Enlarging the portfolio of commercially produced bio-based SSbD solvents

Solvents play an essential role in many applications, from production processes (both upstream and downstream steps), including recycling processes, to being essential components in final products. The EU bio-based production share is 1.5% (1% CAGR[[See glossary of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2024 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents).]]), indicating a ‘young’ market.[[Spekreijse, J., Lammens, T., Parisi, C., Ronzon, T. and Vis, M., Insights into the European market for bio-based chemicals, EUR 29581 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2019, ISBN 978-92-76-01500-0, doi:10.2760/739561 JRC112989.and ‘Road2Bio’ BBI JU project.]] The safety of solvents (conventional or not) is a concern; hence there is growing interest in safe and sustainable alternatives.

Proposals under this topic should:

• Demonstrate sustainable and efficient production process(es)[[Enabling process technologies may include chemical, physicochemical, biotech or hybrid technologies while symbiosis concepts are welcomed, if applicable to attain resource efficiency and sustainability with regards to attaining the targeted bio-based solvents.]] for obtaining bio-based solvents which can be then applicable as SSbD alternatives in one or more of the following applications: i) production processes and/or ii) recycling, decontamination or pollution control processes; and/or iii) formulation ingredients/additives. The focus should be to address safety and sustainability challenges of market-relevant solvents, including the ones under the SVHC[[See glossary of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2024 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents).]] and SoCs[[See glossary of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2024 (https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents).]] categories.
• Clarify the relevant feedstock in scope including availability and process flexibility aspects in relation to feedstock composition if relevant. The cascading valorisation of secondary biomass and residual streams is also in scope.
• Demonstrate that the targeted bio-based solvents are applicable in the most relevant final processes and/or products with critical market volumes or processing applications. This includes testing and validating (end TRL: 5 and above) the novel solvents in final products and/or processes to assess the impact on end-product and process design, overall impact, and performances.
• Include a task to integrate assessment based on the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission, for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials.[[See document defining the framework and criteria: Safe and sustainable by design.]] Under this context, projects are expected to contribute with and develop recommendations that can advance further the application of the SSbD framework.[[More specifically, provide thresholds that can support the criteria definition and improvements for the assessment SSbD methodologies, including any specificities related with bio-based surfactants. Recommendations should also include identification of data gaps, especially safety, environmental, but also socio-economic factors, as well as priorities for data collection.]] The safety and environmental performance assessment must account for the full value chain and the most relevant final application(s) and end-of-life , ensuring safety for workers, end users / consumers as well as the environment.
• Assess the social sustainability performance of the bio-based solutions via S-LCA.

Proposals must apply the concept of ‘multi-actor approach’ and ensure adequate involvement of all key actors in the value chains relevant for this topic and across the sustainable circular bio-based system including end users, such as B2B stakeholders and brand owners.

Proposals should seek for links and complementarities and avoid overlaps with past, ongoing and upcoming EU funded projects, including those funded under H2020, HEU and the BBI JU and CBE JU.[[For example from the BBI JU portfolio, without the list being exclusive: RESOLUTE (FLAGSHIP; end: 2023), RESOLVE (RIA; end: 2020) and GREENSOLRES (IA, end:2021).]] Collaboration among projects from the same topic are encouraged.

Proposals should also describe their contribution to the Specific CBE JU requirements, presented in section 2.2.3.1.