Three XU students from the colleges of Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and Agriculture were recognized for their endeavors in the field of research. The awards were given by the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) Foundation, Inc and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to promote and advance scientific knowledge throughout the country.
The recipients were Sugar Estrada, BS Chemical Engineering; Janssen Blaise Jumau-as, BS Chemistry; and Lanesa Faith Mechicho Olais, BS Agriculture. They each received a cash prize of P25,000, a trophy and an invitation to join BPI as a junior officer.
Estrada’s research is titled, “Enhanced Two-Stage Anaerobic Digestion Using Water Electrolysis.” It dealt with the conversion of waste products, particularly chicken manure and shredded corrugated cardboard, into biogas by adding oxygen and hydrogen during the process of anaerobic digestion.
Meanwhile, Jumau-as’ study, “Evaluation of Ethanol Production from Sweet Potato Peel Wastes using Different Pretreatment Methods,” determined which pretreatment method yielded the most ethanol from sweet potato peelings. She found that among the three methods, namely acid hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and alkaline pretreatment, acid hydrolysis showed the most promising results for bioethanol production.
Olais, an Animal Science major, studied the use of agro-industrial waste as feed source for broiler chicken. She determined the effects of brewer’s spent grain, a residue of beer manufacturing, on the color, flavor, tenderness and juiciness of broiler meat. Her study is titled, “Different Levels of Ensiled and Unensiled Brewer’s Spent Grain on the Organileptic Characteristics of Broiler Chicken given Commercial Ration.”
Noting that all the studies involved the recycling of wastes into energy and food sources, Fr Roberto Yap, XU president, commented that the researches support the thrust of the school to be a “green university with a blue heart.”
The awarding ceremony was held on Feb 26 at the Audio Visual Room 1. Present in the gathering were Executive Director of BPI Foundation Inc Senior Vice President Florendo Maranan, BPI Senior Vice President Emmanuel Herbosa, DOST Region 10 Information Officer Teresita Baluyos, XU faculty and administrators, and the family and friends of the awardees.
Each year, BPI-DOST gives recognition to three students from colleges and universities in the country for their contribution to the field of science. This is the BPI-DOST Science Awards’ 24th year.