Time to use our coconuts
April 16, 2007 | 12:00am
Last week, we all celebrated the most joyous day of Christendom  Easter. During Easter, we all feel a sense of newness. We all feel reborn. We smile and savor the inner peace within us. We take a whiff of the air around us, and say, "Ahhhhh." And then, without warning, our lungs feel an itch. Then, we cough in rapid succession  almost to the point of throwing up. We gasp for air. And, just like that, our "everything is new" dream sequence comes crashing down as we awaken to the sad reality: Unlike our Lord, the air around us has not experienced a resurrection. It’s as dead as ever. Then, we all find ourselves committing the same sins we confessed the previous week  cursing and whining about our filthy environment, and wanting to kill every bus and jeepney driver who blows deadly fumes into our faces.
I consider myself a very patient man. There are a lot of things and situations I can tolerate. For example, I can live with the hot and humid weather in this country. And, to a certain extent, I can put up with Manila traffic. But there is one thing about living in the city that really, really ticks me off. Pollution. I can’t stand it. I hate it. I seethe whenever a bus belches black fumes into the air. I am a peace-loving man. But whenever a bus blows fumes into my face, the word "kill" becomes an appealing concept.
Of course I’m exaggerating, folks. But I think you get my drift. I am not an out-and-out environmentalist. I am not a member of Greenpeace. I don’t run naked around Rockwell or Glorietta with "Save the Earth" emblazoned on my chest and my behind. But whenever I hear about the big hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, the carbon monoxide levels in the air, and the oil spills in the ocean, my heart aches  literally.
I wasn’t always that sensitive about the environment. My feeling before was what goes around comes around. My philosophy a few years ago was this: If you throw a plastic cup or any non-biodegradable item in the road, no problem  the earth will just take its own revenge  maybe through an earthquake or a flood that will wipe out your home. Back then, I always felt that the earth could always protect itself.
With all the buzz about Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth, I realized that the environment is a very serious matter. Taking care of the environment is not just the business of environmentalists. It’s everyone’s business.
Recently, I had the chance to chat with my good friend Alan German. Alan introduced me to his good friend Francis Caluag, CFO of a publicly listed company called Chemrez. Chemrez has been around for quite some time, and their primary business was manufacturing plastics out of resin. Lately, however, they have been developing cocomethyl ester (CME), more commonly known as Coco-Biodiesel. In a nutshell (or should I say, in a coconut shell), Coco-Biodiesel is diesel fuel that is primarily made out of coconut oil. This is different from ethanol, which is made out of sugar  and which, in turn, is mixed with gasoline (e.g. Shell’s E10 fuel is gasoline that has 10 percent ethanol).
I was very intrigued by the Coco-Biodiesel product of Chemrez called Bioactive, because from my discussions with Francis, I learned that Coco-Biodiesel is the "healthy" and "clean" diesel. "Bioactive," said Francis, "is primarily made of coconut oil. And, it’s actual fuel. If you put pure Bioactive in the tank of your diesel car, it will run. It’s not an additive. It’s real fuel." Francis invited me to their Coco-Biodiesel plant. I was awed. I didn’t realize there was such a facility in Libis. I asked Francis about the advantages of using Coco-Biodiesel.
"Oh, there are tons of advantages," he said. "First, no unhealthy fumes. As we know, the byproduct of traditional diesel fuel is toxic fumes, both in the form of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. But you know what? One liter of consumed Coco-Biodiesel takes out three kilos of nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide from the air. So this is one fuel that literally cleans the air. Imagine this: only one percent of Coco-Biodiesel in your diesel can lower tailpipe emissions by 30 to 60 percent. In fact, it’s so clean that if an oil tanker carrying coconut oil spilled in the ocean, the worst that could happen to the fish is that they get a bum stomach. That’s it." Wow.
Francis continued, "Coco-Biodiesel also makes your engine more efficient as its unique properties make it dissolve carbon and diesel soot deposits more easily. It gives your engine an added kick.
"It also has properties that make it less susceptible to oxidation. So it’s a better fuel for storage.
"Coco-Biodiesel also meets the Euro-3 Standard of fuel quality  meaning, it’s cleaner than petroleum diesel. This has been proven in international lab tests."
And here’s the clincher. Since the Philippines is a coconut-exporting country, we have the resources for producing this fuel. That saves us a ton of dollars since we normally import petroleum. And, since we use local coconut oil, this is good news for the local coconut industry. Twenty-eight million Filipinos from 69 provinces will directly benefit from the use of Coco-Biodiesel in our fuels. Plus, the over US$450 million spent on pollution-related health disorders can be saved."
"Man," I said to Francis. "It’s a no-brainer, huh?"
"Yes," Francis replied. "But of course, we have limited resources. All the coconuts produced annually in the Philippines can’t cover our motoring needs. So to start off, the Biofuels Act (RA 9367, which was authored by Rep. Miguel Zubiri), which will take effect this coming May 6, only mandates a one-percent blend. But that one-percent blend of Coco-Biodiesel in our existing diesel fuel is already a big, big help in curbing pollution. That will already reduce your tailpipe emissions considerably. And here’s the clincher. Since we have excess produce from our coconut industry, we are now in a prime position to eventually become an exporter of Coco-Biodiesel."
Imagine that, the Philippines an exporter of "clean fuel"! These are indeed exciting times. Who would have ever thought that the lowly coconut could be such a big help to our country? When I used to play basketball, people would often refer to my play as "larong buko." I used to get offended. Not anymore. From now on, when someone calls my play "larong buko," I’ll reply, Okay ba? Parang Steve Nash, no? Efficient and effective.
Thanks for all your letters, folks! You may e-mail me at rodhnepo@yahoo.com.
I consider myself a very patient man. There are a lot of things and situations I can tolerate. For example, I can live with the hot and humid weather in this country. And, to a certain extent, I can put up with Manila traffic. But there is one thing about living in the city that really, really ticks me off. Pollution. I can’t stand it. I hate it. I seethe whenever a bus belches black fumes into the air. I am a peace-loving man. But whenever a bus blows fumes into my face, the word "kill" becomes an appealing concept.
Of course I’m exaggerating, folks. But I think you get my drift. I am not an out-and-out environmentalist. I am not a member of Greenpeace. I don’t run naked around Rockwell or Glorietta with "Save the Earth" emblazoned on my chest and my behind. But whenever I hear about the big hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, the carbon monoxide levels in the air, and the oil spills in the ocean, my heart aches  literally.
I wasn’t always that sensitive about the environment. My feeling before was what goes around comes around. My philosophy a few years ago was this: If you throw a plastic cup or any non-biodegradable item in the road, no problem  the earth will just take its own revenge  maybe through an earthquake or a flood that will wipe out your home. Back then, I always felt that the earth could always protect itself.
With all the buzz about Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth, I realized that the environment is a very serious matter. Taking care of the environment is not just the business of environmentalists. It’s everyone’s business.
Recently, I had the chance to chat with my good friend Alan German. Alan introduced me to his good friend Francis Caluag, CFO of a publicly listed company called Chemrez. Chemrez has been around for quite some time, and their primary business was manufacturing plastics out of resin. Lately, however, they have been developing cocomethyl ester (CME), more commonly known as Coco-Biodiesel. In a nutshell (or should I say, in a coconut shell), Coco-Biodiesel is diesel fuel that is primarily made out of coconut oil. This is different from ethanol, which is made out of sugar  and which, in turn, is mixed with gasoline (e.g. Shell’s E10 fuel is gasoline that has 10 percent ethanol).
I was very intrigued by the Coco-Biodiesel product of Chemrez called Bioactive, because from my discussions with Francis, I learned that Coco-Biodiesel is the "healthy" and "clean" diesel. "Bioactive," said Francis, "is primarily made of coconut oil. And, it’s actual fuel. If you put pure Bioactive in the tank of your diesel car, it will run. It’s not an additive. It’s real fuel." Francis invited me to their Coco-Biodiesel plant. I was awed. I didn’t realize there was such a facility in Libis. I asked Francis about the advantages of using Coco-Biodiesel.
"Oh, there are tons of advantages," he said. "First, no unhealthy fumes. As we know, the byproduct of traditional diesel fuel is toxic fumes, both in the form of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. But you know what? One liter of consumed Coco-Biodiesel takes out three kilos of nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide from the air. So this is one fuel that literally cleans the air. Imagine this: only one percent of Coco-Biodiesel in your diesel can lower tailpipe emissions by 30 to 60 percent. In fact, it’s so clean that if an oil tanker carrying coconut oil spilled in the ocean, the worst that could happen to the fish is that they get a bum stomach. That’s it." Wow.
Francis continued, "Coco-Biodiesel also makes your engine more efficient as its unique properties make it dissolve carbon and diesel soot deposits more easily. It gives your engine an added kick.
"It also has properties that make it less susceptible to oxidation. So it’s a better fuel for storage.
"Coco-Biodiesel also meets the Euro-3 Standard of fuel quality  meaning, it’s cleaner than petroleum diesel. This has been proven in international lab tests."
And here’s the clincher. Since the Philippines is a coconut-exporting country, we have the resources for producing this fuel. That saves us a ton of dollars since we normally import petroleum. And, since we use local coconut oil, this is good news for the local coconut industry. Twenty-eight million Filipinos from 69 provinces will directly benefit from the use of Coco-Biodiesel in our fuels. Plus, the over US$450 million spent on pollution-related health disorders can be saved."
"Man," I said to Francis. "It’s a no-brainer, huh?"
"Yes," Francis replied. "But of course, we have limited resources. All the coconuts produced annually in the Philippines can’t cover our motoring needs. So to start off, the Biofuels Act (RA 9367, which was authored by Rep. Miguel Zubiri), which will take effect this coming May 6, only mandates a one-percent blend. But that one-percent blend of Coco-Biodiesel in our existing diesel fuel is already a big, big help in curbing pollution. That will already reduce your tailpipe emissions considerably. And here’s the clincher. Since we have excess produce from our coconut industry, we are now in a prime position to eventually become an exporter of Coco-Biodiesel."
Imagine that, the Philippines an exporter of "clean fuel"! These are indeed exciting times. Who would have ever thought that the lowly coconut could be such a big help to our country? When I used to play basketball, people would often refer to my play as "larong buko." I used to get offended. Not anymore. From now on, when someone calls my play "larong buko," I’ll reply, Okay ba? Parang Steve Nash, no? Efficient and effective.
Thanks for all your letters, folks! You may e-mail me at rodhnepo@yahoo.com.
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