Philippine Journal of Arts, Sciences and Technology

B. Preparation of Biodegradable Starch-Polyvinyl Alcohol Blended Film with Slow-Release Phosphate Fertilizer

2024-01-01

The use of slow release fertilizer has become a new trend to save fertilizer consumption and to minimize environmental pollution.This paper discusses the preparation of starch (St)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blended films by direct wet mixing process as the effectof different PVA loadings on phosphate fertilizer. Degree of swelling and water retention properties were performed to measure theamount of water intakes of the fertilizer. For a given blend composition, the degree of swelling mostly increased with longer immersiontime. However, at 5 g PVA content (St-PVA5), the maximum degree of swelling was still 618.43% at 60 min, and water retention of16.74% at 60 min.The phosphorus release behavior of prepared blended films in water was investigated. A soil degradation test wasperformed to measure the amount of weight loss. It was found that the degradation rate increased with PVA loading. Finally, the effectof the St-PVA blended film on the plant growth was also studied. The prepared St-PVA blended film has an effect on some agronomicalcharacteristics of the selected plant for cultivation.

E. Design and Performance Evaluation of Mechanical Coconut Milk Extractor for Cleaner Production

2024-01-01

The study aimed to evaluate the performance of an improved mechanical coconut milk extractor to determine its capacity and efficiencyin extracting coconut milk from grated coconut meat. The improved extractor is geared towards the sustainable production of coconutmilk, maximizing extraction and utilization to reduce waste compared to the screw press currently used in the locality. The coconutmilk extractor with IPOPhil Utility Model registration no. 2-2016000363 was fabricated using stainless-steel materials on parts withdirect contact with the food, and the rest were painted mild-steel materials using 3- ton hydraulic jack. Mature coconut fruits wereselected, cut, grated, and packed using a nylon net. Capacity and efficiency were evaluated based on 2 kg of grated coconut meatload per press. The findings revealed that the design had a capacity of 50.78 kg/h with 2.30 minutes average pressing time, producing1.08 kg of coconut milk, which is 54% extraction efficiency. The screw press produced 21.65 kg/h capacity in 5.5 minutes of pressingtime, producing 1.09 kg coconut milk with 54.50% extraction efficiency. There was a significant difference in extraction capacity and nosignificant difference in extraction efficiency at a 1% level of significance. The improved extractor production cost amounted to Php14,599.00 for one unit, which can be recovered in 72 days, operating at four (4) hours per day, charging Php 1.00/kg pressing load. Itis recommended to conduct further improvements on the design to suit the needs of the coconut milk producers, food manufacturers,and VCO processors.

A. Optimization Of Attributes And Parameters For Bioethanol Production From Agricultural And Food Process Wastes

2024-01-01

The after-harvest waste from agricultural fields and the food process waste after their commercial utilization possess threats to envi-ronment and create various health hazards because of mismanagement, and lack of knowledge and technology. These agro wastewhen managed properly can be sources of energy, feed, fodder, substrate for digester, agricultural practices such as biofertilizersand bio-fillings without affecting the natural microbial and biotics of the environment. The best, efficient, effective, optimal and greenutilization of these wastes is to convert them into energy. The agro waste feed stock contains large sources of carbohydrates (such ascellulose hemi-cellulose lignin and proteins) that can be explored for conversion of these stock chemical bonds into clean energy suchas bio-ethanol. The renovation of agro wastes biomass into biofuels can increase fuel flexibility and reduce dependency on petroleum-based transportation fuel systems thereby reducing environmental pollution and enhancing sustainable waste management system.

C. Sustainable Potato Production Through Intensification of Modern Agricultural Technology

2024-01-01

Potato is a cash crop for smallholder farmers and has been deemed important in food security. However, yields only range from 6 to10 MT/ha, far below the attainable yields of 25–35 MT/ha. Thus, technology adoption by farmers became necessary to address thechallenges of farm productivity. This study analyzed the adoption of potato production technologies among farmers in Bokkos, Plateaustate, Nigeria. The multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting the 98 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptivestatistics, adoption, and mean score indices. Results indicated that a variety of agricultural technologies had been disseminated inthe area. Most respondents adopted a minimum of one production technology. These technologies critically affect the level of farmproductivity and income. The result also showed that 59.2% of the farmers had low levels of adoption index, with a range between0.11≥0.33, indicating a need to mitigate this trend. Furthermore, the benefits of adopting potato production technologies amongthe respondents were very vital, as indicated by their respective indexes: improved output (2.56), increased income (2.53), improvedwelfare (2.43), reduced disease outbreak (2.41), improved adaptability to climate variability (2.38), improved technical efficiency (2.31),and improved productive capacity (2.19). As such, factors with a score index≥2 were considered critical benefits. The identifiedconstraints critically affected potato farmers’ capacity to adopt agricultural technology. These constraints negatively affected theiradoption decisions, thereby resulting in a further decline in the adoption of agricultural technology in the study area.

D. Adaptability and Production Performance of Different Red Bulb Onion Varieties Under Palawan Condition

2024-01-01

Onion is one of the most profitable agribusinesses in the world and is considered one of the most important vegetable crops. In thePhilippines. Onions are essential commercial crops that can generate a progressive and viable market for the country.This study was conducted to establish the suitability of red bulb onions in Palawan in terms of average plant height per week, theaverage number of onion leaves per week, average bulb diameter, length, marketable versus non-marketable, average fresh weight,yield per plot, and yield per hectare. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Blocked Design with four (4) redbulb onion types: T1- Red Creole, T2- Red Hawk, T3- Red Horse, and T4- Red Colorado, replicated four (4) times in the PalawanState University Experimental Area from January 2021 to June 2021.Data were analyzed using STAR software version 2.0 andanalysisof variance in RCBD. Results reveal no significant differences in all the criteria studied in the four (4) red bulb onionvarieties. Based on the results, the four (4) red bulb onion cultivars could be planted in Palawan, notably in Barangay San Rafael.