Sustainable Solvents for Chemical Processes

Abstract

This review article presents an introduction discussing critically the terms Green and Sustainable Chemistry, with the focus on solvents. Selected renewable organic solvents, namely, glycerol, γ-valerolactone, monoterpenes, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, biobutanol, and bioethanol are briefly discussed regarding their sustainability. Aspects of the so-called "design solvents", namely ionic liquids, deep euthetic solvents and supercritical solvents are also introduced and relevant industrial applications are presented.