U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary to visit University of Minnesota on Sept. 30
Officials will see groundbreaking detergent molecule technology funded by the Department of Energy
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (09/28/2020) — U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar will visit the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus to see groundbreaking technology developed at the University through funding from the Department of Energy. The tour will begin at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The first stop will be the lab led by Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Professor Paul Dauenhauer where a research team discovered a new detergent molecule that has advanced capability for developing eco-friendly cleaning applications such as laundry, dishwashing, or personal care products. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as private capital, this technology is being brought to market by Sironix Renewables, whose CEO is University of Minnesota alumnus Christoph Krumm (Ph.D. Chemical Engineering ’16) and co-founder Professor Paul Dauenhauer. The University’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science is regularly ranked among the top five nationally.
Sironix Renewables uses all-natural materials to create a molecule that makes detergents, cleaners and personal care products perform better while at the same time reducing the impact on the environment. Produced from renewable, agricultural materials with a structure that is highly active and stable in both cold and hard water, Sironix Renewables’ “tunable,” precise molecular structures are useful for a wide range of applications and allow for the use of simpler product formulations with fewer ingredients.
Researchers say that Sironix Renewables’ bio-based, environmentally benign Eosix® detergent works 500 times better in hard water than other detergents. Eosix® performs better than other detergents because of its remarkable ability to serve as both an active cleaning ingredient and a hard water softener.
Sironix Renewables is headquartered in Seattle but has continuing research ties with Professor Dauenhauer and other leading chemical engineering and green chemistry researchers at the University of Minnesota. The company, one of 170 startups spun out from the University of Minnesota since 2006, considers Minnesota as an attractive potential manufacturing site given its proximity to bio-feedstocks.
Initially discovered as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Center Program, the technology has been further supported in development through both the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office RAPID Program and the Department of Energy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. With recent private investments combined with grants, Sironix Renewables has received a total of $6.3 million in funding.
For more information about Sironix Renewables, visit the Sironix Renewables website. For more information about how the University of Minnesota is moving its discoveries to market, visit the University of Minnesota Technology Commercialization website.