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Senuji’s attempt to use water to reduce fuel consumption 

25 Jul 2021

By Media Metrics  We all know that our environment is very important to us but during the last few decades especially, our environment has been getting polluted in ways such as water pollution, air pollution, land pollution and even sound pollution. So to avoid environmental pollution we need to work on eco-friendly products and projects.    Today, we have a guest who has contributed immensely to this environmental conversation. She is Senuji Goonathilaka. She is a student of Colombo International School Kandy. Senuji invented a car which is powered by water. Surprising, isn’t it?  Her project is an eco-friendly one, the base reason for this to come up is so that we can still continue to use our personal vehicles in the future without harming the environment. The vehicle will use water. The alternator usually produces energy while we run our vehicles and this energy is sent to the water. There is a chemical process happening that breaks water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is usually used in the combustion process in any car but since now oxygen is also produced, oxygen will complete the combustion process. And this helps to reduce pollution because toxic gases like carbon monoxide are now no longer emitted. Basically the vehicle helps burn fuel efficiently by using water (so less fuel is used).    She also runs a business with her father called Mr. Paint.     Okay, it’s time to have a little chit-chat!   To start things Senuji, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you come up with this idea?    One of the main reasons this idea came up was due to environmental damage and climate change. Cars are becoming one of the major contributors to environmental damage and climate change. And soon we will have to replace our vehicles with other options. And I’m a car lover so I wanted to produce a vehicle that we could still use in the future without having to worry about damaging the environment.   Who helped you to create this?    There were quite a few people who helped me during this project. A major role was played by Mr. Nuwan Dissanayaka, my chemistry teacher in helping with my project. He initially saw my project and after which he encouraged me to produce it on a much larger scale. And Mr. Mahesh, my maths teacher who gave me his car for me to experiment my project on. And my parents were a huge support to me throughout this project.   What were the difficulties faced by you?    One of the most difficult tasks was to find a car that I could experiment on, some people were willing to lend their cars, while some weren’t. There were also further problems like difficulties in transporting the vehicle and some of them weren’t in the condition that we could test the project on. And other than that most of them were related to initially designing the project and testing it along, there were many times where there were failures and issues but in the end, everything worked out and it was a success.   Have you done any other projects?    Yes, I was a major part of SLDEC 2020 organised by “Sri Lankan Dreams”, where we initiate a dialogue in the society of transforming education in the country.    At the present, I am working on another project at CHEMPLAY along with Sri Lankan Dreams which is temporarily stopped due to this pandemic. This is a group project and here we are going to develop a traffic plan to Kandy city to minimise unnecessary movement of vehicles around the city which will minimise air pollution. In this project, we will develop an app linking all the car parks and streets in Kandy town and it will immediately inform the drivers regarding any space available to park their cars. As a result of this app, drivers will stop roaming around the city seeking parking spaces and will cut down 20% of the traffic jam minimising 20% of exhaust from vehicles.   Tell us about your studies too.    I am in my final year of school, as I mentioned in the beginning I’m a student of CISK and in Grade 13. My main stream is business as I will be working in the business industry.   Are you running your own business?    I have joined my dad’s business and I've been working in it as a director for the last two years. The business is an automobile servicing industry located in Colombo and Kandy and this is one of the main reasons why I grew up to be a car lover.   Are you willing to have branches in other countries?    If I do get the opportunity to do so I will open branches in other countries as well.   How much did you spend on the car project? Was it costly?    No. Cost-wise, this wasn’t an expensive project. One of the main reasons for this would be that one of the main resources needed was water which is of no cost and the other types of equipment like the engine parts didn’t cost much at all. Overall, I would say that this was a very low-cost project.   What’s the type of vehicle used?    A Nissan Sunny was used.    How many years have passed since the project started?    Around eight to nine months.    What are your ambitions?    My main ambition is to focus on my career and to improve and grow my business while doing my higher education and also do my best to contribute in every way possible to protect the environment.        I also wish to gain a much better knowledge about businesses. And also to contribute to the Sri Lankan economy in the best way possible with my business. Furthermore, I would like to help and join more projects that aid in environmental protection.    Who was your main inspiration?    My father was my main inspiration, he was the main reason why I became a car lover because I have grown up with cars around me since I was small and not only because of the business, but because he too is a huge car lover.    How did you get this idea?    Like I said before I have been growing with cars and I have learnt a lot about them through my business, and other information I have gained through various sorts of media like newspapers and television.      This interview was conducted by the students of Media Metrics – Sasvi Thisandima, Jalana Sineth Ukwatta and Risandhi Amunugama, under the guidance of Ramith Dheerasekara.


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