While there are numerous efforts to keep marine pollution in the country at bay - a non-conventional, biodegradable plastic packaging material is under development in Iloilo City, with researchers seeking to establish a thriving industry that can cater to the sachet economy.
(*Photo courtesy of DENR/Manila Bulletin)*
Last week, on July 14, the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology, Research, and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) inaugurated the Hub for Sustainable Smart Nanomaterials at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City. Part of the hub's goal is to produce environment-friendly bioplastics that if successful, can even rival conventional plastic packaging materials. According to the project leader, Balik Scientist Dr. Noel Peter Tan, one of the very reasons why they're pushing for the development of this material is because of how it can address marine pollution, with plastic sachets being one of the major contributors. Through the hub, Tan said that will focus on developing bioplastics for packaging that will both be marketable and useful, starting with sachets. However, his team would have to overcome some hurdles. Presently, he said that there is a gap when it comes to the quality of bioplastics compared to conventional plastic materials for packaging in terms of their mechanical and barrier properties. Yet this matter is something that they are trying to address in the lab while also partnering with industries.
*(Photo courtesy of DOST-PCIEERD/Manila Bulletin)*
"The mechanical property is not good enough, the barrier property is not good enough, the stability is not good enough. With the intervention of nanomaterials, we hope to get there, to be marketable and competitive," Tan said. Currently, Tan said that they are in collaboration with the University of Mindanao and have an industry partner called Flexsolutions Inc. which is engaged in creating sachets which in turn, will eventually help Tan's team produce the materials at an industrial scale. Tan also mentioned that there is also the matter of cost, which is why they are turning to local materials in order to make the end product more affordable. For the proof of concept, to establish that creating such material is possible, Tan said that they used Maguey fiber. But since the hub is in Western Visayas which has a sugarcane industry, Tan mentioned that they are set to use sugarcane bagasse, a biomass residue, rice hulls which are great sources of cellulose, and shrimp residue which is rich in chitosan. "My mission for this hub is really to have a tangible product. What we will do in the labs, we get out from the lab and (be) useful to the community," he said. The hub is another addition to the 49 labs built as part of the Infrastructure Development Program (IDP) around the country of DOST-PCIEERD. Investing roughly P234.4 million, it was used to buy cutting-edge lab equipment, infrastructure, specialist software, and other operational requirements.
*(Photo courtesy of DOST-PCIEERD/Manila Bulletin)*
Housed at the University of San Agustin, DOST-PCIEERD said that the hub will enable researchers to create active and intelligent packaging systems using cutting-edge tools, composite polymeric functional films, and nanoparticles that are appropriate for smart packaging technologies. Asked why the hub was created in the Western Visayas region, DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico Paringit said that numerous factors have come together to come up with a solution or a system moving forward. "They have the expertise, they have the right kind of industry that they want to partner, and they have a very good problem statement to deal with. I think if you combine all these together you will really see that this is the best place to actually do this kind of research," he added. He also explained that one other factor is the availability of local materials that they can use. Paringit stated that one of the challenges essentially of creating bioplastics is even though some materials could actually exhibit very good characteristics of being biodegradable they will not be sustainable for a long time because they're in short supply. Paringit lauded the researchers who saw the potential in using residues even, stating it's a "double whammy" since they'll be utilizing the waste products to produce something that has additional value. "So it presents additional income for those who are producing such wastes as byproducts of their processes. There's also an opportunity for those that are wanting to project environmental consciousness or friendliness in the products they produce. So it's all coming into place at the right place at the right time with the right institution," he added. The hub is a component of the University of San Agustin's recently founded Advanced New Materials, Engineering, and Emerging Technologies (CANMEET) research facility. Launched in early March 2022, this research center is the newest inside the university and in the Western Visayas region. With the assistance of industry partners, this center aspires to be the forerunner in Western Visayas R&D for the creation of innovative materials and their applications.
(*Photo courtesy of DENR/Manila Bulletin)*
Last week, on July 14, the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology, Research, and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) inaugurated the Hub for Sustainable Smart Nanomaterials at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City. Part of the hub's goal is to produce environment-friendly bioplastics that if successful, can even rival conventional plastic packaging materials. According to the project leader, Balik Scientist Dr. Noel Peter Tan, one of the very reasons why they're pushing for the development of this material is because of how it can address marine pollution, with plastic sachets being one of the major contributors. Through the hub, Tan said that will focus on developing bioplastics for packaging that will both be marketable and useful, starting with sachets. However, his team would have to overcome some hurdles. Presently, he said that there is a gap when it comes to the quality of bioplastics compared to conventional plastic materials for packaging in terms of their mechanical and barrier properties. Yet this matter is something that they are trying to address in the lab while also partnering with industries.
*(Photo courtesy of DOST-PCIEERD/Manila Bulletin)*
"The mechanical property is not good enough, the barrier property is not good enough, the stability is not good enough. With the intervention of nanomaterials, we hope to get there, to be marketable and competitive," Tan said. Currently, Tan said that they are in collaboration with the University of Mindanao and have an industry partner called Flexsolutions Inc. which is engaged in creating sachets which in turn, will eventually help Tan's team produce the materials at an industrial scale. Tan also mentioned that there is also the matter of cost, which is why they are turning to local materials in order to make the end product more affordable. For the proof of concept, to establish that creating such material is possible, Tan said that they used Maguey fiber. But since the hub is in Western Visayas which has a sugarcane industry, Tan mentioned that they are set to use sugarcane bagasse, a biomass residue, rice hulls which are great sources of cellulose, and shrimp residue which is rich in chitosan. "My mission for this hub is really to have a tangible product. What we will do in the labs, we get out from the lab and (be) useful to the community," he said. The hub is another addition to the 49 labs built as part of the Infrastructure Development Program (IDP) around the country of DOST-PCIEERD. Investing roughly P234.4 million, it was used to buy cutting-edge lab equipment, infrastructure, specialist software, and other operational requirements.
*(Photo courtesy of DOST-PCIEERD/Manila Bulletin)*
Housed at the University of San Agustin, DOST-PCIEERD said that the hub will enable researchers to create active and intelligent packaging systems using cutting-edge tools, composite polymeric functional films, and nanoparticles that are appropriate for smart packaging technologies. Asked why the hub was created in the Western Visayas region, DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Enrico Paringit said that numerous factors have come together to come up with a solution or a system moving forward. "They have the expertise, they have the right kind of industry that they want to partner, and they have a very good problem statement to deal with. I think if you combine all these together you will really see that this is the best place to actually do this kind of research," he added. He also explained that one other factor is the availability of local materials that they can use. Paringit stated that one of the challenges essentially of creating bioplastics is even though some materials could actually exhibit very good characteristics of being biodegradable they will not be sustainable for a long time because they're in short supply. Paringit lauded the researchers who saw the potential in using residues even, stating it's a "double whammy" since they'll be utilizing the waste products to produce something that has additional value. "So it presents additional income for those who are producing such wastes as byproducts of their processes. There's also an opportunity for those that are wanting to project environmental consciousness or friendliness in the products they produce. So it's all coming into place at the right place at the right time with the right institution," he added. The hub is a component of the University of San Agustin's recently founded Advanced New Materials, Engineering, and Emerging Technologies (CANMEET) research facility. Launched in early March 2022, this research center is the newest inside the university and in the Western Visayas region. With the assistance of industry partners, this center aspires to be the forerunner in Western Visayas R&D for the creation of innovative materials and their applications.