Report Finds Promising Biobased Alternatives to Polar Aprotic Solvents
WAGENINGEN, the Netherlands - A report from Wageningen Food & Biobased Research commissioned by RIVM (the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) has revealed a number of promising biobased alternatives to the controversial polar aprotic solvents NMP, DMAc and DMF. Wageningen Food & Biobased Research carried out a broad scan of new and marketable biobased chemicals. This focused specifically on substitutes for the polar aprotic solvents NMP, DMAc and DMF – all substances of very high concern, the use of which may be limited by EU law in the future.
Within the EU BBI project RESOLVE, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is already developing safe alternatives to toluene and NMP, two widely used substances of very high concern. RESOLVE focuses on the development of alternatives with a completely different chemical structure, entirely avoiding the chemical groups that make toluene and NMP toxic. Moreover, the alternatives are sustainable because they are made from carbohydrate-rich waste streams such as sugar beet pulp.