MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines can tap corn for biomass as a cheaper fuel to electrify small factories or households as now used in Europe and the US to substitute expensive crude oil-based power.
Technologies that are available in developed countries may simply be adopted by the country with the threat of skyrocketing crude oil price in the market.
Since corn is not used ideally as ethanol in the Philippines due to a corn shortage, corn silage may nevertheless be used in the future to run bio-gas that can be deployed in rural and small community-based setting.
"At this stage when we import corn, it doesn't make sense to use it for fuel. (But) there is a technology in Italy in Europe, Germany where they use corn for biogas production. We may look at that model as soon as we're able to increase productivity," said corn technology leader Pioneer Hi Bred Philippines (PHBP) Country Manager Jet G. Parma.
Technologies like these may be brought in by PHBP here.
"Because of problems in the Middle East and nuclear (power) in Japan, they (countries) are looking at a lot of alternative sources of energy. Pioneer is committed to the farmer becoming more productive, giving him all the means possible for him to use technologies, even farming systems."
Once the Philippines becomes corn-sufficient and gets to have a surplus, "that's the time we can use corn" to produce energy, Parma said.
Ramon Abadilla, managing director of PHBP parent firm Du Pont, said cellulosic ethanol which uses different materials from fibers like bagasse from sugarcane or corn cobs, may in the future also be transferred in the country.
While this technology may take some time to develop, Abadilla said Du Pont is in the forefront of renewable energy development to be capable of seeing its benefit in the local economy.
A cellulose ethanol facility that produces ethanol from corncobs was opened early last year by Du Pont in Vonore, Tennessee. The process involves a fermentation nutrient that cuts raw material costs. Besides, the technology is able to further bring down costs as it can later use common waste fiber-based materials like switchgrass for this Tennessee plant and in other cases, wood and agricultural waste.
Companies have embarked on the development of renewable energy which is also a way to augment profitability.
Du Pont's own revenue is now accounted for by sustainable products, $5 billion out of $29 billion, such as from bio-PDO (propanediol), a fiber with corn-based material. Bio-PDO consumers 40 percent less energy than the production of its petroleum-based counterpart, according to the company.
This is why even the government, the US government in particular is supportive of development of these products as bio-PDO for preferential procurement under the US' Farm Bill, the company reported.
Governments have been supported of the development of renewable energy due to its contribution to fuel savings and also to the reduction of the adverse impact of climate change.
