The Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) announced the winners of the 8th Regional S&T Fora Competitions for the National Capital Region (NCR), Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao (Vis-Min) cluster, who will compete for the national level on March 16, at the National Academy of Science and Technology.

The board of judges, headed by former Undersecretary for Research and Development (R&D) of the DoST and FEATI University R&D director Dr. Rogelio Panlasigui, awarded the regional winners.

The first prize winner for the NCR cluster was the Metal Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), represented by Maria Gracia Peralta. Their study was dubbed “Non-Cyanide Electroplating Technology.” The project bagged the first prize for the non-use of cyanide in gold plating.

The second and third prize winners were Shalom Brian Mercader of the UP-Diliman-College of Engineering for the study “The Design and Evaluation of an Ozone Contractor-Reactor for Color and Organic Matter Removal in Distillery Wastewater,” and De La Salle University’s Dr. Susan Gallardo for her study on the “Development of Window Compositing as an Alternative Sludge Management for a Recycled Paper Mill,” respectively.

For the Luzon cluster, the first prize winner was Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) for their study on the “Development and Commercialization of Locally Designed Moisture Meter,” which was about determining the amount of moisture found in wood to be able to discern if the material is good for furniture making.

The second prize was conferred to Prima Fe Franco of the Mariano Marcos State University for her research, “First and Second Generation Bioethanol Production from Sweet Sorghum Using Locally Isolated Microorganisms.”

In third place was the research entitled “Bamboo Veneer Lathe Technology,” by FPRDI’s Engr. Belen Bisana.

Meanwhile, top prize winner for the Vis-Min cluster was Central Philippine University’s Engr. Alexis Belonio for the project entitled “Continuous-Flow Rice Husks Gasifier for Thermal Applications.”