ITDI @ 112: Onward to smarter i nnovation

MANILA, Philippines - Take, for example, the ovi/larvicidal trap that provides an inexpensive method to reduce the population of Aedes mosquitoes and the transmission of the dengue virus.  OL trap kits are being installed in schools nationwide to curb the threat of dengue.

Likewise, a water filtration system using inexpensive ceramic pot filters is now being rolled out nationwide. The technology aims to address the lack of access to potable water in far flung areas. One million pieces of the ceramic filters are being produced to help achieve the Philippine Millennium Development Goal of increasing the proportion of population with access to potable water from 82.9 percent in 2007 to 86.6 percent in 2016.

The institute is also into green technology. A solar-biomass still that uses heat from solar energy and the biomass furnace beneath it to produce up to three liters of potable water per eight-hour operating day is portable and user-friendly enough to help provide potable water to rural communities, especially those on the coasts, mountains, and other remote areas. The technology is environmentally sound and cost effective.

The production processes of food like salted eggs, taho, smoked fish, peanut butter, and ketchup is being standardized. And, for the first time, powdered goat’s milk is now being produced locally.

Several interventions to help improve the productivity and competitiveness of local industries have been done. Commercial scale processing of alternative sugars from natural sources like nipa sap have been standardized to produce a higher quality product. Cordilleras’ tapuy also making its way to the international market, competing with the well-known wines like Japanese sake, Malaysian tapai, and Chinese shaoshing.

Not to be left behind, the art of electronic sensing through such technologies as e-tongue and e-nose is now employed to ensure product quality and authenticity and in detecting adulteration, among others.

To address post-harvest concerns in agriculture, packaging systems for fresh fruits and vegetables are being developed to reduce handling and distribution damages and spoilage by at least 20 percent. At the same time, modified atmosphere packaging technology is applied to enhance the quality and shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables, and cut flowers.

The competitive identity of unique Philippine products like t’nalak fabric of the T’boli, Ifugao rice, queen pineapple, sweet potato, and Philippine citrus is also being enhanced through appropriate packaging design and technology, and country branding.

The use of locally-developed technologies that address the needs of the local food processing industry in the country is likewise promoted. Developed through DOST’s High Impact Technology Solutions program are vacuum packing machine, water retort, immersion freezer, freeze dryer, vacuum fryer, spray dryer and vacuum evaporator. Performance and field tests are underway to validate the quality performance and endurance of the equipment prototypes, gearing towards commercialization.

ITDI is also harnessing the potential of emerging technologies for national competitiveness. The developed products are supposed to have enhanced mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties and could possibly be used as metal substitute in applications that require optimum performance in thermal and electrical conductivity. Biodegradable polymers nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties and water resistance were also developed into cutleries and disposable foam that can be used for food packaging applications.

ITDI’s testing and analyses laboratories continue providing services in accordance with stringent international standards. The ITDI-DOST ETV (Environment Technology Verification) program continues to provide high-quality data on the performance of environmentally-sound technologies. Collaborations with public and private sector organizations both here and abroad enable the institute to provide objective information to the environmental technology marketplace.

Improvements are also being introduced to make the science community more capable of bringing about relevant and important innovations. As the country’s National Metrology Institute, ITDI plans to sustain its present scope of accreditation, expand its scope to cover length and time frequency measurements, and become an ISO 17043 accredited Proficiency Testing Provider. 

A Laboratory Animal Resource Center that is provided with optimum breeding conditions has been established and registered at the Bureau of Animal Industry and accredited by the Philippine Association for Laboratory Animal Science.

In line with the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology, work towards establishing an institutional cooperation mechanism known as Regional Energy Cooperation-Network for the Asia-Pacific, the ITDI has prepared The Renewable Energy Development Desktop Study for the Philippines. This project aims to enhance cross-border information sharing and networking among member countries for promoting the development, transfer, adoption, and utilization of renewable energy technologies.  

Capping this list is President Aquino’s inauguration last May 31 of the newly-established ADMATEL or Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory, which aims to address the needs of the semiconductor and electronics industry which is heavily challenged with the lack of failure analysis laboratories and competencies in the country necessitating the need to send their samples abroad which is very expensive.

Likewise, partnerships and collaborations both with local and international networks  continue.

With all these programs and interventions, it is clear that the ITDI is indeed an indispensable partner of government in its bid to really make science, technology, and innovation work for the common good.