The Earth Surface Materials and Processes (EarthSMAP) Laboratory
Research Interest
Carbon Nanomaterials from Plant Oil
Carbon nanomaterials have vast potential applications from environmental to energy conversion, storage and devices, biotechnology and biomedicine, micro- electronic engineering, and other emerging uses in various fields (e.g., quantum computing, cosmetics, food and agriculture). This emphasizes the need to produce these nanomaterials in ways that are economically viable and at the same time environmentally sustainable to meet the demands of a rapidly growing market. The use of locally abundant and sustainable raw sources such as Calophyllum inophyllum (local name Bita-og / Bita-oy) trees can address such need. These plants grow well in marginal lands areas and do not compete with food production. They are also locally widespread and can be cultivated to a wide-range of environment, even in degraded soil and mine tailing areas. At present, this renewable resource is locally underutilized in terms of high-end by-product development. Our study highlights the development of high value products (i.e., carbon nanofibers and nanocapsules) from C. inophyllum oil. Aside from using naturally-occurring hydrocarbon precursors, the method applied in this study does not employ metal and chemical catalysts, minimizing conceivable environmental and human health risks as well as the total production costs.
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Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is also a natural process. It only becomes hazardous when people build structures in the coastal zone that do not complement its natural evolution and processes. In the Philippines, more than 50% of the 625 km studied coast is eroding since 1970 (1). This is alarming since almost all major cities are coastal and 62% of the population lives in the coastal zones (2). One of the biggest impacts humans have on beaches is disruption of sediment source and its transport. Damaged reefs and damming of rivers diminish sediment supply. Coastal structures (e.g. quays and groins) trap sediment, accelerating downdrift erosion. Coastal tourism and unregulated beach mining also add to these stresses.
[1] Fernando P. Siringan, pers. comm.
[2] DENR, DA-BFAR and DILG, 2001. Philippine Coastal Management Guidebook Series No. 1: Coastal Management Orientation and Overview (through the Coastal Resource Management Project of DENR and USAID)
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Paleoclimatology
The Philippines, being part of the Coral Triangle and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, is an ideal natural laboratory to study paleoclimate using coral proxies. The stable isotopes set in the carbonate skeletons of corals determine the various physical factors such as sea surface temperature, salinity, and pH where the corals grow. In the Coral Triangle, the rate of warming of the Coral Triangle is spatially varied but waters around the country are warming faster (0.3°C per decade) compared to the rest. It is crucial to understand how corals within the Philippine waters respond to this warming temperature.
The tectonically active setting of the Philippines also created several uplifted coral reef terraces. Corals on these terraces can also be used as proxies to reconstruct sea level change. In central Philippines, coral terraces were dated as far back as the Last Interglacial (~125,000 ago) where global temperature was higher than the present. Understanding the climate of the past can help us prepare for the present rapidly changing climate.
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