11/09/2026
Our very own chemist, Patrick Jay Cabalar!
We are so proud of you PJ! 🎊🎉
A fiber best known for ropes, textiles, handicrafts, and other traditional Philippine products has been transformed into an advanced material for water treatment. Filipino researchers from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) developed an abaca/polyester nonwoven fabric capable of removing toxic heavy metals dissolved in water. Instead of functioning like an ordinary filter that physically traps particles, the material works as an adsorbent, meaning dissolved metal ions attach to chemically active sites on its surface. Researchers used PNRI's Electron Beam Irradiation Facility to expose the fabric to radiation, activating the material so synthetic polymers with specialized chemical groups could be grafted onto it. These functional groups provide binding sites capable of capturing metal contaminants from wastewater.
PNRI reported that the radiation-modified material can target hazardous contaminants including lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, mercury, and arsenic, while laboratory research demonstrated its ability to adsorb specific metal ions from solution. Importantly, the captured contaminants can be removed from the material so that the adsorbent can be regenerated and reused multiple times. PNRI reported that studies found the material cheaper to use than commercial ion-exchange resins serving similar purposes while performing on par with, or in some tests better than, those conventional materials. This combination of reusability, locally sourced abaca fiber, and radiation-induced grafting could make the technology particularly valuable for treating wastewater from industries where dissolved metals can pose serious environmental and human-health risks if discharged without adequate treatment.
The Filipino innovation is officially titled "Composite Nonwoven Fabric Heavy Metal Adsorbent and Method for Preparing the Same." PNRI researchers Dr. Lucille Abad, Dr. Jordan Madrid, and Patrick Jay Cabalar were behind the utility model, which received intellectual-property protection and later won first place in the Outstanding Utility Model category at the 2020 National Invention Contest and Exhibits. The technology resulted from a DOST-PCAARRD-funded project conducted in collaboration with the DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute, which supplied the abaca/polyester nonwoven fabric. Researchers have also explored radiation-grafted materials for applications beyond wastewater treatment, including recovering valuable metals and supporting biodiesel production. From a traditional Philippine agricultural fiber to a platform for advanced environmental technology, abaca demonstrates how local natural resources can gain entirely new functions when combined with materials science, chemistry, and nuclear technology.
Photo courtesy: DOST-PNRI
Science Department |
