Quercus, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), and GCI, to reward and foster sustainable development for “Green Detergents: Biosurfactants from lignocellulosic biomass.”

The mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL), which are glycolipids with biosurfactants properties, are produced biologically by gender Pseudozyma yeast from vegetable oils. The new technology developed by Faria, Ferreira, and Fonseca offers advantages over existing green technology based on the use and biological conversion of vegetable oils.The first results are already visible in the team’s international patent, and in their several international publications on the research. They have also helped train 2 doctoral and 3 masters students in these exciting discoveries.