In Focus: From the Lab to Real-World Applications BASF Report 2021 Management’s Report – In Focus: From the Lab to Real-World Applications 51 In focus: From the Lab to Real-World Applications Our aim is to quickly turn ideas into innovations for a sustainable future. To achieve this, we bring together the creativity, experience and expertise of our employees with the know-how of our partners from academia and industry. Recycling industrial off-gases: Industrial off-gases are usually conditions in joint projects with academic partners and closely incinerated or thermally recovered. In both cases, CO is emitted. To coordinated laboratory and field research. The additional integra- 2 avoid this and to recycle the main components of the off-gases so tion of new digital tools and faster screening and testing methods they can be used in chemical production, BASF has been research- enables us to shorten our development times and develop high- ing an innovative process, gas fermentation, with the U.S. startup performance, environmentally compatible ingredients – not only for LanzaTech since 2018. The interdisciplinary team achieved an cleaning purposes, but also for cosmetics and industrial applications important breakthrough in 2021: using special bacteria, they were such as agrochemicals. able to produce n-octanol from carbon monoxide and hydrogen for the first time. The molecule is an alcohol and is used in cosmetics, Animal-free testing methods: The European Union wants to sig- for example. Normally, microorganisms cannot produce n-octanol, nificantly improve the safety of chemical products. BASF supports which is toxic to them. However, using biotechnological methods, this goal and has been actively working to make it a reality for many LanzaTech was able to program the organisms to produce and tol- years. For example, in order to meet expanded requirements and erate n-octanol as part of a gas fermentation process. In parallel, additional testing obligations under the E.U.’s Chemicals Strategy BASF researchers developed a process that enables the continuous for Sustainability in the future, we are developing innovative in vitro separation and purification of n-octanol. Following successful imple- methods with our own laboratory team and together with partners. mentation in the laboratory, the team is now working on further Among other things, they will help us to efficiently and reliably detect process improvements. Integrating gas fermentation technology and evaluate potential hormonal effects of substances – even with- into the BASF Verbund could contribute to a carbon- neutral circular out animal testing. BASF has been researching alternative methods economy in the future. for many years and recently reached an important milestone: In 2021, the OECD approved the world’s first toxicology testing Bio-based and biodegradable ingredients: Circular economy strategy without animal testing – a joint project between BASF and and sustainability are also playing an increasingly important role for Givaudan (see page 123). It can be used to reliably predict whether our customers in the detergent and cleaner industry. That is why a substance causes allergic reactions in the skin without animal interdisciplinary teams at BASF have been working hard on the testing. We make all methods developed by us and approved freely question of how to optimize cleaning performance and environ- available to interested companies and authorities. mental compatibility. The focus here is on new ingredients that can be produced from renewable raw materials and biodegraded at the end of their productive life cycle. This calls for new approaches in research and development. We are developing a funda- mental understanding of how biodegradation occurs under different