Green syntheses of biobased solvents

The design of bioproducts implies the use of renewable carbon but also the conversion of this carbon through clean processes. This step is often a limiting one if we consider the whole life cycle "from the raw materials to the fate of the products". We proposed, in this work, to adapt conventional methods to the conversion of a natural raw material, the fusel oil, a co-product generated by ethanol industry to prepare acetates, carbonates and isovalerates. Selected conditions are compared to conventional routes to quantify their ecoefficiency and to check their potential development for the preparation of new biosolvents. In another step, we have calculated the volatile organic compound amount emitted during the production of a new cosmetic formulation using the fusel oil derivatives. This complete but simple example shows how to identify a real competitive alternative to the usual production chains. (C) 2010 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.