PSHS-SRC researchers turn tiger grass into promising oil spill cleanup solution

Dexielyn Halog

When oil spills reach Philippine coastlines, the damage extends far beyond the water. For fisherfolk communities, especially those who rely on daily catch for survival, it brings threat to their livelihoods and homes.

Yet amidst these challenges, a promising solution may lie in an unlikely local resource.

Three students from the Philippine Science High School-SOCCSKSARGEN Region Campus (PSHS-SRC) turned to tiger grass for a possible answer, one with untapped potential for oil spill remediation.

Through their research conducted during their senior years, Sumelia Louise A. Jebulan, Ryhannah Gwynne B. Nievez, and Kalila Joyce G. Pagalan investigated whether the plant’s panicles could offer a more accessible and sustainable oil sorbent alternative to commercial sorbents.

When the MT Princess Empress oil spill struck Oriental Mindoro in 2023, it devastated not only the coasts but also the communities that depend on it. 

“Residents had to scoop oil manually, it was very labor intensive, physically exhausting and posed significant health risks to the residents,” Nievez, the researcher in an exclusive interview, said. 

For the researchers, the incident highlighted a critical problem: the communities affected by oil spills often have limited access to safe and effective cleanup materials. 

“Tiger grass is very abundant in the Philippines, especially in the MIMAROPA region, but even though it’s abundant, it’s underutilized. Ginagamit lang siya sa brooms which is very unfortunate to tiger grass farmers since that’s their only source of income,” Nievez said. 

Beyond its availability, the researchers found that tiger grass possesses properties that make it suitable for oil sorption, a process of containing oil within the product. Its panicles are composed of dense, fine fibers with high surface area and porosity allowing them to trap and retain oil. 

Nievez further explained that the plant’s fibrous structure becomes even more effective after treatment, “tiger grass is similar to cotton fibers—after chemical treatment it becomes more oleophilic and hydrophobic, specifically the panicle since ‘yun ang pinaka-fibrous part ng plant.”

To test its efficacy, the team conducted oil sorption experiments following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, exposing treated tiger grass panicles to kerosene, diesel, and emulsified oil. 

Results showed that while commercial oil sorbents—refined through years of industrial development—still performed better overall, the developed Tiger Grass Panicle Sorbent (TGPS) held its own when measured on a grams-per-gram basis. For a locally sourced, biodegradable material, that comparison alone signaled potential.

“We wanted to help the local Filipinos that can’t afford the international products and have a limited budget when it comes to sorbents,” Nievez explained. In their cost analysis, the team found that producing TGPS was approximately 29% less expensive than commercial sorbent pads.

Beyond its potential use in oil spill response, the study also points to possible benefits for the backbone of this study: the tiger grass farmers. Broom-making serves as their only source of income, and if TGPS is commercialized, it provides opportunities for farmers to expand their market.

At its heart, the project reflects a simple philosophy: science should serve the people and the environment they depend on. What began as a reaction to an environmental crisis evolved into a vision of sustainable, community-centered innovation—one rooted in the belief that solutions need not come from afar.

“Most of the solutions we think about are the grand and technological things but we could also focus on local materials that can solve problems,” Nievez expressed. 

Innovation is not only about the next big thing, but also about the opportunity for young minds to use their platforms to turn familiar resources into real-world solutions.

Studies like Nievez’s stand as a testament to how Pisay researchers transform science not only for the pursuit of excellence, but to ultimately help address problems in the communities they serve. 

Sometimes, the strongest solutions are not built from something new, but from something already here—rooted in the soil, waiting to be seen not as ordinary grass, but as a source of hope.