The utilization of chromate and lead-based corrosion inhibitors for metal parts in the construction industry is becoming a prime environmental and health concern. It was found that 61% of the commercially available enamel-based paints contain lead compounds ranging from 10,000 ppm to 156,000 ppm, far exceeding the 90-ppm threshold set in available standards. Thus, there is a need to develop non-toxic formulations as an alternative to the current corrosion inhibitors in the market. This study was conducted to develop a hydrophobic anti-corrosion coating using rice hull ash (RHA) nanosilica modified with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS).

Studies have shown that conventional Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) exhibits low removal of nutrients. While chemical sorption process and biological treatment systems are available, they are too costly and labor intensive. Hence, adsorption process for phosphate removal becomes a viable option. As the construction industries continue to prosper, the trimmings from the manufacture of hollow blocks pile up. The concrete cement contains silica that can adsorb phosphates, and also aluminum, iron, and calcium that can bind with phosphates. Thus, utilizing these wastes can be a solution to a cost-efficient phosphate removal for a small-scale system. This study evaluated the adsorptive capacity of concrete cement wastes as a retrofit system for the removal of phosphates using fixed bed reactor.

In gasification, different gasifying agents such as air, steam, and oxygen or combinations can be used to react with the solid carbon and heavier hydrocarbons of the biomass. The conversion produces low-molecular-weight gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas. The type of gasifying agent affects the reaction; hence, the study explored the potential of mixing steam in the gasifying agent of the conventional air gasification commonly used in the Philippines. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of using air and air-steam mixture as gasifying agents for fluidized bed gasification of coconut shells on the composition of syngas, higher heating value (HHV), cold gas efficiency (CGE), and carbon conversion efficiency (CCE).

A juice extractor was developed to extract juice from banana peduncle without rupturing its fiber structure for the purpose of processing the juice into ethanol and recover the fiber as co-product. Banana peduncle is a byproduct in commercial banana plantations in the Philippines, which is generated at roughly 2.3 MT every year[1]. While naturally biodegradable, this organic residue, when left to decay in open landfills, emits gaseous pollutants that are harmful to the environment. It was reasoned that this agricultural waste is a cheap and easily accessible sugar-containing biomass that can be efficiently converted by microbes into ethanol and at the same time, recover high quality fiber for various products and uses