Method of utilizing waste biomass and side streams to produce raw materials and cosmetic compositions

Description: The inventions presented here put the principles of the Circular Economy and Green Chemistry into practice. They bring together three independent economic sectors - food processing, biofuel production, and modern biotechnology - with the personal care products market.

The essence of the entire project is the full valorization of biomass and the elimination of secondary waste through the application of three technological pillars:
• Pillar I: Advanced membrane filtration of fruit biomass. This addresses the problem of massive waste in the Polish food sector (2.5 million metric tons of apple pomace annually). It enables the loss-free recovery of pectins, polyphenols, and fruit water, transforming them into complete bases and active ingredients for finished cosmetic formulations.
• Pillar II: Biotechnological biorefinery and cascade separation. It neutralizes a problematic waste product from the fuel industry - contaminated glycerin resulting from biodiesel production. Using selected strains of Yarrowia lipolytica yeast and innovative bipolar membrane electrodialysis (EDBM), it transforms this waste into pure anti-aging organic acids (AKG, pyruvic acid), postbiotics that protect the microbiome, and upcycled post-fermentation water.
• Pillar III: Extraction of the future using deeply eutectic solvents (CosmeoDES). It eliminates harmful, volatile organic solvents from the production process. It uses safe cosmetic raw materials to create stable eutectic liquids that selectively capture polyphenols from biomass. A breakthrough is the fact that the resulting extract does not require energy-intensive evaporation - the solvent becomes 100% an integral, multifunctional ingredient in the finished cosmetic product.

Key market and environmental advantages of the patent series:
1. Zero-Waste technology in practice. Complete utilization of by-products. Every element of the process—from yeast cell fractions to water from fruit and bioreactors - gains new practical value.
2. A radical reduction in the carbon and water footprints. Replacing conventional process water with upcycled water and eliminating energy-intensive stages such as solvent evaporation and drying.
3. High-margin upcycling. The transformation of cheap, troublesome waste - which incurs disposal costs - into high-value, “eco-friendly” raw materials sought after by conscious consumers.
4. Synergy and natural biocompatibility. The resulting components are characterized by excellent skin absorption and enable the creation of a complete cosmetic product (from the base, through the thickener, to the active ingredients) derived from clean, renewable sources.

We invite you to review the technical details of each invention, which redefine the standards for clean, sustainable, and highly profitable cosmetic production. More details at Virtual Booth -> Play Video -> View presentation

Inventions:
1. Method for the simultaneous bioproduction of alpha-ketoglutaric and pyruvic acids and their separation with simultaneous utilization of side streams | Application No.: P.453421 (PUT, PULS, Symbiosis) PAT 2737 | TRL 7/8
2. Method for the extraction, concentration, and recovery of pectin from waste apple pomace using membrane processes utilizing side streams as cosmetic raw materials, cosmetic compositions based thereon, a cosmetic product kit, and a non-therapeutic, cosmetic method for skin regeneration and appearance improvement | Application No.: P.455335 (PUT, Symbiosis) PAT 2795 | TRL 7/8
3. Method for preparing deep eutectic solvents based on polyhydric alcohols and organic acids, their use as extractants of active compounds from apple pomace, and cosmetic compositions based thereon | Application No.: P.455655 (PUT, Symbiosis) PAT 2819 | TRL 7/8

Affiliations: [1] Symbiosis Sp. z o.o., ul. Rubież 46H, 61-612 Poznań, Poland
[2] Poznan University of Technology (PUT), Faculty of Chemical Technology, ul. Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznań, Poland
[3] Poznan University of Life Sciences (PULS), Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, ul. Wojska Polskiego 48, 60-637 Poznań

Organisation: [1] Symbiosis Sp. z o.o., [2] Poznan University of Technology (PUT), [3] Poznan University of Life Sciences (PULS)

Innovator(s): Ewa Kilian-Pięta [1], Mateusz Szczygiełda [2,] Justyna Werner [2], Agnieszka Duczmal [1,2], Daria Szymanowska [3], Krystyna Prochaska [2]

Category: Zero Waste Technologies

Country: Poland