The Raw rubber factory effluent was considered one of the problem wastes. This was considered to be very expensive and energy consuming for treatment. The available technologies were simply not affordable for the rubber industry of Sri Lanka. Then it was a crucial problem for the industry. Foreign consultants on environmental economics once had recommended the Environmental ministry to discontinue the rubber industry in Sri Lanka highlighting more than 50% of total organic waste discharged to the environment in Sri Lanka was from rubber industry. Being a research person at RRISL, I was privileged to become responsible for tackling this crucial situation. I had invented a verity of new unit processes and technologies for drawing low cost appropriate solutions. They were implemented successfully at commercial scale protecting the rubber industry of Sri Lanka. My achievements were also commended by higher authorities of Sri Lanka;

Plantation minister had issued a commendation letter for my commitments and achievements.

My achievements were discussed and commended at the parliament and documented in Hanzard.

Rubber Research Board had awarded a Gold Medal in appreciation of outstanding scientific achievements for the benefit of Rubber industry. 1995.

Presidential merit award for the new invention on biological waste water treatment. 1998

Leachate treatment system

Gully suck treatment system

(Leachate is considered around the world as one of the most difficult waste for treatment. When JICA launched the first sanitary landfill in Sri Lanka the Japanese consultants had selected our new technology for implementation which was not implemented before while they had access to conventional technology which are available and used around the world. Our implementation has been performed well with recorded best treatment efficiency for such a treatment system as low as BOD 5mg/l of discharged treated water.)

(The paper factories are notoriously known as an industry which uses high amounts of water and make serious water pollution. The above factory had no exception; they dammed a water stream for water intake and also made serious pollution to the water and the environment, agitating the public. This did lead to public demonstration against the operation of this factory. This was one of the major issues high lighted in mass media then. Vigilant mobs nearly did set fire to the factory.

Our new technological developments were implemented and 100% water and pulp recycle was made possible discharging zero objectionable waste. This also made incredibly low amounts of water intake to the factory)

This farm is probably the biggest swine farm in Sri Lanka with totaling to 3000 pigs. Wastewater treatment system for this was installed by a market leader using conventional technology. However, this farm was a public nuisance in terms of odor and unacceptable quality of discharged water. Villagers were very vigilant and protested against the farm. The owner ship of the farm had personally consulted all the technology providers appeared in the market. None of them succeeded in correcting the problem situation. Ultimately the CEA of North Western province had issued a letter to police department to make arrangements to take the court order to close down the farm. Few days later we came to know the situation and on request of the ownership we had upgraded the farm from public nuisance situation to normally accept able level to public within a period less than a week. At the courts I pleaded the magistrate that I had made the nuisance situation under control by then hence not to close down the farm. The magistrate made a personal visit to the site and he was satisfied with the condition and suspended the closedown order.

We managed to get this problem situation under control within such a short period of time by using our new treatment technology.

This farm has two large rearing cages for brood stocks with 9500 birds in each cage. These cages are ventilated tunnel type. A huge volume of air which has air-born particulate matter and bad odor is sucked out from the cages and released to the environment creating an environmental pollution problem. With the pressure of CEA, the owner of the farm had consulted all the parties who provide environmental technology in the market and none of them even forwarded a proposal. Ultimately one of our R&D colleagues had introduced us to the farm owner.

Conventionally in such situations as biological treatment discharged air is pumped through a moist Soil/compost filter bed where biological reactions occur removing the odor in air. This requires pressure blowers which are expensive in capital and running. If the treatment is done chemical means chemical scrubber or ozone degradation should be implemented, both of them are expensive.

We had devised an inexpensive solution; a biologically activated curtain to contain odor and air-born particulate mater from horizontal air flow. The beautiful features of this unique bio- curtain are near zero pressure loss through the curtain while having very high amount of active surface area and possibility for hanging across the normal ventilated air flow with out making any significant change to created air flow for normal ventilation. Installation of several such curtains in parallel contained the problem without utilizing additional blowers or extra power on implemented fans.. 95% of particulate matter was trapped, and the odor was reduced to insignificant level making CEA satisfied with the situation.