New bio-based breakthrough points so safer, BPA-free future

Researchers from KTH and Stockholm University – among them former SUCCeSS deputy director and current board member Oskar Karlsson – have identified a bio-based alternative, bisguaiacol F (BGF), developed through a Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) approach. BGF is derived from renewable lignin, and shows no estrogenic activity while performing as well as, or better than, traditional BPA in polyester materials.

The project combined computational screening, high-throughput toxicology, and sustainable chemistry to evaluate over 170 candidates before selecting BGF as the leading option. The results demonstrate that high-performance, non-toxic plastics are achievable and highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating environmentally sound chemical innovations. Oskar Karlsson notes that the study demonstrates how essential interdisciplinary research environments like SUCCeSS are for enabling the collaboration required to create safer and more sustainable chemical solutions for the future.

Read more about the study.