On-Site Preparation of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents Using Solar Energy

Abstract

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) are currently one of the greenest solvents for both academic and industrial purposes. Despite their advantages with respect to traditional solvents, their synthesis typically requires access to power, limiting their applicability to address problems in remote locations. Addressing this shortcoming, this report describes the possibility to use a 3D-printed solar concentrator for the on-site preparation of NADES, approach that not only provides a simple way to adjust synthetic conditions but also represents the greenest method for their synthesis reported to date. To highlight the advantages of the approach, the preparation of twelve representative NADES was performed and benchmarked against one of the most traditional methods, involving heating and stirring. According to our results, most of the NADES tested could be prepared on-site in <40 min and with minimal hardware requirements. Additionally, the NADES prepared were used for the extraction of chlorophyll from Vitis vinifera leaves, prior to its quantification using a smartphone and a 3D printed fluorometer. The greenness of the proposed method (calculated using the AGREE software) rendered a score of 0.86, the best reported to date.