Braskem develops first solvent from renewable source

Committed to the development of sustainable and innovative solutions, Braskem announces its first solvent made from a renewable source. The product arrives to reinforce the already robust portfolio of specialty chemicals of the company and serves applications in segments such as paints, tyeres and adhesives. Made based on sugarcane, HE-70S is the result of an investment of R $1 million and Braskem's constant search for sustainable solutions. This new oxygenated solvent of renewable origin has lower toxicity, besides higher solvency power when compared to traditional hydrocarbon solvents. The solution has already been implemented in the production process of customers and others are in the testing phase, in order to customize the product for specific needs of each application. In Brazil, the market for hydrocarbon and oxygenated solvents represents about 700,000 tonnes annually. As one of the leaders of the segment in the country, Braskem seeks to offer alternatives for the sector to grow sustainably. In the strategic vision of the company in favor of green chemistry, bioproducts can be used as a carbon capture tool, contributing to the reduction in greenhouse gas emission. "The focus of our work is to offer customers the opportunity to innovate and stand out in the sector. We seek to maintain a close relationship in order to understand the challenges and to better meet the demands, including through the customization of solutions that can contribute to the performance in the market ", explains Cláudia Madrid, sales Manager for Braskem solvent business. The solvent HE-70S is the first product developed by the solvent laboratory, inaugurated by Braskem in 2018, in the petrochemical Polo of Grande ABC (SP). "Since the inauguration, we have advanced in research that has already been developed internally and we have come to this new product, contemplating an important part of the value chain," adds Claudia.