On October 23, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the Announcement No.52, in which the limit standard (See the table below) of five hazardous solvents, including xylene, toluene, benzene, methanol and DMF, was clearly stipulated. And this limit standard came into effect on March 1, 2014.
Solvent
Limitation Standard
(in EC formulations)
Benzene
1.0%
Toluene
1.0%
Xylene
10.0%
Methanol
5.0%
DMF
2.0%
R&D on substitution of harmful solvents has already been conducted in pesticide industry for a long time. In recent years, some industrialization achievements came out. E.g.: heavy aromatic solvents replacing light aromatic solvents, resin base vegetable oil, methyl oleate, and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) replacing chemosynthetic solvents. However, the achievements haven't been expanded in the industry. The newly introduced standards offset the shortage exactly and will play a significant role in improving formulation technology and sustainable development of the society in the future.