The pili nut is known for its rich flavor. Its versatility has been utilized in local cuisine and as a main ingredient of wellness products. An inventor from Batangas recently showcased another facet of the pili’s uniqueness, borne out of the interesting qualities of its lowly resin.
The European Patent Office (EPO) recently honored the Filipino Aeronautical Engineer Mark Kennedy Bantugon for his Pili Seal, an aircraft sealant and adhesive solution made from Pili waste. Mark was one of the top 10 winners in this year’s Young Investors Prize, he recently accepted the award in Reykjavik (Iceland).
The son of a farmer and a public-school teacher his sealant invention was inspired by a memorable childhood experience. “The roof of our house would always leak during a typhoon. My parents would always force me and my siblings to eat chewing gums because they would use it to patch the roof holes. It may sound funny now, but back then, it was our way of surviving.”
Since then, Mark has always been fascinated with sealants, “it addressed a pain point,” he said. He remembers experimenting with resins from different trees before selecting the pili tree. The resin is mixed with oil and when the oil is extracted, the resin is considered waste and immediately discarded. “The resin is very sticky, which is the number one quality of an effective sealant.”
The Pili oil’s mild fragrance is used as a main ingredient for perfumes and essential oils. The delicate smell is ideal when used in confined spaces. “Mababaho po mga commercial sealant,” (most commercial sealants smell bad) he joked.
The 25-year-old engineer is the President and CEO of Pili AdheSeal Inc., a green technology company that pioneered the adhesive and sealant solution. Apart from offering an organic material, he aims to champion a circular economy and environmental sustainability as the product transforms agricultural waste into a functional plant fertilizer.
Pili Seal can be used in aviation, defense, and construction. “I am an Aeronautical Engineer, so I initially designed it for the airplane’s fuel tank, The Department of National Defense will use the sealant for the bullets particularly the cartridge that carries the gunpowder. The sealant has been tested based on military standards. We are in the process of signing an agreement, hopefully, we can finalize it within this year,” he said.
Pili Seal also supports a circular economy as the residuals can be converted to plant fertilizers. According to their study, the residual fertilizer promotes plant growth by approximately 15-20% within two weeks.
“We do not contribute to the landfill,” he said. “Nothing goes to waste because the residual is converted to plant fertilizer. And because our product is organic, carbon emissions are reduced by 40%.” He added that their business model includes collecting used and recyclable sealant containers and the preparation of the residual fertilizer.
Transforming agricultural waste into a high-performance aircraft sealant directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure and this sealed his victory in the Young Inventors Prize which celebrates worldwide Innovators, 30 and under, which uses technology for global challenges posed by the UN SDGs.
His goal is to create the first local manufacturing production of aviation sealant in the country which can empower the lives of 15,000 local Pili farmers.
