p,p’-diphenolic acid synthesis from levulinic acid: a life cycle assessment approach

Nowadays, diphenolic acid is gaining increasing attention as a promising safer alternative to bisphenol A. Diphenolic acid is traditionally synthesized through a condensation reaction between phenol and levulinic acid, typically employing mineral acids as catalysts. However, the use of these acids involves some drawbacks. Therefore, the development of a heterogeneous catalytic system, obtained from biomass and suitable for this process, has recently become an important area of research. In this context, considering the innovative synthesis of p,p’-diphenolic acid, using a novel biomass-derived catalyst, we explored a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of laboratory-scale production of p,p’-diphenolic acid, starting from levulinic acid and phenol. The main goal is to assess the performances of these synthetic procedures in terms of their environmental impacts within the overall processes. This work also proposes several strategies to reduce these impacts, such as maximizing yield, achievable through the catalyst recycling, as well as the potential recover and reuse of the reaction mixture. In conclusion, the innovative early stage process proposed in this work has proven to be competitive if compared to the traditional process, and even more promising results are expected with further improvements in process efficiency.