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| Sunday, 16 February 2003 |
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Features |  |
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Biogas/biofertiliser project at Muthurajawela by Dr. Chithral Ambawatte, (Project Engineer, NERD Centre, Ekala) The National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD Centre) located at Ekala, Ja-Ela in Gampaha District, Western Province, after a series of research studies has developed a biogas production system, which is technically suitable for Sri Lanka. In doing so it has taken into consideration the existing natural resources in this country. Although most countries in the Asian region turned their attention towards the production of biogas in mid twentieth century, Sri Lanka's attention was drawn towards this field only towards the end of the century. The People's Republic of China which initiated this activity in nineteen thirties has made considerable progress by 1970. India, which commenced production of biogas around 1951, has by now achieved considerable progress. Nepal, which embarked into this activity about the same time as India, is yet another country that has achieved considerable success in this field. Countries such as India and China have basically utilised animal excreta such as cow dung as digestive material for the production of biogas. However, since animal waste cannot be found in sufficient quantities within a given area NERD Centre has decided to used straw, market garbage and water borne plants such as Salvinia, Water Hyacinth as their main digestive material. Implementation Experience gained by implementing the biogas production unit at Kirulapone, which used market garbage (mainly of vegetable origin), provided some encouragement results to the NERD Centre. This project which has made use of he experience gained from the Kirulapone project has now been established at Muthurajawela, Hendala, Dickovita (within the administrative area of Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha) while being environmentally friendly has made use of local technology. This project which was carefully analysed and studied by the NERD Centre was presented to The Hon. Minister for Science and Technology Mr. Batty Weerakoon. The minister's approval was a source of encouragement. This project aimed at producing biogas and fertiliser by subjecting market garbage and water borne plants (present in Hamilton and other waterways) to anaerobic treatment received cabinet approval on 26th May, 1999. On approval by President Chandrika Kumaratunga a sum of Rs. 32 million was set apart by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The 16 digestion tanks with a capacity of 40 metric tons which are planned under this project have already been constructed. According to plans all digestive tanks will be filled with market garbage at the rate of one tank garbage a week. At the end of the 16th week the contents of the first tank will be ready for removal since the digestive process is complete. The material so removed will be sent to be processed as manure (bio fertiliser). After removal of contents the first tank will be filled with digestive material once again. The weekly removal of contents by turn will be a continuous process. The production of fertiliser in this manner will help save the cultivator from dependence on chemical fertilisers to some extent. The biogas produced at Muthurajawela is intended to be used as fuel for the model bakery. According to estimates this bakery is capable of producing 128 loaves (each weighing 450 grams) within one hour and fifteen minutes. It is expected that it will create job opportunities to a number of persons indirectly. Salvenia and other water plants that are found in the Hamilton Canal and other water ways will be used in the production of biogas thus preventing mosquito breeding. Organic The canal once free of water plants will be of value to all those who use this canal including fishing crafts. It has already been proposed to establish a model farm in proximity to the bio gas production unit, which will use the bio-liquid that is removed from digestion tanks. However further processing is required before it is used for agriculture. According to the estimates prepared by the NERD Centre this project is capable of producing 192 metric tons of organic fertiliser annually. It will use 1,920 metric tons of market garbage and water borne plants as feeding material. Also it is capable of producing 280,000 cubic metres of biogas. Most local authorities still continue traditional methods for the disposal of garbage and are yet to turn their attention to any systematic method for garbage disposal. The present methods used for the disposal of garbage include crude dumping, burning, burying or for land filing of low lying areas. The general public is now demanding better methods of disposal of garbage. On the other hand environmental hazards are beginning to surface. Indiscriminate disposal garbage in this manner may also cause pollution of under ground water. The Ministry of Forestry in a report titled, National Strategy on Solid Waste Management has also stressed the importance of multi-sectoral approach in the final disposal in an environmentally friendly manner. However it is clear that local authorities are lacking in resources and infrastructure facilities to undertake such a task. It is in such a context that the Muthurajawela biogas project has been formulated with the participation of a number of organisations. A special feature of this project is the bringing together of various aspects such as financial, legal, administrative and engineering. This will be a landmark in our endeavour in waste management. This project is planned in such a manner as to ensure the safety of the environment from the time of collection of market garbage to its final disposal. The responsibility of keeping road sides free of garbage will remain the responsibility of the respective local authorities. This project which is systematically planned and implemented will be of educational interest to schoolchildren. Already an awareness programme for schoolchildren operates with the participation of Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha. In future this will be developed as an educational and demonstration Centre. |
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