A project that removes chromium from the wastewater of leather tanneries in Meycauayan won this year's Department of Science and Technology – Bank of the Philippine Islands (DOST-BPI) Best Project of the Year.

Winning a P50,000 cash prize, a P200,000 research grant and a trophy is Maria Ivy dela Cruz, a fifth year chemical engineering student of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB), for her project “Removal of Chromium from a local Chrome-tannery wastewater by Sodium Sulfite reduction coupled with Sodium Hydroxide Precipitation.”

Coming in second is John Carlo Malabad, a fourth year Biology student also from UPLB for his project, “Genetic Diversity in Representative Accessions of Cultivated Rice Species using Grain Quality Candidate Genes through Ecotilling (Targetting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes).” He won a P30,000 cash prize and a trophy.

Winning third with a cash prize of P10,000 and a trophy is Michael Casas, a fourth year Chemistry student from Ateneo de Davao University for his research, “ Optimization of Pectin Extraction from the Peels of Citrus microcarpa (Kalamansi) and Proximate Analysis of the Residue for Selected Parameters.

Dela Cruz' 131-page research seeks to end the search for a cost effective wastewater treatment method for tanneries in the Philippines .

“To provide an option for local tanneries, this research aimed to determine the technical feasibility of sodium sulfite reduction and sodium hydroxide precipitation as the end-of-pipe treatment for the removal of chromium from typical tannery wastewater,” she said.

To remove chromium from the wastewater, Dela Cruz used a combination of reduction and precipitation chemical reactions using sodium sulfite and sodium hydroxide, respectively.

Sodium sulfite is a white crystalline compound used in preserving food, silvering mirrors, developing photographs and making dyes. Dela Cruz said she used sodium sulfite in her research as it is a cheaper and an easier to handle chemical agent that can transform the chromium's toxic compound to a less harmful substance.

Sodium hydroxide, commonly called lye or caustic soda, is used as a drain cleaning agent for clearing clogged drains. Dela Cruz noted that lye is a “less expensive, cost-effective, convenient and safe alternative” compared to other metal removal treatment methods alkali precipitation.

Dr. Ester B. Ogena, Director of the Science Education Institute of DOST, said the government's partnership with BPI in giving recognition to outstanding undergraduate researches in the country is one of the many steps SEI has taken in creating a critical pool of scientists and engineers in the country.

“Through competitions like this, we are able to discover talents in science and mathematics and entice them to venture into science careers,” she said.

Ogena stressed that the country is in dire need of more practical researches to be able to propel its economy towards sustainable development.

“Research, especially in the sciences, remains one of the rays of hope that developing countries see to enable them to join the ranks of high performing economies. The generation of scientific knowledge is important in providing the backbone to the upgrading of a developing country,” she said.

The DOST-BPI Best Project of the Year is an annual research competition aimed at giving recognition and incentives to students who excel in specialized fields of science namely: mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, biology and environmental science. (30)