Energy is central to achieving sustainable development goals. With more than 1.6 billion people still lacking access to electricity worldwide and 2.4 billion using traditional biomass, improving access to reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly energy services is a major challenge to poverty eradication and the achievement of the MDGs. There is also an urgent need to transform global energy systems, as current approaches are causing serious harm to human health, the Earth’s climate and ecological systems on which all life depends, and because access to clean, reliable energy services is a vital prerequisite for alleviating poverty.

-Archbishop Celestino Migliore,
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations,
Statement to the United Nations, 11 May 06
 
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Bio-based Resins

Bio-based Natural Resins

Soleco (Global) Ltd focus is on identifying raw materials derived from certain plant species that could replace a considerable quantity of petroleum derived chemicals. For the last five years we have researched a host of possible annual and perennial crops with large concentration of tannin, lignin, and cellulose.

Resins produced by substituting phenol with phenol substitute derived from pyrolysis oils have been tested industrially. The phenolic-rich extracts and substituted phenols, so extracted, can be used as natural phenols for making phenol-formaldehyde resins. Phenol-Formaldehyde (PF) resins are extensively employed as bonding adhesives in the manufacture of composite wood panels, oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood. It is less toxic and have lower cost as compared to the common phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins. The resulting wood panels have the same properties as the ones produced with common PF resins.

Phenol is a petrochemical product and the increased oil prices together with the need of reducing the demand on fossil fuels and promoting environmentally friendly products have encouraged developments in the use of alternative raw materials derived from renewable resources.