Ethyl lactate as a solvent: Properties, applications and production processes – a review

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Ethyl lactate is an environmentally benign solvent with effectiveness comparable to petroleum-based solvents. The worldwide solvent market is about 30 million pounds per year, where ethyl lactate can have an important share. It is considered a chemical commodity and has attracted much attention in recent years, since it is formed by the esterification reaction of ethanol and lactic acid, which can be generated from biomass raw materials through fermentation. In this work, an overview regarding the main properties and applications of ethyl lactate, as well as its synthesis and production processes, with a particular emphasis on reactive/separation processes, is presented.