The biodegradable solvent Rhodiasolv® IRIS reduces environmental impact and offers efficient and safe solutions in many industrial and agro applications.
Solvay announces the production of the new generation solvent Rhodiasolv® IRIS, with excellent eco-friendly properties. Previously manufactured in China, this solvent will now be produced from 2023 onwards at Solvay's Melle site (France).
Rhodiasolv® IRIS is efficient, non-flammable, readily biodegradable, low volatile and non-CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic). It is used in many applications such as formulation of phytosanitary products, paint stripping, graffiti and resin clean-up, industrial cleaning and agrochemistry.
Rhodiasolv IRIS® is in line with the implementation of Solvay One Planet's sustainability roadmap, which notably aims at transitioning the Group’s portfolio towards more sustainable solutions. In particular, Rhodiasolv IRIS® enables the use of an original manufacturing process that recycles a by-product of its polyamide chain, which was previously burned. This process optimizes the use of petrochemical resources and reduces environmental impact.
It is one of the key products in the Rhodiasolv® range, which are green solvents serving the transition to a more environmentally friendly agriculture. The production launch at Melle’s site will require an investment of several million euros, with commissioning planned in early 2023.
"This new plant in France is in line with Solvay's mission to act proactively and very closely with customers, bringing opportunities to supply the market with innovative formulations aligned with the sustainability objectives of the agro sector", comments Benoit Abribat, Vice President of Solvay’s Novecare Agricultural Specialties.
Developed in Solvay's research and innovation center in Lyon, Rhodiasolv IRIS® was awarded the Pierre Potier prize in 2009, the JEC innovation prize in 2010 and received support from the European Commission's LIFE+ program and ADEME, the energy transition agency.
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Melle’s plant © Solvay
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 21,000 employees in 63 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.1 billion in 2021. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com.
The Solvay site in Melle is a historic player in the Pays Mellois in the Deux-Sèvres (France). The site's industrial activity began in 1872 and has undergone many changes since then. For more than half a century, the site has specialized in the manufacture of high value-added specialty chemicals. The Melle site is deeply rooted in a sustainable approach and is carrying out very concrete actions in line with the objectives of our roadmap, Solvay One Planet. Today, the site is one of the main industrial assets of the region. The Melle site will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year. To find out more, visit the dedicated page on the solvay.fr website.
