Solvents and fuels

Ethyl acetate is primarily used as a solvent and diluent for cleaning, decaffeination, paints, perfumes and confectionary. It occurs naturally in wines and is an effective asphyxiant for insects.

The DAVY^TM ethyl acetate process enables ethyl acetate and a valuable hydrogen co-product stream to be produced directly from ethanol. This process has been recognised by a number of awards, including the Kirkpatrick Honour Award.

N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is a low toxicity stable polar solvent used to recover pure hydrocarbons when processing petrochemicals, to desulphurize gases, as a solvent to dissolve a range of chemicals (particularly in the polymers arena) and as a solvent for the surface treatment of textiles, resins and metal coated plastics. The DAVY NMP process is a novel process for producing NMP from methylamine and gamma butyrolactone. Our process utilizes a non-catalytic reaction of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and monomethylamine (MMA) with the separation by distillation of the product to produce solvent quality NMP.

DME is an alternative automotive fuel solution and can be used as fuel in diesel engines, gasoline and gas turbines. Johnson Matthey offers its DAVY DME process.

Dimethyl formamide (DMF) is a solvent with a low evaporation rate, primarily used in producing acrylic fibres and plastics. It is also used in pharmaceuticals, the production of pesticides and the manufacture of adhesives, synthetic leathers, fibres, films and surface coatings.

Johnson Matthey offers the DAVY dimethyl formamide process, which produces DMF by reacting dimethylamine with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst at low temperatures and pressures.

The product assurance technologies we provide are used in brand protection and authentication programs globally, to challenge adulteration, counterfeiting and false liability claims across a range of products.

Visit the Tracerco website to find out more.