Logos Scientist Named Finalist in Sustainable Chemistry Initiative for Biosurfactant Work

Logos Technologies is proud to announce that Dan Derr, the company’s senior scientist and business area lead for NatSurFact, has been named one of 20 finalists for AkzoNobel’s Imagine Chemistry initiative.

AkzoNobel is a leading paints and coatings company and major producer of specialty chemicals based in the Netherlands. This year, the firm’s Specialty Chemicals business area co-launched, with KPMG, the Imagine Chemistry program to promote sustainability through chemistry.

According to AkzoNobel, the initiative received more than 200 proposals, which then had to be winnowed down to the most promising concepts and projects.

"It has been a challenge making a selection but we believe these final 20 all hold great potential to address customer needs and contribute to a safer, more sustainable world,” noted Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Global R&D Director for AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals.

Logos Technologies’ own Dan Derr was selected for his work on NatSurFact, an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based surfactants found in soaps, shampoos, surface cleaners and other products.

“What makes NatSurFact so special,” he said, “is that it’s a strong foaming agent, yet it is easy on the eyes and skin and has low aquatic toxicity—and, best of all, we’ve been demonstrating that it can be produced cost-effectively at commercial quantities.”

Derr will be joining the other 19 Imagine Chemistry finalists at AkzoNobel’s RD&I Center, in the Dutch city of Deventer on June 1-3. There, the finalists will work with AkzoNobel experts as well as company partners in R&D, finance, innovation and marketing to further develop their proposed solutions.

At the end of the three-day event, a jury will select at least one winning team from the 20 finalists, and these winners will then receive AkzoNobel support to help commercialize their solutions.

“Our Team at Logos Technologies is excited to work with AkzoNobel and gratified by the validation our selection as a Finalist brings to our NatSurFact technology,” said Derr.

About Logos Technologies

Founded in 1996, Logos Technologies LLC is a diversified science, engineering and technology company specializing in the fields of advanced sensors, wide area motion imagery, advanced analytics, processing of large, multisource datasets, and biochemicals. Logos serves the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security, as well as commercial and international markets.