Funding for Feringa and Minnaard from National Growth Fund project Big Chemistry

Two UG research projects have received funding from the National Growth Fund project Big Chemistry via NWO. One is a project led by Prof. Ben Feringa involving the development of soap and shampoo from organic raw materials, and the other is a project led by Prof. Adri Minnaard focused on developing cleaning products from renewable raw materials.

In both projects, the scientists make intensive use of AI for the analysis and processing of large amounts of data. The research projects will each receive EUR 400,000.

Organic soap and shampoo

Feringa's research project, in collaboration with partner Syensqo, is developing new surfactants for personal care products such as soap and shampoo, based on organic raw materials. A combination of amino acids and vegetable oils is converted in a new green chemical process. Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics methods are used to discover new catalysts for sustainable chemical conversion and to optimise complex surfactant systems in water for future applications.

Cleaning products from renewable raw materials

Minnaard's project, in collaboration with consortium partner Henkel, focuses on defining the optimal bio-based surfactant for cleaning products. Cleaning products made from renewable raw materials will replace the current products based on fossil raw materials. However, it is a challenge to achieve comparable performance with natural surfactants, which are new compared to the conventional surfactants that have been produced for decades. In this research project, libraries of new surfactants are being created and the best ones, or the best combination of them, are being selected using artificial intelligence.

National Growth Fund programmes

NWO runs several thematic programmes funded by the National Growth Fund. These programmes bring together public and private parties and contribute to innovation, broad prosperity and sustainable earning capacity for the Netherlands.

Read more

• Eight consortia funded in NGF Big Chemistry (NWO)