This is what a project titled "Abaca Public-Private Partnership Program in the Philippines: Application of Abaca Fiber in the Automotive Industry" is set to find out.
The two-year project has been conceptualized based on the premise that abaca fibers can substitute fiber glass in the manufacture of composites for the production of interior and exterior parts of luxury cars and automobiles.
In the project, DaimlerChrysler, in collaboration with the German Development Agency, has tapped the expertise of the Leyte State University (LSU) in Baybay, Leyte, for the production of abaca fibers to be used as raw material for making of car parts.
Situated about 120 kilometers south of Tacloban City, LSU, currently headed by Dr. Paciencia Po-Milan (president), is one of the country’s top agricultural universities.
The project is now being implemented by LSU in collaboration with the University of Hohenheim as the overall project coordination, Euronatur, and Applied University of Reutlingen in Germany.
The University of Hohenheim, which has for sometime now been LSU’s partner in instruction, research, extension, and environmental conservation undertakings, also serves as conduit for the German agencies’ financial counterpart for the project.
As communicated to R&D NOTES by LSU’s Zenaida Gerona, the project proponents believe that the substitution of fiber glass with abaca fibers will provide technological benefits as this can reduce the weight of cars and improve car quality.
They also foresee economic advantages owing to reduce cost in the manufacture of car parts and the benefits that Filipino rural communities and small abaca producers can derive from the various economic activities generated by the project.
Moreover, they believe that the endeavor complements the worldwide environmental conservation thrust owing to reduce emissions of light-weight automobiles and the ecological advantages for planting abaca. – Rudy A. Fernandez