Conclusion and outlook

The development of new plant-based solvents requires not only the creation of new formulations to meet the performance requirements of the application, but also the modification of processes using these biosolvents, to take account of their properties. A specific formulation generally corresponds to a given specification, as commercialized biosolvents solubilize a smaller range of chemical compounds than traditional solvents (halogenated solvents, for example). A multi-criteria analysis can be used to quantify the environmental and health benefits of replacing a conventional solvent with a biosolvent.

The market share of biosolvents is rising sharply as conditions are ripe to meet a number of challenges:

• The need to reduce VOC emissions in order to improve air quality and limit the impact on the climate is a priority...