By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): High-Level Technical Team of eight professionals from the Federal University of Viçosa, Federal University of Sao Carlos and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) is scheduled to undertake a technical visit to Sri Lanka with a view to providing Brazilian Technical Assistance for the development and capacity building of the Dairy and Sugarcane industries in Sri Lanka, from 09 to 21 June 2023.
The Technical Team is scheduled to undertake field visits and inspection tours in Udawalawe, Kandy, Mawanella and Kurunegala etc. to identify problems associated with the Dairy and Sugarcane industries and to provide technical solutions to increase capacity and the production of the two industries in Sri Lanka.
In order to finalize the programme and the other arrangements of the visit, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Brazil, Sumith Dassanayake had a meeting with Nelci Peres Caixeta, General Coordinator for Technical Cooperation for Asia, South Africa, Middle East and Oceania of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, on 25 May 2023 at the ABC headquarters in Brasilia. The Ambassador also discussed on the possibility of expanding Brazilian Technical Assistance to other areas in Sri Lanka, as well.
The First Round of Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and Brazil was held on 28 November 2022, under the Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations between the two countries signed on 07 March 2011, and during the Political Consultations, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake and the other Senior Officials of the Sri Lankan side requested the Brazilian delegation to expedite the process of providing Brazilian technical assistance to Sri Lanka.
In Brazil sugar mills traditionally use alcohol bagasse (a by-product of the process) to produce heat and energy by the cogeneration system, also known as combined heat and power (CHP).
Some Brazilian plants produce sufficient energy for consumption and sell the surplus bioelectricity produced. In 2018, 54% of the Brazilian plants exported 2.5 GWméd to the National Interconnected System (NIS), which accounted for 3.9% of the national electricity matrix in this period (EPE, 2018).
In terms of bioelectricity generation, despite the potential of straw, vinasse, and filter cake, there is an underutilization of these by-products of the sugar and alcohol production process. Other regional bioenergetics have also been underutilized, such as manure, sludge from sewage treatment plants, and the organic fraction of the urban solid waste.
However, it is difficult to synchronize these resources owing to the number of actors, companies, exchanges, and regulations involved in their generation. In this sense, the dynamics of industrial symbiosis (IS) can contribute to the development of a collaborative network because it involves industries (or sectors) traditionally separated in a collective approach to obtain competitive advantages, involving the physical exchange of materials, energy, water and/or by-products.
