PHL researchers looking into developing abaca for nanotechnology

Local textile researchers are looking into adapting the centuries-old abaca industry to cater to the needs of the much younger but also more high-tech nanotechnology industry.

 

In a forum held in Quezon City this month, scientists from the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) and Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) disclosed they have begun studying the potential applications for abaca in nanotechnology.
 

The abaca fiber was found to be two times stronger than glass fibers and steel, and is now currently being used to reinforce automobile dashboards and furniture.

 

Abaca, a close relative of the banana plant, is one of the major economic crops of the Philippines, with exports reaching around $80 million each year.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, 85 percent of the abaca in the world comes from the Philippines, particularly from the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions.

 

Erlinda Mari of FPRDI said during the forum that one of the agency's major projects is processing the nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC) of abaca fiber to produce high-end products.

 

Mari also said, “We at FPRDI are excited (for this project). I want this program to succeed before I retire.”

 

“When we pulp abaca, we export the pulp, [but] we retain the residuals. We also retain the pollution. That’s why we propose these kinds of projects… in order for us to utilize abaca to the fullest,” she added.

 

At the same forum, Marites de Leon, senior researcher from the PTRI said, “We were able to convert yung abaca into nanofiber mats that we are planning for ultrafiltration and also for medical applications.”

 

Jenneli Caya, a researcher for PTRI said in an email, “In biomedical engineering, the nanofiber membrane or mat can be used as scaffold for cell studies and tissue engineering, it can also serve as carrier for drug delivery application and a functional wound dressing in advanced wound treatment.”

 

But it is not just abaca that the PTRI is testing for nanoscience applications.

 

“We wanted to put a premium on these locally-produced fibers by creating avenues for them to be used in sophisticated applications such as an advanced filtration and biomedical materials,” said Caya.

 

Nanotechnology is a young branch of research and even textile researchers said that it is still in its infancy in developed countries.

 

Mari said, “Nanotechnology is still in its ‘pilot scale’ even in other countries. We’re trying to keep up with them since we can produce fibers that have good quality.”

 

For her part, Caya said, “The global trend that we observe in the recent decades is the increased awareness of modern society in environment-friendly materials be it in automotive, energy, engineering, fashion."

She said the development of a plant-derived compound for use in sophisticated research and development fields "is not just sustainable but also addresses current issues on climate change and environment protection." — JDS, GMA News