Producing sustainable bio-based solvents from waste

The SOLRESS project will develop sustainable bio-based solvents from waste materials such as used coffee grounds and plant biomass. Using an integrated biorefinery process, the project will create safer alternatives to fossil-based and toxic solvents for industries like paints, cosmetics and materials processing.

The SOLRESS project aims to develop sustainable, bio-based solvents to replace fossil-based and hazardous chemicals widely used in industry. Using waste resources such as post-consumer coffee grounds and lignocellulosic biomass, the project will create an integrated biorefinery system to produce solvents including ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, butyl acetate, 2-MeTHF and GVL. The project focuses on improving processing and purification methods so these bio-based solvents can be produced efficiently and competitively at industrial scale.

The solvents will be tested in key sectors such as paints and coatings, cosmetics and materials processing to evaluate their performance as safer alternatives to harmful solvents. The international consortium combines expertise from research organisations, industry and technology developers. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute will contribute with sustainability assessment and support the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) approach.

By converting waste into valuable chemicals and reducing reliance on fossil resources, SOLRESS supports a circular bioeconomy.

Read more about the SOLRESS project on the official project website External link, opens in new window.