An invention that could treat medical waste, a research on waste water treatment, and a study which

produced an oxo-biodegradable plastic made from kamote rejects which were all made by Davao-based
scientists and engineers were recognized and awarded in the recently concluded National Invention
Contests and Exhibits (NICE) held last July 31 at SMX Convention Center.
Mr. Aezer Cajegas of Hydrophilia Technologies Inc. whose research entitled Reddopac the Highly
Polymerized Cationic won the third prize for the Likha Award (Outstanding Creative Research).
Meanwhile, Engr. Roderick Dayot of RAD Green Solutions placed second in Tuklas Award (Outstanding
Invention) with his Pyroclave Non-Burn and Water-Free Medical Waste Treatment Technology. The study
entitled Sweet Potatoes (lpomea batatas) Starch: A degradation catalysis Component of Biomate Added
High Density Poly-Ethylene Plastics of Mr. Neil Anthony Jamili from the University of Mindanao bagged
the first place for the Sibol Award (Student Creative Research for College).
Reddopac:A product stemmed from his passion to save water

Mr. Aezer Cajegas (second from the left) received his Likha Award 3rd prize from DOST Sec. Fortunato T.
Dela Pea (third from left) (Photo from Mr. Aezer Cajegas)
As a kid, Mr. Aezer Cajegas was exposed outdoors. He was just three years old when his older siblings
bring him along during campings.
Didto ko nagstart ug appreciate sa environment. Didto na pud ko nagka interest in science, said
Cagejas
In college, he pursued BS Chemistry in Ateneo de Davao University. Back then, his thesis focused on the
monitoring of pollution in the river. It was his thesis that brought him to work for a water treatment
company in Manila.

Living and working in Manila for years, he noticed that bodies of water were getting murky and dirty. He
was curious if theres something that could help clean the polluted waters. Knowing that there is no
chemical suited for all types of water treatment and that certain chemicals are made for certain purposes,
he did all sorts of research until he found out that in order to remove the pollutants from the water,
coagulants should have high amount of cations.
With only his savings at hand, he quit his job and decided to pursue his research. He kept on reading,
searched the internet, and asked people for help.
His research produced what he now calls the Reddopac, a formulated cationic coagulant for water and
waste water treatment.
According to Cajegas, in order to clean a jar filled with a liter of waste water, only 0.2mL to 0.4mL of
Reddopac is needed while other highly commercialized products would need 10mL to 20mL. He
mentioned that the theory behind this is Van der Waals forces, which basically means the attraction of
forces per molecule.
After winning the Likha Award 3rd prize, more people became interested in his work. One of them is
Palawan Mayor Edward Hagedorn, who paved the way for him to meet the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez.
During their brief meeting, Lopez asked him if his invention could help clean Pasig River. He, of course,
nodded and affirmed that it could clean the river. In fact, he responded with a video getting sample water
from a canal.
Hopeful that he could contribute to cleaning up the polluted waters in the country, Cajegas believes that
the younger generation could do something better.
Go. Discover. Explore. At your age, you can find better than what I have, he said.
Wag kayong matakot tumuklas. Wag kayong matakot magtanong. Pag may nalaman kayong bago,
ipagpatuloy niyo. Ask the experts. Wag niyong solohin. Explore. Wag lang puro laptop kasi you cannot
find answers from the laptop alone. You cant have inspiration from the internet. You get inspiration
outside your room, he added.
Pryoclave: The future of medical waste treatment
While most countries use incineration as a waste treatment process, Philippines, through the Clean Air
Act (RA 8749), has banned its use. Since then, autoclaving has been considered as the more friendly
solution to waste treatment.
However, according to Engr. Roderick Dayot, Vice President for Engineering of RAD Green Solutions,
autoclaving consumes a lot of water in its treatment process and will only produce waste water in the end.
With only a few options for waste treatment, Dayot together with his partner, Mr. Ivan Lim, developed the
Pyroclave, a technology that answers the need for a non-burn and water-free technology especially in
treating medical waste.

Medical waste is a special waste that really needs to be treated. Government and private institutions
should put attention to it. If not properly treated, we will suffer the consequences later on, Dayot said.

Engr. Roderick Dayot in his booth during the National Invention Contest and Exhibit (Photo from Mr.
Aezer Cajegas)
Pyroclaving treats infectious, pathological and genotoxic waste. The technology is fully integrated. It has
its own shredder which turns the waste into smaller pieces. It also has an airlock feature which minimizes
oxygen in the thermal chamber. The waste will be heated by a burner with no occurrence of fire. It will
then travel for around 7 minutes before cooling. After the process, the waste volume is reduced to 50%
and weight to 30%.
They founded the RAD Green Solutions in 2010, but it was only in 2012 when they developed and
produced the Pyroclave model which is ready for commercial use. In that same year, they earned their
first client.
We collect the medical waste, and we transport it in our facility, said Dayot.
The treated medical waste is then transported to a medical waste cell centralized facility in New Carmen,
Tugbok, Davao City. They also have centralized facilities in Bulacan and Tarlac.
Participating and winning in the NICE has given them more opportunities promote their invention and
connect with fellow scientists, inventors, and engineers.
In fact, they are already expanding in Manila and Cebu. They are also open to the possibility of going into
the international market.
Were working on that and there are agreements which are on its way for signing, he mentioned.

Currently, Engr. Dayot is pursuing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering and if theres something he could
advice the future generation he simply said, Always have the attitude to explore. Never give up. Always
appreciate the value of trying new things and do not be afraid to fail because thats part of the process.
From sweet potatoes to oxo-biodegradable plastics
When the City Government of Davao implemented a ban on the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags, it
ignited an idea to the young and inquisitive Neil Anthony Jamili to come up with a solution to the problems
in waste degradation.
The 20-year old Chemical Engineering student at the University of Mindanao was only in first year when
he first thought of the idea of creating a plastic out of sweet potatoes. He opened up the idea to his
teachers and eventually, his idea was accepted for an Institutional Research. The university along with
other sponsors funded and supported his study.
Although he used rejected sweet potatoes for his research, which he could get for free, he prefers to buy
them for P5-P10 per kilo to not deprive the sector of farming.
His quest to producing such plastics wasnt that easy at all for him. He struggled mainly on the financial
aspects of the research. The resins were very expensive. If it werent for their sponsors, they wouldnt be
able to come up with the product. He also had doubts and felt the pressure and the need to be recognized
especially because hes just a student. But nothing could ever stop him; he was still persistent and
determined to finish what he started.
Its very useful. The world needs it. Its not just the Philippines that needs it. Its plastic out of kamote and
rejected kamotes are everywhere. said Jamili, explaining why he pursued his study.

Neil Anthony Jamili bested other contestants and bagged the Sibol Award first prize (Photo from Mr.
Aezer Cajegas)

His study which produced a plastic which is stronger and degrades faster than the commercially sold
plastics, landed him the first prize for the Sibol Award (Student Creative Research for College).
Opportunities kept coming to him. Foreign investors were interested and asked him what he needs for his
study. He is also looking forward to the patenting of his research.
Passionate for research and innovation, Jamili said he wont stop looking for more ideas for research. At
present, hes working on his 27th research on agar, a medium for bacterial culture.
If something bothers you, go research on it. Connect with someone whos older than you who have
knowledge on the matter. You can do something, Jamili replied, when asked what he would like to say to
students like him.
His professor and adviser, Engr. Abner Olivar, also encouraged him to continue what hes doing.
Keep on doing research. These days we really need innovative researches. Lalo na ang environment
natin marami ng untoward calamities. Sa ganoong paraan, makalessen and minimize ng degradation ng
solid waste, said Olivar.
The National Invention Contests and Exhibit (NICE) was organized by the Technology Application and
Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI).