Five years ago Belarusian television broadcast an interview with the Belarusian president who was pondering developing the energy of Belarusian rivers, winds and so on. That interview was a crucial event for the country: we realized that Russian gas and oil were too expensive. Now our priorities are the development of alternative energy sources and the reduction of dependence on energy resources import. However, the history of creating and developing alternative fuel both in independent Belarus and the USSR is one of missed opportunities.
Two years ago official media reported that Belarus would open its own coal mine in Kusbass. The press praised this event as an opportunity to create new jobs and to get tons of coal. However, there are advantages and disadvantages.
Coal production is a dangerous industry. Regular accidents in coalmines show how hard and dangerous it is. Besides, coal transportation to Belarus is a costly process. In addition, coal produces also carcinogenic smoke and ashes that should be handled safely. Handling the waste is dangerous. Actually, it would be reasonable for Belarus to start a reprocessor in Kusbass instead of an open coalmine. A reprocessor can make two products from coal - gas that can be transported by the already existing network of gas pipelines or synthetic gasoline.
Synthetic gasoline was first used by Germans during World War II. Germany lacked oil but had rich coalfields in the Ruhr and Silesia. German scientists worked out technologies to produce low-octane gasoline from coal. The gasoline was low-quality but planes and tanks were able to use it.
Nevertheless, Germany lost the alternative energy race to U.S. It was professor Ipatiev who emigrated from the USSR to the United States. In the States the professor worked out a new method of producing high-octane gasoline from oil. American and British airplanes, using the new fuel, bested the German airplanes. However, the old German technology of producing synthetic gasoline from coal could still be useful for Belarus. Yet the country prefers to take pride in its own coalmines.
Fortunately, converting coal to gasoline is not the only alternative. The Belarusian Academy of Science has been developing the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.
Hydrogen energy was a very fashionable subject in the scientific world in the 1970's. A special laboratory on hydrogen production was founded at the Minsk Belarusian Technology University 25 years ago. The laboratory was a part of a Soviet system that was working on hydrogen energy problems. Professor Georgi Novikov, the Head of the Minsk laboratory, worked out an original idea how to produce cheap hydrogen from hydrogen sulphide. The Soviet Academy of Sciences approved his idea. Then the human factor stymied the progress.
The atomic-hydrogen projects in the USSR were coordinated by Academician Valery Legasov, Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Institute. Despite the fact that the Institute supervised nuclear power plants in the whole country, the academician took personal interest in the development of hydrogen energy, as nuclear power plants had their own disadvantages.
The consumption of electricity fluctuates depending on daytime, seasons and so on. Because of these energy gaps, unclaimed energy is produced that could be used for production of hydrogen from water. A characteristic feature of Soviet nuclear power plants was the use of reactors with the so-called positive reactivity. The reactor was supposed to explode after the automatic defense system was switched off, though nobody could imagine a working reactor with the defense system switched off. However, it happened in Chernobyl in 1986. A criminally silly experiment was carried out at the plant: the automatic system was switched off but special safety rods that would break the chain reaction in the emergency case, were not activated. When "experimenters" realized their mistake, it was too late. The aftermath is well known.
The Chernobyl catastrophe was a hard blow to academician Legasov. As he had been supervising all of Soviet nuclear power plants for only half a year when the tragedy happened, he wasn't aware of all problems. Valery Legasov visited the plant the day after the catastrophe. Nothing could be done to repair the damage. Finally, he was made a scapegoat. Two years later he committed suicide.
The hydrogen project was dropped without its leader. The Minsk laboratory was dismantled. Belarusian scientists renewed their attempts to use the unique technologies worked out by professor Novikov. In 2004 the government allocated 135 mln. of Belarusian rubles ($62,000) on the project. The money was spread among desk scientists, as there are only a few real scientists left in the country.
Unfortunately, it was beyond the capability of ageing Belarusian scientist Georgi Novikov to solve one of the most challenging scientific problems in the world without the former financial and technical assistance. On 26 July, 2004 academician Novikov died, deserted by his colleagues.
What is then Belarus? energy potential ? Our climate and landscape don?t allow to develop hydroelectric power plants, wind turbines and solar batteries in Belarus. However, the country has tremendous supplies of wood. Producers don't know how to utilize tons of sawdust. It is burned or buried, though sawdust is an excellent raw material for producing synthetic gasoline. It will be even easier to produce alcohol from wood and to use it as fuel. It is a common practice in South America. Lignin, produced at Belarusian hydrolytic plants during wood processing, isn't only a by-product, it is another alternative fuel resource. These are Novikov's ideas that haven't been implemented.
Source: Belarus Today, 17 August 2004.
This article appeared in
Belarusian Review, Vol. 16, No.4
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Copyright 2004 Belarusian Review
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25 december 2004
Author: Alexander Huseu