Start-up ready with cleaning ingredient made from captured CO2

UK-based tech start-up Viridi has launched a key ingredient for cleaning products using captured carbon dioxide as a feedstock.

The company, spun out of the University of Southampton, has created a surface active agent, or surfactant, that enables water to lift oils and grime from surfaces in products such as soaps, shampoos, and cleaners.

By using CO2 captured directly from a manufacturer’s own emissions, Viridi avoids oil palm-derived feedstocks typically used to make ingredients such as the widely used sodium laureth sulphate (SLS).

The product, called Vireya, is designed to bridge the gap between water and oily dirt. “Vireya … turns a manufacturer’s captured CO2 into the core ingredient behind soaps and cleaners,” said Dr Daniel Stewart, Chief Executive of Viridi.