Study aims to transform ‘sasa’ into ethanol

Oil firm Flying V, owned by the Villavicencio family, is studying a technology that will transform coconut by-product “sasa” into coco-ethanol.

Flying V chairman and president Ramon Villavicencio said various tests are now being undertaken to use coconut as an alternative fuel blend to gasoline.

“We are now in the stage of studying it in our laboratory. Then we will go to pilot test and in the long-term, put up a refinery for this,” he said.

He said the newly-formed Flying V Institute is now conducting a number of tests to enable them to determine the viability of producing ethanol from coconut.

“We are exploring this. We may use those that are being used to produce lambanog into coco-ethanol. So far, we know that coconut could be used for ethanol blend but we have to study its viability,” he said.

He said they expects to release the results of the preliminary study by August this year.

He said within the next two years, they hope to use this technology in the oil sector.

Although Flying V still has not spent much for research and development, eventually, the company official said they may have to pour in more operating capital for this proposed project.

“What we need to fund is how to extract this from the coconut tree,” he said.

In a related development, Flying V has launched a P4-million scholarship program for the jeepney transport groups.

The program will be undertaken through the Academe Foundation, a personal foundation of Villavicencio. The foundation already has 400 scholars so far.

Under the program, each of the seven jeepney transport group will nominate three bonafide candidates. The 21 scholars will then have an option to take a four-year college course in any university or institution that they select but have to maintain an average grade of 85 percent.

Last year, Flying V forged a partnership with the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) to test the possible use of 20 percent coco-methyl ester (CME) in vehicles.

Based on the agreement, Flying V, being a biodiesel pioneer, and TIP, one of the country’s leading engineering institutes, will establish the Institute for Advance Biofuel Research (FV-IABR) at the TIP-Taguig Campus.

Under the agreement, FV-IABR shall maintain a database, a library and biodiesel testing facilities.

TIP, in partnership with Nihon University, Japan’s largest university, released in 2005 one of the most authoritative and conclusive studies on biodiesel which was presented to the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers and Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Product Standards.

FV-IABR president Paul Tanjutco said preparations are already underway for the institute’s first project for the testing of B20.

Tanjutco said upon the conclusion of the tests and product certifications, Flying V’s TUP-Taguig Biofuel Center and its Biofuel Center in Quezon City within the Philippine Coconut Authority compound, shall test market the product in vehicle fleets.

Project partners include TUP, Filipino Car Foundation and Somida Motors Corp.