PRESS RELEASE

REPLOID Joins Research Consortium to Develop Bio-Based Surfactants from Regional Residual Streams

• REPLOID Deutschland GmbH is a partner in "BioSurfZ," a research project funded under the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) program
  "WIR! – Change through Innovation in the Region" and the "BioZ" innovation network.
• The consortium of research and industry partners spans the entire value chain, from residual materials to finished bio-based surfactants.
• REPLOID is applying its core expertise to a new and fast-growing market.

Wels/Leipzig, Austria – October 21, 2026 – REPLOID Deutschland GmbH ("REPLOID Deutschland"), a wholly owned subsidiary of REPLOID Group AG ("REPLOID"), announced its participation in "BioSurfZ," a two-year research project to develop a bio-based alternative to conventional chemical surfactants.

Surfactants are the active ingredients in laundry detergents, cleaning products, and personal care items. They lower the surface tension of water so that dirt and oil can be washed away. Global demand is strong, and tightening regulations and growing environmental awareness are driving the search for alternatives.

BioSurfZ will take a biotechnological production process developed at laboratory scale and advance it to pilot scale. The partners will also adapt the process to run on regional side streams and residual materials. The result: high-value, bio-based products made from raw materials that have largely gone unused until now. This approach reduces reliance on petrochemical resources and strengthens the regional circular economy.

Alongside REPLOID Deutschland, the consortium includes the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, which also serves as project coordinator, and ALTATEC GmbH of Leipzig. Further associated partners conclude the consortium.

Moritz Gold, Director of R&D and IP at REPLOID: " BioSurfZ shows just how much potential is hidden in residual materials when you pursue new solutions with the right partners. "Together with Fraunhofer IGB, ALTATEC, and our other partners, we are laying the groundwork for an entirely new market for biosurfactants, built on a regional circular economy."

The BMFTR is funding BioSurfZ through its "WIR! – Change through Innovation in the Region" program and the innovation network "BioZ – Bio-based Innovations from Zeitz & Central Germany." BioZ is dedicated to creating new products, new processes, and new economic value for the region.

REPLOID Deutschland contributes its core expertise in converting organic residues into valuable resources using Black Soldier Fly larvae. The company is pursuing several research tracks centered on high-value insect fat, underscoring the strategic importance of this raw material. BioSurfZ also marks another step in the structural transformation of Central Germany, where REPLOID is already firmly established with sites in Leipzig and Pegau.

About REPLOID Group AG

REPLOID offers an innovative system for recovering locally sourced organic byproducts from the food industry on an industrial scale.

The Group deploys and services modular, scalable plants (ReFarmUnits) for its customers, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors. In these plants, Black Soldier Fly larvae process organic residual materials (bioconversion). The larvae are fed a feed mix tailored to the specific site. Based on the Group's own research and development, this feed mix is formulated from residual materials from the regional food value chain. After one week, the larvae have completed their work and increased to approximately 25 times their original weight. Customers either use the larvae and/or their by-products themselves, or REPLOID takes them over for central marketing or further processing.

REPLOID markets the larvae either directly or after further processing, for example to customers in the animal-feed industry. The Company is driving the vertical integration of its value chain and also markets its own animal feed. REPLOID produces premium organic fertilizer from the by-products of the recovery process (insect frass).

With decentralized upcycling on an industrial scale, REPLOID also offers an economically attractive solution for the circular economy. Food residues and unused food are utilized efficiently, sustainably conserving key resources.

REPLOID Group AG was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Wels, Austria. The company has a global focus and has been listed since July 2025 on the Vienna Stock Exchange’s direct market plus segment (ticker symbol: HRX5). The Group employs more than 190 people.  

Contact

Hans Lang | Director Group Communications | +43 660 693 45 63 | presse@reploid.eu