ReSolve

The project’s overall objective was to replace common fossil-derived solvents that the European REACH regulation has identified as substances of very high concern or has already restricted. 

The project’s focus areas were:

• Replacement solvents: Produce novel carbohydrate-based solvents to replace toxic NMP and toluene, with application performance at least equal to the benchmark solvent and toxicity below European regulatory thresholds.
• Solvent pipeline: Create an additional pipeline of non-toxic bio-based solvents and evaluate their potential in relevant applications.
• Toxicity testing: Establish an innovative, cost-effective integrated testing strategy to evaluate the toxicology of candidate solvents rapidly.
• Production for testing: Produce at least two novel carbohydrate-derived solvents on a scale suitable for application testing in a relevant industrial setting.
• Process evaluation: Evaluate production processes for the most advanced candidates, benchmarked environmentally and techno-economically against conventional solvents, including market uptake potential and feedstock supply security.
• Stakeholder engagement: Reach out to, involve and train stakeholders, and incorporate market feedback into the uptake analysis.

Results

• Two bio-based solvents: Synthesised and tested TMO, a non-polar solvent with properties similar to toluene, and Cyrene™, which efficiently replicates the properties of NMP.
• TMO performance: Used it successfully for adhesive film production. It performed like toluene in chemical reactions, and in some applications even improved the solubility of certain substances, with potential for extraction and biocatalysis.
• Cyrene™ production: Produced from waste sawdust treated with acid. 
• Wider solvent screening: Tested other promising carbohydrate-based solvents to replace NMP, toluene and other hazardous solvents.
• Early safety evaluation: Combined in silico models and in vitro bioassays to evaluate safety before development.
• Techno-economic and sustainability assessments: Optimised process designs for industrial production and assessed their actual environmental impact.

Impacts

• Health and safety: Replaces solvents that are toxic or subject to strict EU conditions, with safer alternatives that do not harm health.
• Environmental: Producing ReSolve solvents typically releases two-thirds of the harmful substances emitted by petrochemical solvents.
• Economic: Manufacturing costs are higher than for conventional solvents, but are deemed acceptable given that the solvents require first-of-their-kind production plants.
• Regulatory resilience: Helps industry prepare for expected restrictions on many traditional chemicals and avoid the economic impact of restrictions on aromatic and nitrogen-containing solvents.
• Wider application: The methodology can also be replicated to develop sustainable, recyclable, bio-based polymers.