Biomass-derived chemical substitutes for bisphenol A: recent advancements in catalytic synthesis

Bisphenol A is an oil-derived, large market volume chemical with a wide spectrum of applications inplastics, adhesives and thermal papers. However, bisphenol A is not considered safe due to its endocrinedisrupting properties and reproductive toxicity. Several functional substitutes of bisphenol A have beenproposed in the literature, produced from plant biomass. Unless otherwise specified, the present reviewcovers 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 isthereupon on heterogeneous catalysis, use of green solvents and mild conditions, cascade processes inone-pot, and continuous flow setups. More than 500 up-to-date references describe the varioussubstitutes proposed and the catalytic methods for their manufacture, broken down according to themain biomass types from which they originate.