Amino Acids for Environment

Things discharged with sewage, like soaps and detergents, must be biodegradable. Even if they are discharged into water in rivers lakes or sea, this will not lead to environmental destruction as long as microorganisms “eat” and degrade them to carbon dioxide and water. Amino acids, components of living things, readily return to nature. Recently, detergents manufactured by conjugating fatty acids to amino acids such as glutamate and glycine have been developed and are widely used. Now, amino acid-derived materials are penetrating fast into everyday life.