Donating gold owned by citizens: A response

By S.P.U.S. Wickramasinghe 

The letter by Prof. Ajith de Alwis, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University at Moratuwa in the Daily FT of 7 July 2023, did surprise me.

Prior to commenting on the assumptions in his letter let me remind him of a happening years ago, before both of us were born.

Somewhere in the early part of the last century, they discovered the abandoned and dilapidated parts of Ruwanweliseya enclosed in a thick jungle. It is said that either the Government of the day or philanthropists undertook to repair the seya. Gold was collected from the people to be deposited within. There does not seem to be any record of the gold donated and we do not know whether the gold was deposited within. 

Prof. Alwis’s suggestion rests in the realms of wishful thinking.

In another country, when faced with serious economic downturn, the leading lady advised the young girls not to over value their chastity, but to be accommodating to the foreigners.

Though I do not back that suggestion, I feel that it was a better suggestion than parting with one’s gold.

There is a better solution, which should have been initiated, years ago, by the domain of chemical engineers in our universities, which would have saved the people of this country from the present economic plight.

Import of fuel, petroleum and coal consume nearly 30% of the country’s import bill. That is the largest cost centre in the import bill.

If the chemical engineers and the faculty initiated research on finding alternative sources, found within this country the crisis we are facing, could have been avoided.

The Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture at the Peradeniya University was reported to have undertaken work on finding a substitute for petroleum based fuels, petrol and diesel. It was reported that the student who conducted the experiments was one P. Jayawardena and the supervisors were Prof. Athula Perera and another (Prof. Marambe?).

The group identified a microbe found in the country that could produce an alcohol called Butyl alcohol (Butanol). That can replace petrol and diesel in the ratio 1:1 i.e. replace petrol and diesel in toto. 

In the production of Butyl alcohol, hydrogen gas is a by-product. Hydrogen gas is used to generate electricity and also power vehicles. China is said to be the leading exponent of this technology. 

Another fuel of importance is ethyl alcohol – the alcohol people drink. This alcohol, produced locally, can be used in place of diesel, replacing diesel 1:1. It is reported that buses in India, the EU and even the US are run with Ethyl alcohol (Ethanol).

To produce alcohol one need raw materials. I would not recommend sugar cane or corn be used. My preference is for jack – yes our kos, banana – yes our kesel and water from mature coconuts. 

Jack and banana can be grown on plantations scale or on as a domestically grown crop. They are easy to grow unlike sugar cane or corn, cost less to grow and will be a source of income for millions in the country. 

Processing the above will not cost a lot of money. A distillery should cost around Rs. 100 million as against imported distilleries which will cost about or more than $ 10,000,000.

Our distilleries consume oil to the tune of Rs. 100,000,000 a year. This can be reduced by about 90%.

This is not wishful thinking. I have been in this trade and kept abreast of the developments since 1968.

(The writer could be reached via email at [email protected].)