Local textile researchers are looking into adapting the centuries-old abaca industry to cater to the needs of the much younger but also more high-tech nanotechnology industry.

In a forum held in Quezon City this month, scientists from the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) and Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) disclosed they have begun studying the potential applications for abaca in nanotechnology.

The abaca fiber was found to be two times stronger than glass fibers and steel, and is now currently being used to reinforce automobile dashboards and furniture.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, 85 percent of the abaca in the world comes from the Philippines, particularly from the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions.

Erlinda Mari of FPRDI said during the forum that one of the agency's major projects is processing the nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC) of abaca fiber to produce high-end products.

Mari also said, We at FPRDI are excited (for this project). I want this program to succeed before I retire.

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PHL researchers looking into developing abaca for nanotechnology