The project ran between June 2023 and February 2024.
Controlled release of active substances is used in various products such as antifouling-, wound care-, and personal care products. A controlled release will allow the active substance to be active over a longer time, giving the product a sustained effect. The carrier materials currently available on the market for controlled release of active substances are either fossil-based or are produced using energy- and solvent intensive methods.
A picture of a “frustule” – the silica shell used to encapsulate active substances and release them.
This project aims to replace these carrier materials with a biobased silica material Algica®, which is produced from diatoms. If successful, this will contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals 12 – Sustainable consumption and productions and 13 – Fight climate change.
The purpose of the project was to evaluate the potential of using Algica® as a carrier material within wound care, antifouling and personal care applications. The goal of the project was to evaluate each market from a technology-, market- and sustainability perspective in order to further develop the most promising area.
Participants
The Swedish Algae Factory’s production facility in Kungshamn.
Swedish Algae Factory AB, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, I-tech AB and Amicoat AS.
The project was divided in work packages:
Swedish Algae Factory (SAFAB): the project owner was responsible for project management, market- and sustainability mapping and to investigate surface modifications of Algica®.
RISE: was responsible for the encapsulation and release measurements for each substance.
I-tech AB and Amicoat AS: was responsible for delivering their active substance for tests and to contribute with valuable insights in their respective industry.
Budget
The project’s total budget was 1 MSEK.
Why was this project important?
Controlled release is a must for a better product performance in respective field and to reduce the use and pollution of pharmaceuticals and biocides. Today, controlled release is achieved using carrier materials that are either fossil-based or produced using energy- and solvent-intensive manufacturing processes. The project will help the industry actors along the supply chain to choose a more sustainable carrier material for their controlled release applications.
Expected results
The aim of the project was to conduct a “proof-of-concept” study to demonstrate that Algica® can be used as a carrier structure for encapsulation and controlled release of active substances, and to investigate the market potential and sustainability perspective of using Algica® in the respective industry.
Achieved results
Swedish Algae Factory grows diatoms and extracts their mesoporous silica shells (called frustules). The material is now sold under the brand name Algica®. The frustules have a large surface area with a well-defined porous structure. It wase hypothesized that these properties of Algica® would make the material well suited for encapsulation and controlled release of different substances. This hypothesis was validated in the project.
The goal is that Algica® should work as a carrier structure for controlled release, in applications where the desired release time varies from application to application. In personal care products, such as facial serums and facial creams, a suitable release time is between 8-10 hours, in wound care products the desired release time is from a few days up to two weeks, and in antifouling products the targeted release time is three to five years. The project achieved a good encapsulation yield of 4-7wt% of the substances AMC-109, Selektope® and retinol. Controlled release over one week was achieved for AMC-109.
The project has focused on encapsulation and controlled release, but Algica has many properties that can add value in applications. Algica can retain moisture and is effective at absorbing oil, sweat and wound exudate, which would add value to wound care and personal care products. This could differentiate Algica from other carrier materials. A market analysis was done as a part of the project. Some important findings for respective market is listed below.
Personal Care
The personal care industry is a large market that is driven by new, innovative, circularly produced, and sustainable ingredients. In the project a handful of partners from the industry has confirmed encapsulation of active ingredients is a growing market within personal care. Today there is a high demand for encapsulation of active ingredients.
Wound Care
There is a growing global need for products that can enhance the wound healing process in chronic wounds. As a result, the industry is showing a great interest in innovative solutions to this global problem. Encapsulation and controlled release of active substances can be one of the solutions for more efficient wound treatment. The project has conducted discussions with companies in the wound care industry that confirm this problem and see a need for effective and sustainable wound care products.
Antifouling
Toxic and environmentally hazardous antifouling’s are used on ships around the world. Increased demand for sustainable products and regulatory requirements are driving the market to use less biocides to meet these requirements. These changes are necessary to protect the marine environment. For the antifouling to remain effective for many years, despite the lower concentration of biocides, there is a need for controlled release in this market.
External visibility
Project results were presented at InCosmetics Global in April 2024, an international fair for personal care ingredients. The project will also be presented at personal care conferences throughout the year. Project results will be presented to customers and industry partners in all three industries.
Next step
Since all of the proof-of-concept tests in this project generated positive results and the market analysis showed a potential for the three markets, the project wants to continue to investigate if diatom frustules could be used for this application in these markets.
In January 2024, two master students started their thesis work on encapsulation and controlled release using diatoms. This thesis is a joint effort between SAFAB and RISE and is investigating the effect of using frustules from different diatom species. During the spring of 2024, SAFAB and RISE also managed to release retinol from Algica®.
Following the completion of the Step 1-project, the consortium has been expanded to include Selego AB (personal care). The consortium has applied for and been granted a BioInnovation step 2-project. This project aims to reach TRL 6 and will run between May 2024 and April 2026.
Read about Diatom frustules as a bio-based, sustainable delivery vehicle for controlled release applications – step 2.