Friday, March 07, 2008 Peña: Local Technologies to Address Climate Change By Rox Peña E-ssue
LAST week I was invited by the Center for Christian Formation (CCF) of the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) to give a lecture on Global warming and its accompanying Climate Change during their 5th Inter-School Students Forum.
I was told that this is a regular outreach activity of the CCF where different issues are discussed.
For this session they opted to talk about the world's "most inconvenient truth".
My lecture was followed by the usual open forum. I was happy with the quality of the questions asked.
They showed the level of understanding and interest of the youth in environmental issues. Some students even took notice and clarified pieces of information, which I was unsure of.
One question aroused my interest. A high school student asked what the government is doing in terms of developing gadgets to slow down global warming.
In this age of techno-devices and super computers, she is interested to know what Filipino inventors have done so far.
I readily cited the passage of the Bio-fuels Acts, which meant that the government has to develop bio-diesel and bio-ethanol to address global warming.
I cited the Jathropa project of PhilForest and Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) but was not able to cite a locally made gadget related to climate change. I promised to look into it.
As soon as I reached the office, I went straight to my computer and combed the website of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
What I found are research projects and an award winning invention.
Here they are: The Department of Science and Technology through the Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), the Department of Energy (DOE), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) jointly undertook a Research and Development project to develop plant-based oil derivatives for running motorcycles and tricycles.
The Bio-2T is eyed as potential substitute for unmodified 2-stroke spark ignition motorcycle engines that contribute largely to air pollution.
Development of an Electric Vehicle with 70 percent local content like body and chassis, battery, safety glass, wiring harnesses, and tires which will be designed to carry 10 passengers and run for 80-km distance per four-hour battery charging session.
This is a joint project of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), PCIERD-DOST, Mapua Institute of Technology, and Electromotion Motor Corporation.
A Pinoy invention called Lan-Gas, which will soon be sold in the US and Thailand. Lan-Gas is an environment-friendly fuel and a purely Filipino invention by Rudy Lantano which is already available in seven fuel stations in Metro Manila, and San Pedro, Laguna.
The development of this fuel started in early 70's when climate change and air pollution issues are still unheard of.
Mr. Lantano also developed alco-diesel and the Super Bunker Formula L, a mixture of 40 percent water and only 60 percent fuel and some additives. It is cheaper and more environment-friendly compared to the regular bunker fuel.
For this invention, he received the 1996 Gold Medal Award for Most Outstanding
Invention by the World Intellectual Property Right Organization (Wipo). He was also cited as the DOST Most Outstanding Inventor in 1998.
I was just wondering. Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1999, bunker fuel users have difficulty meeting the new emission standards particularly on sulfur dioxide.
In the many conferences, forums and meetings that this problem was discussed, there was no mention of this Super Bunker Formula-L. Bakit kaya?
Necessity is the mother of inventions, as the saying goes. I believe that given the necessary support, Pinoy inventors can come up with technological breakthroughs.
There are more "Rudy Lantanos" out there who have a bright idea waiting to be explored.
