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A visualization of most common chlorinated solvents in the Hansen space

Replacing toxic solvents in working environment

Chlorinated solvents have a unique dissolving ability, but they are toxic and can be harmful to both humans’ health and environment. With the help of silico tools, the project aims to find substitute solvents that are less harmful but hopefully just as effective.

The aim of this project is to replace toxic solvents that pose a health risk on workers. We will focus on chlorinated solvents, and by using state of the art in silico tools we plan to find and test substitute solvents that perform well but do not pose a risk on human health or the environment. These results will be disseminated to stakeholders. 

Chlorinated solvents are very well known for their strong cleaning and degreasing properties and are often used in a variety of industrial applications. Despite their usefulness these solvents can be toxic if inhaled or ingested. The consumption of chlorinated solvents in Sweden has decreased dramatically since the seventies and stabilized at about 500 tonnes per year after 2008. Not surprisingly, the manufacturing industry has the highest worker exposure level to chlorinated solvents.  

In order to exchange the chlorinated solvents, we plan to use a unique combination of techniques. First, we will use the HSP program (and associated databases) to predict substitute solvents that perform similar to chlorinated solvents, and then we will use ADME predictor and Leadscope to evaluate toxicity. Then a limited number of substitute solvents will be analyzed from a safety perspective and tested for specific application of interest for the stakeholders before being disseminated openly.

Summary

Project name

Chlorinated Solvents

Status

Active

RISE role in project

Koordinator

Project start

Duration

2 years

Total budget

1 453 000 SEK

Funders

Afa Försäkring

Project members

Petru Niga

Contact person

Petru Niga

Forskare

+46 10 516 60 26

Read more about Petru

Contact Petru
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