Abstract:
Coal is cheap compared to most other
fossil fuels. However, the higher emission of CO2
has made coal, one of the major contributors to
greenhouse effect, global warming and climate
change on earth. Forest cover and agriculture are
the main absorption systems that reduce CO2 in
the atmosphere by photosynthesis. Sometimes
forests are major contributors of CO2 to the
atmosphere due to sporadic bushfires around the
world. Agriculture, on the other hand, absorbs
CO2, produces food, creates employment, and
maintains a healthy, sustainable and safe eco
system which never causes bush fires. Sri Lanka’s
major food crop is paddy, and the annual
production is more than 3.5 million MT. Paddy
straw (PS) is the major by-product and its annual
production is more than 5 million MT. Presently,
paddy is harvested by combined harvesters and
after the harvest, straw stubble and cut pieces are
scattered in the paddy field. Since PS is a major
hindrance to field preparation for the next crop,
with minimum turnaround time, most of the
farmers burn PS, which causes atmospheric
pollution due to emission of, heat, CO, CO2, SOx,
NOx, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), and
particulate matter. Delta-D Technology is a
patented technology, invented by the author of this
paper. By using Delta-D Technology all types of
organic waste can be rapidly digested and
converted into powder. This paper discusses
research carried out by the author, to convert
large quantities of PS, lying in the paddy field, into
a paddy straw powder (PSP). PSP can be easily
combusted in a furnace or a boiler by spraying
into the combustion zone
