Biotechnology company Solugen has launched of its first consumer product line, Ode to Clean wipes. Powered by Bioperoxide, one of the purest forms of hydrogen peroxide made 100% from plants and created using Solugen’s proprietary technology, Ode to Clean offers consumers a safe, powerful, and convenient way to clean without relying on harsh, petroleum-based chemicals.

Solugen was founded in 2016 by CEO Gaurab Chakrabarti, M.D., Ph.D., and CTO Sean Hunt, Ph.D. Dr. Chakrabarti discovered a unique enzyme that produced hydrogen peroxide using an extremely efficient and ultra-pure method from sugar sources during his M.D. and Ph.D. training in oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Hunt was completing his Ph.D on nanoparticle synthesis for hydrogen peroxide production at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Through their combined expertise, Drs. Hunt and Chakrabarti saw an opportunity to apply their work to the field of hydrogen peroxide manufacturing, a typically energy-intensive and dangerous process that relies on non-renewable resources like petroleum and produces hazardous byproducts.

“Hydrogen peroxide is recognized worldwide as a safe and effective cleaning ingredient, but is incredibly dangerous and energy-intensive to create and transport,” says Dr. Chakrabarti. “Sean and I wanted to not only develop a technology that reduces the waste and pollution in the production process, but also create a purer product that would be clean and safe to use in our homes with our own families.”

Through their combined research, Dr. Hunt and Dr. Chakrabarti developed a proprietary micromanufacturing platform, which combines cutting-edge enzymatic technology (via CRISPR/Cas9) with a reactor to create Bioperoxide, a form of hydrogen peroxide made from 100% plant starch.

“Our vision is to reduce the danger and pollution that is associated with the production, transportation and storage of hydrogen peroxide,” says Dr. Hunt. “Our micromanufacturing units make it easy to scalably produce Bioperoxide when and where it is needed, reducing the long-term risks associated with storing and transporting hydrogen peroxide.”

The team aims to license their proprietary micromanufacturing technology to major chemical companies to use in their own hydrogen peroxide manufacturing or as an end user, helping to reduce the broader environmental impact that chemical manufacturing has on the environment. Capitalizing on the emerging field of enzymatics and the gene editing technology CRISPR/Cas9, Bioperoxide is the first of many chemicals that can be re-imagined through green chemistry, creating cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.

Solugen’s first product line featuring the cleaning power of Bioperoxide is Ode to Clean. Ode to Clean wipes are currently available at www.odetoclean.com. A sleek, low-profile filled dispenser plus one refill pack will be available for $18.

Ode to Clean’s wipes use Bioperoxide and are made from 100% plant starch. Because they are made with only plant starch and water, they are the only cleaning wipes on the market that do not emit toxic fumes or leave behind a toxic residue on surfaces, making them safe to use anywhere in the home. The wipes are 100% biodegradable and compostable, reducing the impact that disposable wipes have on the environment.

“Wipes are incredibly energy intensive to produce and create a lot of waste, but are also incredibly convenient to use,” says Dr. Hunt. “In fact, we could drive from the Earth to the moon and back 18,000 times with the petroleum used to make the cleaning wipes Americans use every year. It made sense that we’d want to tackle this category first, creating wipes that are not only convenient and effective, but that consumers can feel good about using.”