AMsilk scaling up through Evonik collaboration
Fermatation expert Evonik SE has entered into an agreement with the German recombinant silk producer AMSilk to produce industrial quantities of innovative, sustainable silk proteins.
Just one week after AMSilk inked a collaboration agreement on protein engineering of its silk protein to target new applications with Brain Biotech AG, the German company has teamed up with Evonik to scale up silk protein production at Evoniks CDMOs silk protein fermentation site in Slovakia.
The production of sustainable material solutions from spider silk, which can be formulated as powders, hydrogels, fibres and coatings, had been identified by Amsilk and Brain Biotech as having great potential for substitution and innovation. The partners aim to replace petroleum-based textile fibres made of polyethylene or polyamide, whose landfilling is considered a major source of the increasing microplastic pollution of water bodies. In times of growing environmental awareness among consumers in affluent economies, sustainability is considered one of the main selling points. Under the partnership, Brain Biotech will carry out rational design on AM Silks recombinant silk protein to find new applications and markets
The Evonik partnership will expand the scale of silk proteins for different applications.We are delighted to partner with AMSilk to bring smart biotech silk materials to industries worldwide, said Thomas Riermeier, head of the Health Care business line at Evonik. “Evonik is not only the perfect industrial partner, but also as a strategic partner with whom we can scale up industrial production even beyond Europe, added Klaus Kjeldal, Chief Production Officer at AMSilk GmbH.
AMSilk is the world’s first industrial supplier of smart biotech materials by applying an outstanding technology platform based on silk proteins. AMSilk turns man-made proteins into silk formulations including fiber, hydrogels and silk powder for applications in the textile industry as well as for medical devices and consumer goods. All AMSilk materials are created with an end of life in mind, being completely vegan, biodegradable, and using renewable plant-based carbon, with no microplastics.
