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Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Designed for Molecular Recycling: A Lignin-Derived Semi-aromatic Biobased Polymer
Published on: November 30, 2020
Biomass-derived chemical substitutes for bisphenol A: recent advancements in catalytic synthesis
Francesca Liguori1, Carmen Moreno-Marrodan1, Pierluigi Barbaro1
1Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organo Metallici, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy. pierluigi.barbaro@iccom.cnr.it.
Abstract:
Bisphenol A is an oil-derived, large market volume chemical with a wide spectrum of applications in plastics, adhesives and thermal papers. However, bisphenol A is not considered safe due to its endocrine disrupting properties and reproductive toxicity. Several functional substitutes of bisphenol A have been proposed in the literature, produced from plant biomass. Unless otherwise specified, the present review covers the most significant contributions that appeared in the time span January 2015-August 2019, describing the sustainable catalytic synthesis of rigid diols from biomass derivatives. The focus is thereupon on heterogeneous catalysis, use of green solvents and mild conditions, cascade processes in one-pot, and continuous flow setups. More than 500 up-to-date references describe the various substitutes proposed and the catalytic methods for their manufacture, broken down according to the main biomass types from which they originate.
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