Proklean Technologies | Bio-Based Cleaning Chemicals

Proklean Technologies | Bio-Based Cleaning Chemicals

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 9 – Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Company Overview

Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is a chemicals manufacturer headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The company was founded in 2012 by Dr. Sivaram Pillai, B. Chandrasekhar, and Vishwadeep Kuila, who combined backgrounds in biochemistry, leather manufacturing, and sales to develop probiotic-based alternatives to conventional chemical surfactants.

The company’s core technology platform combines probiotic microorganisms, fermentation, and formulation science to produce biosurfactants and process chemicals derived from renewable inputs. Proklean holds an exclusive licensing arrangement with Kansas City based SCD Probiotics for use of a certified mother culture, which forms the biological basis for several of its product lines.

Since its founding, Proklean has raised multiple funding rounds from investors including Infuse Ventures, Caspian Debt, GSR Travel and Retail Ventures, and Raintree Family Office, supporting research and development and expansion of its manufacturing and commercial operations. The company operates manufacturing and R&D facilities in Chennai, including a unit within the TICEL Bio Park innovation center.

Proklean’s products are positioned as drop-in replacements for hazardous chemical auxiliaries used in industrial processing, allowing manufacturers to adopt biodegradable alternatives without altering existing production equipment or workflows. The company has expanded its commercial presence through industry trade events in South and Southeast Asia and continues to introduce new formulations across its product platforms.

Why These SDGs Matter

Proklean’s wastewater and effluent treatment formulations directly support SDG 6 by reducing the chemical oxygen demand and pollutant load discharged from industrial processing plants into water systems. The company’s proprietary fermentation and biosurfactant technology platforms represent an applied industrial innovation, aligning with SDG 9 by introducing new manufacturing inputs derived from biological processes rather than petrochemical feedstocks. SDG 12 is addressed through the company’s focus on renewable input materials, biodegradable end products, and processes designed to reduce hazardous chemical consumption in manufacturing supply chains. SDG 13 is supported through the substitution of conventional, higher-emission chemical surfactants with lower-footprint biological alternatives across the textile, leather, and paper industries the company serves.

Products & Services
  • ProAvita: biosurfactant formulations for textile processing
  • Proviera: probiotic-based chemical alternatives for leather processing
  • ProCharta: bio-based processing aids for the pulp and paper industry
  • ProZeme: formulations for hospitality and waste management applications
  • ProExperta: institutional and commercial cleaning products
  • ProSurfa: multi-function biosurfactants for personal care and industrial use
  • Proklean consumer range: biodegradable household cleaning products
  • Custom formulation and wastewater treatment support services
  • Consulting on chemical substitution for manufacturing processes
Business Challenges Solved
  • Reliance on hazardous chemical surfactants in textile and leather processing
  • High chemical oxygen demand in industrial wastewater discharge
  • Limited biodegradable alternatives for paper processing chemicals
  • Odour management in effluent and waste treatment plants
  • Plastic and chemical waste in institutional cleaning operations
  • Need for process chemical substitution without retooling existing equipment
  • Rising compliance requirements around hazardous chemical restrictions in manufacturing
Approach & Methodology

Proklean’s methodology centers on a proprietary technology platform that pairs probiotic microorganism cultures with fermentation and formulation engineering to generate biosurfactants and process chemicals. Its exclusive license with SCD Probiotics provides the biological starting material, which the company’s R&D team adapts into industry-specific formulations for textile, leather, paper, hospitality, and consumer applications.

The company positions its manufacturing approach around renewable, carbon-based raw materials processed through low-impact production methods, with an emphasis on readily biodegradable end products. This is intended to allow the resulting chemicals to be reintroduced into natural systems without accumulating as persistent waste, an approach the company describes internally as circular.

Formulations are developed and validated for specific industrial processes, such as scouring and desizing in textiles, fat liquoring in leather, or deinking in paper, so they can substitute for conventional chemical auxiliaries within existing plant operations. The company has pursued third-party quality and environmental management certification, along with registration on industry chemical restriction platforms, as part of its formulation validation process. Proklean also conducts ongoing product development work, including newer formulations aimed at expanding process efficiency across the industries it serves.

Market Position

Proklean operates within the industrial specialty chemicals segment, specifically the market for surfactants and processing auxiliaries used in textile, leather, paper, and hospitality operations. Its primary customers are manufacturers and processors in these industries seeking to substitute hazardous chemical inputs with biodegradable alternatives compatible with existing production lines. The company differentiates through a proprietary probiotic and fermentation-based technology platform rather than conventional petrochemical surfactant chemistry, and through an exclusive licensing relationship for its core biological culture. It competes within a global field of bio-based and green chemistry suppliers, occupying a position among a set of funded industrial biotechnology companies tracked by startup research platforms.

Procurement Considerations
  • Confirm compatibility of formulations with existing processing equipment and workflows
  • Verify current ISO, ZDHC, GOTS, or REACH compliance status for the specific product line required
  • Assess minimum order quantities and regional distribution or supply lead times
  • Request third-party test data on biodegradability and performance versus incumbent chemicals
  • Evaluate storage and handling requirements for biological/fermented product inputs
  • Clarify technical support availability for formulation transition and process integration
  • Review total cost of ownership, including any process efficiency or waste-handling savings
Funding, Recognition & Ecosystem
  • Angel funding round, 2012
  • Funding round including Infuse Ventures, 2015
  • Investment from GSR Travel and Retail Ventures and angel investor Sanjeev Bikhchandani, 2019
  • Debt investment from Caspian Debt
  • Strategic funding round from Raintree Family Office
  • Total funding raised across multiple rounds from institutional and angel investors
  • Exclusive technology licensing partnership with SCD Probiotics (United States)
Natnavi Analysis

Proklean Technologies represents a long-running example of applied green chemistry in India, having operated since 2012 in a segment where hazardous chemical dependence remains widespread across textile, leather, and paper manufacturing. Its proprietary probiotic and fermentation platform, combined with an exclusive licensing arrangement with SCD Probiotics, gives the company a distinct technical basis compared to conventional surfactant chemistry, and its formulations have been adopted across several process-heavy manufacturing sectors.

The company’s certification portfolio, spanning quality, environmental, and textile-specific chemical management standards, reflects an effort to meet the compliance expectations of larger manufacturing and export-oriented customers. Multiple funding rounds over more than a decade, including from institutional investors, indicate a sustained ability to attract capital in the industrial biotechnology space.

At the same time, Proklean’s growth trajectory is closely tied to adoption cycles within the specific manufacturing sectors it serves, particularly textile and leather processing, which means its expansion depends significantly on industrial demand and regulatory tightening around hazardous chemicals in these sectors. For procurement teams and sustainability professionals, Proklean is best understood as a specialized industrial chemistry supplier with a differentiated technology base, rather than a broad-based green chemicals conglomerate.

Sources & References
Founded: 2012
Company Stage: Growth-Stage Company
Headquarters
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Geographic Presence
Proklean is headquartered in Chennai, India, with manufacturing and R&D facilities concentrated in Tamil Nadu. The company primarily serves manufacturing customers across India’s textile, leather, and paper processing hubs, and has extended its commercial outreach into Southeast Asian markets through participation in regional trade exhibitions, alongside a limited operational footprint reported across Asia and North America.
Solution Type
Manufacturer, Technology Provider
Sustainability Outcomes
Carbon Reduction, Circular Economy, Resource Efficiency, Waste Reduction, Water Conservation
Industries Served
Chemicals & Materials, Hospitality & Tourism, Manufacturing, Retail & Consumer Goods
Certifications: GOTS, ISO 14001, ISO 9001
Last Reviewed: July 30, 2026

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