Life cycle assessment of DMSO solvent, comparing an open manufacturing system with a closed one

This paper has been elaborated during the project called “DMSO contaminated industrial waste water recycling by distillation” which action connects to the Hungarian water quality improvement program. The dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is frequently used as a solvent for chemical reactions and is also extensively used as an extractant in biochemistry and cell biology. It is known as environmental friendly solvent, and the DMSO can be efficiently recovered from aqueous solutions – even though contaminated with volatile and/or nonvolatile impurities – by distillation due to its high boiling point (189 C). This paper compares two technologies an open and closed system from viewpoint of sustainability, by LCA, in which the DMSO used as solvent, and it was recovered