A new technology that produces lactic acid using a low-cost, newly-found
raw material that is abundant in Davao bagged the top prize in the
recently concluded competitions in research and development conducted by
the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development
(PCIERD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Instead of
using the costly raw materials like glucose or lactose, sago starch,
from the sago tree, a native plant in the Philippines, can now be used
to produce lactic acid, a widely used component in the food industry,
nutrition and more importantly now, in medicine and in the
pharmaceutical industries. Worldwide, the international scientific
community has also been studying lactic acid for its use as monomer for
biodegradable plastics. These studies, however, center on finding an
alternative process to chemical synthesis.
But the winning edge of the research conducted by Dr. Dulce M. Flores,
the researcher from the Department of Food Science and Chemistry,
University of the Philippines in Mindanao, is her isolating a bacterial
strain which could singly do the three processes of liquefaction,
saccharification and fermentation for lactic acid production. Three
complicated steps done in one step (fermentation) plus the use of cheap
starch as raw material means savings in energy cost, time and equipment
investments. Another underlying objective of the research is to help the
Monobo tribe in Davao to make starch as a means of livelihood. As first
prize winner, Dr. Flores received a cash prize of P250,000.00.
Garnering the second prize of P200,000.00 is the research on Catalyzed
Photooxidation: Alternative Technology Option for the Destruction of
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). In this research, Dr. Carmela R.
Centeno of the College of Engineering from the De La Salle University,
promotes the use of non-burn technologies and developed a simple yet
effective oxidation technology for degrading PCBs using an all-too
familiar reagent - hydrogen peroxide. The PCBs have become a global
concern being tagged as being in the list of the "dirty dozen" among the
persistent organic pollutants. However, it has found widespread use as
coolants in transformers and capacitors. The danger that PCBs pose is
its habit to accumulate in the environment making them hard to manage
and treat. With the catalyzed photooxidation, PCBs can now be disposed
of in an environmentally-friendly manner.
At third place is the study on producing bioethanol entitled "Validation
of a Paradigm: The Philippine Carabao as a Model for Cellulosic Ethanol
Production". In this research, Prof. Perla Florendo, Dr. Fiorello Abenes
and their team from the Philippine Carabao Center used the Philippine
carabao as a model for cellulosic ethanol production. Carabaos are known
for their ability to subsist on low-quality forage like stubbles and
straw. These agricultural wastes are naturally composed of highly
specialized and powerful enzyme-producing microorganisms that digest
cellulose and hemi-cellulose. Using this paradigm, Prof. Florendo took
out this host of organism, use their ability to break down cellulose and
added another step to produce bioethanol. This study gives light to
industries which have long been baffled by the resiliency of cellulosic
feedstocks against enzymatic hydrolysis. The new process gives a model
for cellulosic ethanol production. A cash prize of P175,000.00 was
awarded to the team.
Mr. Manny Q. Lim, Jr., President of the National Agribusiness
Development Center Foundation and Member of the PCIERD Governing
Council, in his speech as the Chairman of the Board of Judges in the
PCIERD R&D National Competition said that the competition was one of the
best and most challenging as it brought forth excellent researches in
the industry and energy sectors.
Aside from the cash prizes, all winners received a plaque of recognition
and pledge of assistance from PCIERD for the promotion and
commercialization of their processes and technologies.
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