Together with European partners, Oleon is working on enzymatic technology using enzymes as catalyst. This technology has multiple advantages: it requires less energy due to the low temperature and pressure; there are safety benefits compared to the conventional process, resources such as raw material & water are used more efficiently and it results in a high purity end-product with less waste.
Enzymatic technology:
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- Less energy
- Safer
- High quality end-product
- More resource-efficient
- Less waste
Compared to traditional chemical synthesis processes, these chemo-enzymatic processes have clear advantages of greater efficiency, higher product quality and smaller environmental impact.
- Dirk Packet, Director Research & Development
Incite project
Innovative Chemo-Enzymatic Integrated Processes
INCITE is a European initiative developing two enzymatic processes:
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- solvent-free synthesis of natural oleochemical esters using lipase enzymes finding applications in food/feed, personal care and crop protection.
- esterase-catalyzed production of a chiral molecule used as starting material with applications in crop protection and public health.
Oleon had been a partner in this project from the start with a pilot plant in our Oelegem facility.
LIPES project
Life Integrated Process for the Enzymatic Splitting of triglycerides
LIPES was a European initiative developing a new environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional and current splitting methods of triglycerides (vegetable oils) producing free fatty acids and glycerol for end-use in a variety of applications. This process results in a minimum saving of 45% water consumption and 80% of energetic consumption. The next steps towards further industrialization of this process are currently being investigated by Oleon and its partners.
