What applications can oleochemistry offer?

What applications can oleochemistry offer?

Oleochemistry, or the chemistry of fats, refers to all types of physico-chemical transformations applied to vegetable oils such as rapeseed, sunflower, palm, soya, and coconut, as well as to animal fats. This renewable raw material is firstly reduced to its primary components. They can then be recombined with a variety of other molecules. Applications of this technology are highly diverse, ranging from food to construction and cosmetics. Emulsifiers and additives of plant origin improve the properties of foodstuffs that are used to produce margarines, cookies, and confectioneries. Solvents derived from plants can be found in the formulation of inks, paints, cosmetics, lubricants, or even phytosanitary products. As for green polyols, propylene glycol, as well as products derived from oleochemistry, they are used in the composition of polyurethane foam for mattresses and insulation material, and also in glass fiber composite material such as wind turbine blades.  In all of these applications, oleochemistry represents an attractive alternative to ingredients sourced from fossil fuels.