Browsing by Author "de Alwis, AAP"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

item: Conference-Full-text
Hazardous waste management in Sri Lanka
(Engineering Research Unit, Faculty of Engiennring, University of Moratuwa, 1997-11) de Alwis, AAP; Hettiarachchci, P
The country is currently looking towards development through industrialization. The industries will inevitably generate hazardous wastes which will need special handling and disposal methods. This important aspect has not received due attention of the policy planners. However, with Sri Lanka signing the BASEL convention attention has been focused on the movement of hazardous waste from outside sources to Sri Lanka. A recent study initiated by the Ministry of Policy Planning and Implementation indicated that generation of hazardous waste in Sri Lanka to be about 40,000 MT per annum. As there is neither a proper disposal facility in Sri Lanka nor sound disposal practices by the generators themselves, the potential difficulties that may have to be face in future can be enormous. It is important to realise the potential difficulties, the decisions that need to be taken now and the Responsible Care attitudes required of the generators. The paper discusses the present position of hazardous waste generation in Sri Lanka, disposal practices and their limitations and the steps needed to ensure clean industrialisation.
item: Article-Full-text
Process industry accidents in Sri Lanka: Analysis and basic lessons learnt
(Elsevier Ltd., 2008) Gunasekera, MY; de Alwis, AAP
Accidents in the process industry could be prevented or reduced by having good safety management measures. Such preventive measures could be further improved through the experiences and lessons learnt from past accidents. Therefore, analysis results of past accidents are valuable sources of information for determining root causes and as case material to prevent and reduce the adverse consequences of accidents in the process industry. This paper looks at accidents in the process industry that have occurred in the past 10 years from 1997 to 2006 in Sri Lanka to gain an understanding of the nature and consequences of accidents. Lessons and main areas of concern to improve safety in the Sri Lanka process industry are discussed. The analysis is done for different event types based on specific operating process stage during which the accident occurred such as processing, loading and unloading, repair and maintenance and storage, the immediate effect types such as fire, explosion, chemical releases and emissions and the consequences of each accident. Fire incidents were observed in 38 accidents analyzed. The results show that the highest number of accidents has occurred during processing operations followed by accidents during maintenance and repair work. The cause analysis shows that many accidents have occurred due to technical and human failures. The accidents are then classified according to the severity of the consequences in order to compare the nature of accidents experienced in Sri Lanka with respect to accidents in other countries in the world.
item: Article-Full-text
A volume-based analysis method to determine the economic value of mixed industrial waste
(Elsevier, 2023-09) Edirisinghe, LGLM; de Alwis, AAP; Prakash, S; Wijayasundara, M; Hemali, NAA
In this study, a new method was introduced to analyze industrial mixed waste based on volume. The method was applied to characterize the composition, quantities, and potential economic value of waste generated in the Biyagama Export Processing Zone (BEPZ). It was observed that the composition of industrial mixed waste varied across different industries and processes using the proposed method. Moreover, the investigation into the potential economic value of industrial mixed waste revealed that most waste categories generated were recyclable materials accounting for approximately 89.4% of the total waste generated. As a result, the expected revenue generated from the waste was estimated to vary from USD 0.47–0.67 million per year. The study emphasized the significance of a volume-based approach for analyzing industrial mixed waste, along with the significant potential economic value that can be derived from proper management and valorization of these waste streams within a framework aligned with the principles of Circular Economy. The method will identify the hidden potential to regenerate resource to an optimum utility and value aligned with principles of circular economy potential considering industrial waste. The outcome would be helpful for decision-making on different alternatives as the opportunity cost of not having alternatives gets revealed as an estimated value.