Cyrene™, a Sustainable Solution for Graffiti Paint Removal

Abstract

Graffiti can create detrimental aesthetic and environmental damage to city infrastructure and cultural heritage and requires improved removal methods. Incumbent laser, mechanical and chemical removal techniques are often not effective, are expensive or damage the substrate. Solvents are generally hazardous and not always effective because of the insolubility of the graffiti paint. This study proposes a simple strategy for safe and effective graffiti removal, using the bio-based, non-toxic and biodegradable solvent dihydrolevoglucosenone (Cyrene™). The results showed that the type of substrate influenced the cleaning performance; in benchmark studies a non-porous substrate was easy to clean, while porous ceramic showed the presence of residual paint and yellowing when the conventional polar aprotic solvents were used. Cyrene, however, showed good removability of graffiti paint from both glazed and porous substrates, with little paint remaining in the pores of ceramic tiles. The paint suffered a reversible change in colour and a selective solubility of its components when using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone; no changes occurred when Cyrene was used. While N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and N,N′-dimethylformamide were only effective when neat, a Cyrene–water mixture showed some cleaning results. The performance of Cyrene was validated with Hansen solubility parameters and represents a greener and more sustainable solvent for paint removal.

Separation and Solvent Based Material Recycling of Polycarbonate from Electronic Waste

“…Given this toxicity toward humans, the European Union in May 2020 restricted the use of NMP for many industrial applications due to worker safety concerns . Recently, cyrene has been identified as a potential replacement for NMP in specific applications. , However, at ambient conditions it was found to be unable to fully dissolve the PC feedstock used in the study. On the other hand, anhydromevalonolactone (aMVL) appears to be a promising solvent system for dissolving and recovering polymers such as PC at 80 °C .…”

Benefits of using nonionic saccharide surfactant‐based detergents for nanostructured fluids as stubborn graffiti paint remover

“…Other chemical compounds, such as gamma-valerolactone, which was reported by Kerkel et al (2021) or dihydrolevoglucosenone, which was described by Milescu et al (2023) are known in the literature. Both of these compounds have the potential to be categorized as biosolvents.…”

Wettability of Graffiti Coatings by Green Nanostructured Fluids

“…The traditional methods, such as mechanical cleaning and the use of organic solvents, often lead to surface damage and compromise the integrity of the underlying substrates. [1,2,3] Thus, new and innovative strategies should be implemented to effectively remove unwanted paintings. In the literature, nanodetergents have emerged as a promising solution, offering an improved efficiency and a reduced environmental impact.…”