Radiation tech projects draw crowds at sustainability expo
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DOST Sec. Renato Solidum (second from left) shows the PREx plastic-based tiles to SM Prime Holdings chair Hans Sy (leftmost) and veteran architect and urban planner Felino Palafox (rightmost)
PNRI researchers and communication and commercialization officers are bringing radiation technology products closer to the public through expositions such as SUSTEX 2025
Radiation tech projects draw crowds at sustainability expo
“We will build a house from these,’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum told Hans Sy Jr., chair of the SM Prime Holdings Inc executive committee, as the DOST chief showed some dark gray bricks and heavy tiles on display.
Though ordinary looking, these bricks and tiles are actually special—they are made of plastic waste such as sachets found in every Filipino home. The sachets, reduced into small pellets and their quality fortified through radiation technology, were molded into tiles that can be used in houses and buildings.
This nuclear solution against plastic pollution is developed under the Post-radiation Reactive Extrusion (PREx) research initiative of the DOST-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). The house to be built, as informed by Sec. Solidum, will be a prototype to test the quality of the PREx plastic.
The PREX is DOST-PNRI’s latest contribution to the circular economy as of yet, turning waste into highly usable construction material and opening opportunities for the plastics industry.
The PREx project, funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, is just one of the featured technologies at the Sustainable Expo (SUSTEX) 2025 held August 28-29, 2025 at the SMX Convention Center Aura.
Also on exhibit were the PNRI-developed foliar fertilizer called the Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter (PGP), the abaca-based heavy metal adsorption material, and its ongoing project on the development of arsenic sensor.
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DOST-PNRI Hosts 2025 National Training Course on Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring
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Participants during their field exercises. Top Left Photo: collection of soil samples. Top Right Photo: processing of collected soil samples for measurement of radioactivity using HPGe. Bottom Photo: ambient gamma dose rate monitoring exercise.
DOST-PNRI Hosts 2025 National Training Course on Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring
The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), in partnership with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), successfully held the 2025 National Training Course on Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring (NTC-ERM) on August 4–8 at the PNRI compound in Quezon City.
This annual training equips participants from government, industry, academe, and research institutions with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in detecting and analyzing radioactivity in the environment.
The program featured lectures by PNRI and Japanese experts Dr. Hiroki Fujita and Dr. Akihiro Sakoda, along with hands-on sessions on gamma dose-rate monitoring, gamma spectrometry, liquid scintillation counting, and radon measurement using advanced technologies.
Read more: DOST-PNRI Hosts 2025 National Training Course on Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring
From Waste to Resource: PNRI Turns Nuclear Waste into Life-Saving Cancer Treatment
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Transport packages containing encapsulated radium sources
From Waste to Resource: PNRI Turns Nuclear Waste into Life-Saving Cancer Treatment
The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), through the PNRI-Radioactive Waste Management Facility and the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has successfully completed repackaging legacy Radium-226 (Ra-226) sources, which will soon be exported to Canada. This work is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Global Radium-226 Management Initiative, which helps member states properly manage old radium sources to protect people and the environment.
Radium-226 was once widely used in medicine, industry, and research. However, today it is recognized as a radioactive material that requires strict handling and long-term management. By donating these sources, PNRI is helping reduce potential risks while aligning with global standards of nuclear safety and security.
Read more: From Waste to Resource: PNRI Turns Nuclear Waste into Life-Saving Cancer Treatment
E-Beam Tech Blitzes RSTW CALABARZON
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E-Beam Tech Blitzes RSTW CALABARZON
Demonstrating the massive potential of electron beams in the development of local industries, specialists from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) and its partner ISI EBEAM joined this year's CALABARZON Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) celebration held from August 14 to 16 in Antipolo City.
Among these technologies featured are PNRI's radiation technologies for processing food and medical products. The exhibit also highlighted in particular the country's advances in e-beam processing technology, such as award-winning carrageenan plant growth promoter for increasing crop yields, as well as ISI's recently-established e-beam and storage facility in Tanay Rizal - the first such electron beam technology adopted by the private sector for fully commercial-scale radiation processing services.
The event aims to highlight the increasing role of science, technology and innovation in building smarter local communities optimized for sustainable economic development.
"Through the strategic use of science, technology and innovation, we are better equipped to address the evolving needs of our communities, from urban settlers to the barangays," said DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.
"We are not just building high-tech hubs; we are helping create inclusive, resilient and forward-looking communities for every Filipino."
