Nuclear-based energy for Sri Lanka

BY S. P. U. S. Wickramasinghe B. Sc.
spupalisw@yahoo.com

Six countries have offered to build nuclear power plants in Sri Lanka, The Island of 08 March has reported, quoting Prof. S. R. D. Rosa, Chairman – Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board.

The proposal that Sri Lanka invest in nuclear energy surfaces from time to time. I see two major negatives that will accrue to this country if this proposal is implemented.

Sri Lanka imports all the energy it requires, viz petroleum-based material and coal. Investing in nuclear energy will not solve its problem. In fact, the draw on its external resources could be higher level in the event of having to import of raw materials for nuclear power plants.

The second constraint is the possibility of leaks or nuclear accidents. The Chernobyl disaster took place about 40 years ago. It is reported that inhabitation of that area is still not permitted.

A few years ago, there was a proposal to stockpile depleted radioactive materials on an abandoned rubber estate in Malabe. Residents of the area protested against this proposal. I did a study of nuclear accidents in Europe and found that at one particular plant, there were about 10 leaks due to minor problems – corroded metal work.

The Atomic Energy Authority (SL) announced that the depleted cargo would be deposited in keeping with International Regulations. Information about such international regulations or practices were never divulged. When the project was abandoned, I went there to inspect what had been undertaken. There were no indications that the pits that were dug would be covered with concrete layers.

In this village, most households are dependent on wells for their water needs. There is also a paddy field. If the project had been implemented, the entire area would have been contaminated during torrential rains.

Why do we place our faith in such exotic, dangerous technologies, when this country has the facilities which can produce a fuel that is GHG (Green House Gases) free and can concurrently help to generate electricity?

I am referring to an alcohol called Butyl alcohol, which is a one to one substitute for both petrol and diesel. One researcher who conducted a trial run of 10,000 miles in the US state in a 15-year-old Buick car reported that with Butyl alcohol he achieved a performance of 25 miles per gallon as against 22 miles per gallon with petrol.

How do you produce Butyl alcohol?

Butyl alcohol can be produced by the fermentation of sugars (glucose) using specific bacteria. The most common bacterium is from the Clostridium group. A problem with this group of bacteria is that they can tolerate Butyl alcohol in the fermenting base up to about 2%. Researchers, Rajesh Kumar Sahoo, A. Das, M Gaur, S. Dey, S. Sahoo and E. Subudhi reported in 2019 that Pseudomonas would yield 6.0% and faecal bacteria 3.5%

I believe that the Pseudomonas bacterium is found in this country. If it has not been identified, it is worthwhile for our bacteriologists to proceed to search for it.

One of the raw materials for this process is jackfruit – Artocarpus heterophyllus. Not the 80-foot-tall variety but the shorter one that is about 20-foot-tall. This has been developed at the HORTI institute of the Agricultural department at Peradeniya. A hectare of this plant can yield 100 tons.

The second plant that could provide raw material is banana. I refer specifically to sour plantain. This has material that can be converted to sugar and is slightly acidic to taste, which is sine qua non for fermentation. This plant with its wide canopy will prevent the soil from drying up, and provide mulch and nutrition to jack fruit trees.

The third is the coconut plant – in fact, coconut water, which has sugar in it.

Jackfruit trees

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has reported that the population of Sri Lanka was 21,919,000 in 2020. Supposing a four-member household consumes three coconuts a week for cooking, the volume of coconut water that could be harvested is 21,919,000/4x 3x52x 0.150 = 128,226,150 lt.

There are over 1,000,000 small /medium size food outlets in the country, some of them consuming about 80 nuts a day.

It will take at least five years to install a nuclear energy plant. During that period, if the organisation and the logistics are put in place, the country could find self-sufficiency in fuel and energy. This will help generate employment opportunities.

There is a non-governmental organisation, which promotes jackfruit cultivation. By 2012, it had planted about 1,000,000 jackfruit trees.

With proper leadership, organisation and proper logistics. We can make our country self-sufficient in fuel.

One country that has made it a policy to produce Butyl alcohol is China.

The products of this fermentation are Butyl alcohol, Ethyl alcohol, Acetone, Hydrogen and Carbon dioxide.

Butyl alcohol can be used in place of petrol and diesel. Ethyl alcohol can be used in place of diesel after mixing with ignition improvers, and hydrogen can be used in place of petrol or to generate electricity via fuel cells and carbon dioxide has been used to propel small planes, motor boats and Ref Cetonia engines.

There are reports that distilling Butyl alcohol is difficult. Nothing is further from the truth. I learnt distillation not from books but from the Stillmen and Fermentation Staff at the Distillery at Kantale and in Guyana. They are the best teachers.

I do hope that a university in Sri Lanka will undertake a study of products to replace petrol, diesel and coal in the near future.

There are some teething problems that have to be sorted out, and they include the fabrication of the distillation equipment, dehydration of Butyl alcohol produced in fermentation. The critical requirements are assistance for conducting research through 24×7 or may be 24x7x52 hrs sourcing a microbiologist to search for Pseudomonas bacterium or to import samples, quality analysis during the process.