TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Bio-Derived Phytol Chemical Herders

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Summary from the notice

High-Performance Marine Oil Spill Response Technology Chemical herders are surfactants applied to the water surface surrounding an oil slick. By reducing water surface tension and creating interfacial spreading pressure, herders drive thin oil films into thicker slicks that can be more readily burned or mechanically recovered. This approach is especially valuable for remote spills where physical recovery methods are impractical. Bio-Derived Phytol Chemical Herders from Los Alamos National Laboratory introduces a new family of surfactants built from two renewable components: (1) phytol, a long-chain alcohol and major component of chlorophyll, used as the hydrophobic tail; and (2) sugar alcohols, used as the polar head group. These compounds have been demonstrated as effective chemical herders and shown to compete with commercially available/approved herders such as ThickSlick 6535 and Siltech OP-40. The synthesis is described as operationally simple and high-yielding, supporting practical scale-up and manufacturing transfer. Advantages: Bio-based surfactant platform using renewable phytol and sugar alcohol headgroups Designed to reduce environmental impact relative to non-biodegradable, bioaccumulative commercial herders Demonstrated effectiveness as a chemical herder in laboratory evaluations Competitive performance versus ThickSlick 6535 and Siltech OP-40 Higher herding rates than a prior phytol-derived herder example Operationally simple, high-yield synthesis (supports manu…

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