Abstract
This review presents a complete picture of current knowledge on 2-methyloxolane (2-MeOx), a bio-based solvent for the extraction of natural products and food ingredients. It provides the necessary background about the properties of 2-MeOx, not only its solvent power and extraction efficiency, but its detailed toxicological profile and environmental impacts are discussed. We compared 2-MeOx with hexane which is the most used petroleum-based solvent for extraction of lipophilic natural products. The final part focuses on successful industrial transfer, including technologic, economic, and safety impacts. The replacement of petroleum-based solvents is a hot research topic, which affects several fields of modern plant-based chemistry. All the reported applications have shown that 2-MeOx is an environmentally and economically viable alternative to conventional petroleum-based solvents for extraction of lipophilic foodstuff and natural products.
Highlights
During the 20th century, extraction solvents have been exclusively volatile organic compounds (VOCs) obtained from non-renewable resources, and most of them are known or suspected to be harmful to both human health and the environment
This review presents a complete picture of current knowledge on 2-metyloxolane
2-Methyloxolane (2-MeOx) is a cyclic ether, issued from carbohydrates derived from lignocellulosic biomass, which represents the most abundant biomass resources on earth [4]
Summary
During the 20th century, extraction solvents have been exclusively volatile organic compounds (VOCs) obtained from non-renewable resources, and most of them are known or suspected to be harmful to both human health and the environment. (refined perfume extract) does require almost 2 tons of fresh roses as raw material, and a large quantity of petroleum based solvent (hexane), a lot of energy (mainly fossil) for extraction and evaporation, and water to cool and clean, on top of generating toxic solid waste with petroleum-based solvent residues, wastewater, and emissions of VOCs As another example, to extract 1 ton of rapeseed or soybean oil, we need more than 4 tons of raw material to be processed with almost same amount of hexane. Prefer a solvent with high rate of recyclability, high bio-degradability and no bio-accumulation, to limit global process impact on environment In this context, this review presents a complete picture of current knowledge on 2-metyloxolane (2-MeOx)— known as 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF)—as a bio-based solvent for the extraction of natural products. The last parts give new insights in term of toxicity and regulations, even for operators or final consumers, up-scaling and industrial applications, quality, security and safety considerations, economic and environmental impacts, and future directions for research and industry
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