The DreamResourceConti project, funded under the German research grant numbers 033R222A, 033R222B and 033R222C, ran from 1 September 2019 to 31 December 2022. Its aim was to increase resource efficiency, broaden the raw‑material base and improve the environmental performance of fatty‑alcohol ethoxylates, poloxamers and hard‑foam polyols by using CO₂ as an alternative feedstock. Five work packages were coordinated by five partners: Covestro Deutschland AG, RWTH Aachen’s Catalytic Center (CAT), RWTH Aachen’s LTT, Goethe University Frankfurt and the Technical University of Berlin. The project was divided into a feasibility study, process simplification, up‑scaling of a continuous ring‑opening polymerisation (ROP) of cyclic ethylene carbonate (cEC), material testing, ecological assessment and techno‑economic evaluation.

The core technical achievement was the development of a continuous ROP process for cEC that incorporates CO₂ into the polymer backbone. Computer‑chemical calculations guided the selection of suitable catalysts and revealed the key reaction mechanisms, including chain‑growth and potential side‑reaction pathways. The laboratory continuous reactor was successfully operated, and the process was transferred to a demonstration scale where approximately 300 kg of CO₂‑based surfactants were produced. The surfactants contained up to 30 wt % CO₂, and the reaction kinetics were characterised in both batch and continuous modes. The resulting tensides were tailored to exhibit specific surface‑active properties; critical micelle concentration (CMC), hydrophilic‑lipophilic balance (HLB) and contact‑angle measurements confirmed the expected behaviour. Aggregation studies showed that the CO₂‑rich surfactants formed micelles with comparable size and stability to conventional non‑ionic surfactants.

Wash‑performance tests compared the new surfactants S‑12‑18(11) and S‑8‑18(11) with the market reference Lutensol AO 7. Both new surfactants, containing 11 equivalents of a fatty‑acid starter and about 10 % CO₂, achieved equal or superior cleaning on 14 of 17 tested stains on cotton and polyester fabrics. Brightness measurements of washed textiles confirmed the high efficacy of the CO₂‑based surfactants. In addition, formulations for hard‑surface cleaners were prepared and tested on tile surfaces, showing comparable cleaning power to commercial products while maintaining low environmental persistence.

Ecotoxicological assessment covered biodegradability, estrogenic and mutagenic potential, acute toxicity, reproductive toxicity and behavioural effects on aquatic vertebrates. All tested surfactants, except V31 and V32, met the biodegradability criterion. No estrogenic or mutagenic activity was detected in the Ames or ER‑CALUX assays. Acute toxicity tests in algae, daphnia and fish embryos revealed no significant effects at environmentally relevant concentrations, and chronic endpoints such as reproduction and avoidance behaviour were only affected at concentrations far above those expected in the environment. Thus, the CO₂‑based surfactants display ecotoxicological profiles comparable to existing market products, with the added benefit of reduced negative impact due to the use of renewable feedstock.

The project’s ecological and techno‑economic analyses, carried out by RWTH LTT and TU Berlin, quantified the life‑cycle environmental benefits and the economic potential of the continuous process. The results indicate that the CO₂‑based surfactants can be produced at scale with lower carbon intensity and comparable market performance, supporting the broader adoption of CO₂ as a sustainable raw material in the surfactant industry.