Zambo scientists push coco ethanol production

MANILA, Philippines – Scientists at the Zamboanga Research Center (ZRC) of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) are working on a barangay-based ethanol production project using coconut inflorescence sap.

Neil Melencion and Louie  Peñamora have been using biotechnology processes to speed up the development of coconut varieties that can produce more ethanol, and  DNA markers are helping them do it.

“Ang normal kasi, kaya nga  sinabing PCA 15-1, minimum of 15 years na  evaluation bago mo i-recommend, so confident ka na, na ok,  this is the performance. With biotechnology after one, two, three years siguro, pwede na. Confident ka na,” PCA-ZRC  research chief Mon Rivera meanwhile said.

There is more to coconuts than copra, the dried meat or kernel from which oil is extracted and from which coconut cake, which is used for feedstock, comes from.

With the help of the DNA marker technology, the selection of potential materials has been hastened,” Rivera continued.

Melencion and Penamora seek to augment the income of coconut farmers through the production of bioethanol from coconut sap using simple facilities.

The production of bioethanol from the farmers will then be sold to oil companies for their ethanol blending requirements for gasoline.

They are also the proponents of “Coconut-based Biomass and Biofuels project” (for solid and liquid biofuels).

Both believe that coconut biomass represents a huge potential as a source of biofuels.

If properly utilized, they add, it can help supply the Philippines’ energy needs with an environment-friendly, non-food competing renewable fuel.    

“Yung biomass and biofuel project namin. Yung sa liquid coco ethanol, ang objective namin is more on cellulosic ethanol. Pero for the time being, wala kasi kaming equipment, kulang kami sa equipment. So nag start muna kami sa simple, later on we’ll go for the cellulosic ethanol,” Melencion said.

“Simple lang. Parang lambanog. Mayroon kaming simple distiller. Di ba sa traditional na lambanog mga around 50 percent lang yun. Ginawa naming improved, nakaabot kami sa 75 percent ethanol volume,” he added.

Melencion, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Products Engineering from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB), said the target is 99.9 percent ethanol for use as fuel. 

However, distillation yields only a maximum ranging from 95 percent to 96 percent ethanol even if you distill several times.

“Kasi yung distillation, depende dun sa heat mo o mabilisan mo ang pag-init,  mabilis yung distillation mo pero mababa yung proof, or percent of ethanol. Pero kung slow distillation mas maabot mo yung  95 percent to 96 percent ethanol,” they said.

Hence, there is a need for another process that involves the use of zeolite which can be used as a sieve to separate water from ethanol.

“Zeolite parang beads siya, idadaan dun yung  parang mga beads yun, masasala, maiiwan yung tubig, lulusot yung ethanol,” Melencion added.           

“Dadalhin nila ngayon yung low proof ethanol  dun sa center para siya gagawing ah…100 percent or 99.9 percent  for fuel.”

The project is actually still limited to the distillation process.

“Ipinapakita namin sa farmers, na ganito dapat yung ano, habang wala pang pondo. Gumagawa pa kami ng equipment muna. Kasi ang actual namin na target ay cellulosic ethanol eh wala pa nga kaming autoclave. Pakonti-konti lang po. Magpa-fabricate siguro kami within this year ng autoclave at saka mga kailangan pang iba,” the scientist revealed

Melencion conceived the biofuel idea in 2008 when he returned to the Philippines after getting his doctorate in wood science technology from the Mississipi State University.

“Kasi dito po, nasa timber utilization division ako. More on furniture, processing ng handicraft, ganun. Yung wood, yun yung gusto ko i-convert into ethanol. Since kailangan naman talaga natin ang biofuels ngayon, nag-shift ako actually ng career sort of. Trying to deviate from the timber lang. Sabi ko ito yung need of the time. Biofuels,” he stressed.

Peñamora, on the other hand, said they have compressed coconut husk dust and turned it to charcoal.

“Yung coir, fiber. Yung dust, yung dust mismo. About 70 percent yan sa husk, so mas marami ang dust. Mga 30 percent lang yung fiber. So it’s better now. Sabi isang problema ng industry papaano mau-utilize? You can use it as biofuel, solid biofuel. I-carbonize mo. How to carbonize? Compress mo siya ng hilaw. Kung buo-buo na siya saka mo siya i-carbon. Sinubukan naming mag develop ng mga stoves utilizing this although  wala pa kaming data sa calorific value,” he added. – Biolife News Service