Biosurfactants in 2025: Rhamnolipids & Sophorolipids Finally Reach Scale

Scale and cost curves are improving

Fresh 2025 research demonstrates rhamnolipid scale-up using waste glycerol with better process economics—addressing the long-standing bottleneck of industrial-scale production. Complementary reviews in 2025 also compile strain and fermentation advances boosting yields and robustness. Meanwhile, sophorolipids are moving from lab to pilot with clearer processing playbooks.

Why biosurfactants now?

• Performance parity with conventional surfactants in many cleaning and wetting tasks; some show superior biodegradability and low toxicity profiles.

• Policy tailwinds: As PFAS and certain petro-surfactants face scrutiny, buyers seek drop-in or near drop-in options.

Implementation guide (for SMEs)

1. Define the job-to-be-done: wetting, emulsification, detergency, or foam control. Shortlist 2–3 biosurfactant candidates per function.

2. Pilot quickly: Start at 0.1–1.0% active in your current formula. Benchmark against your incumbent surfactant on CMC, foam stability, and soil removal.

3. Mind the feedstock: Favor sources using waste glycerol or renewable carbohydrates to stabilize cost and ESG metrics.

4. Regulatory housekeeping: Capture SDS/COA and any ecolabel compatibilities for marketing claims.

Example use cases

• Green cleaning concentrates pairing biosurfactants with D-Limonene (Tech Grade) for terpenic solvency + bio-based detergency.

• Agro adjuvants where wetting/spreading is key and PFAS is undesirable.

How Chemrich accelerates adoption

• QuickStart Kits: Sample packs of rhamnolipids/sophorolipids with application notes.

• IntelliForm™ Trials: DOE-driven optimization to hit target HLB/foam profiles in <10 iterations.

• Sourcing at low MOQs: We specialize in low-MOQ specialty chemicals—get pilot quantities without committing to bulk.