Coconut fiber good as roof tiles

SANTIAGO CITY – Coconut fibers are good raw materials in the manufacture of roof tiles and other parts of a house.

Attesting to this is the R.P.A. Concrete Rooftiles based in Claveria, Cagayan.

Experiments conducted by the firm with technical assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) indicated that roof tiles and other products (wall tiles, bean tiles, and molders) made of coconut fibers are sturdy, on top of cutting production expenses.

In answer to a question posed by The STAR, firm owner Rogelio P. Agtuca, an engineer, said that a roof tile made of coconut fiber produced by R.P.A. Concrete Rooftiles can bear a 100-kilogram object.

The test of the product’s durability was conducted by the DOST, Agtuca said during a medium-science forum held here recently.

The press briefing was part of the third leg of the "DOST Technology Transfer Roadshow," a yearlong (2003), nationwide activity that showcases the DOST-generated technologies adopted by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) to improve their operations and production.

The science and technology (S&T) roadshow was started by DOST last Jan. 28-29 in Western Visayas (Region 6). Led by DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro, the Department officials (Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, regional directors, and Provincial Science and Technology Center staff) and members of the mass media visited MSMEs assisted by DOST and other government agencies in product development, processing, financing, and marketing.

The second leg covered Central Visayas (Region 7) and the third, Cagayan Valley (Region 2).

At first, Agtuca told the DOST officials, Cagayan Valley local government units (LGUs) representatives, and national and community media practitioners that his company tried abaca as raw material. However, he said, this was very expensive as abaca was procured in far-away Bicol.

On the other hand, coconut fibers abound in Cagayan Valley and are about five times less expensive than abaca.

R.P.A. Concrete Rooftiles was set up in 1999 with an investment of P200,000. It aims to produce high quality roofing materials that have anti-corrosion property; to utilize locally sourced and abundant raw materials; to create opportunities for employment; to generate income; and to promote roofing materials suited in areas where incidence of corrosion is high.

In its formative years, R.P.A. received DOST interventions in the form of consultancy/coordination/training/ and acquisition of additional equipment.

Subsequently, DOST-Region 2 headed by Director Rustico Santos facilitated the conduct of comprehensive and tensile strength tests on the product and assisted in the formulation of final product utilizing coconut coir in lieu of abaca fiber.

It has been projected that R.P.A. roof tile can last for 50 years or more while others (e.g. fake tiles) can survive only for 15 years or less.