MSU-IIT’s Hydrochar fuel can produce electricity

BANANA stems and leaves can also be chopped, grounded and subjected to hydrothermal treatment to produce pelletized Hydrochar.

Agricultural waste like cassava peel and banana stem can become a source of energy. 

Researchers at Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) have developed the Hydrochar, a coal-like fuel produced from wet biomass such as cassava peels and pulp, banana stems and other agricultural residues. 

MSU-IIT Chemical Engineering professor Alexander Mosqueda shared to the DAILY TRIBUNE the process of making waste-to-energy technology during the Sustainability Expo 2026 organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), SM Prime Holdings Inc. and ARISE Philippines in Taguig City on 5 August.

Mosqueda noted that agricultural wastes with high moisture content must undergo a process to make it fuel-ready.

“[Agricultural wastes] need hydrothermal treatment, meaning, they will first be turned into charcoal,” he said.

Hydrochar comes from the words “hydro,” meaning water, and “char,” meaning charcoal. 

The 100 percent biomass waste, according to Mosqueda, can then be pelletized. As a pellet with a diameter of 6 to 8 millimeters, it is easier to transport while increasing its energy density compared with its powdered form.

The Hydrochar has industrial applications, including gasification through mixing and gasifying Hydrochar with municipal or residual waste and then power generation which produces gas that can run a generator or engine to generate electricity. 

“The gas that will be produced [will be used] as fuel for internal combustion engines to produce electricity,” the professor pointed out.

From farm waste to energy

The university collected samples of cassava peels, pulp and stems from a cassava processing facility in Bukidnon. Banana stems and leaves can also be chopped, grounded and subjected to hydrothermal treatment to produce Hydrochar.

Comparable to coal, Mosqueda said the Hydrochar has a heating value of 20 to 23 megajoules per kilogram and an ash content of 3 to 5 percent, making it suitable for industrial energy applications rather than domestic cooking. 

The approach could therefore provide industries with an alternative source of renewable energy while simultaneously reducing the amount of agricultural waste requiring disposal.

The pathway for a circular bioenergy system involves collecting solid waste, subjecting wet biomass to hydrothermal treatment, densifying the resulting Hydrochar, and using it for gasification and power generation. The remaining ash can then be processed into zeolite for water-softening applications. 

Power generator

The hydrochar technology is part of a research project funded in 2021 by the DoST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, which is now seeking potential partners and investors to bring the technology to scale.

Two pilot plants have been established at the university, including a 100-liter hydrothermal plant that uses steam to convert solid waste into Hydrochar. It consists of a high-pressure boiler and a reactor regulated by a motor-operated valve.

The other is a 12.5-kilowatt gasification pilot plant, which co-fires biomass, municipal solid waste, and Hydrochar to produce gas. The gas then fuels an internal combustion engine to generate electricity.

The university is now looking toward the next stage of the project — moving beyond pilot testing and attracting investors who can help demonstrate and scale up the technology for industrial applications.