AKD did NOT say that NPP would produce sulfuric acid using seawater at Paranthan Factory!

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Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the National People's Power (NPP), has frequently been the target of misinformation and disinformation campaigns, especially as national elections approach. These campaigns often aim to undermine his credibility and sway public opinion, making it crucial to verify the accuracy of claims related to his statements and actions.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts circulate a claim based on a speech by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People's Power (NPP), stating that in a future NPP government, sulfuric acid will be produced using seawater at the Paranthan Chemical Factory.

We decided to do a fact-check on this.

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Fact-Check:

Speech Analysis:

We reviewed the full speech delivered by Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Gampaha youth rally. He did not state that sulfuric acid would be produced from seawater at any point during this speech.

However, the NPP leader did mention the intention to restart the Paranthan Chemical Factory and to start producing sulfuric acid, emphasizing that sulfuric acid is a fundamental component for many industries, which could lead to job creation.

Current Status of Paranthan Chemical Factory:

We contacted the General Manager of Paranthan Chemical Company Limited, whose head office is located in Colombo. He confirmed that the Paranthan factory in Paranthan is currently non-operational and has no staff.

Additional inquiries with employees revealed that Paranthan Chemical Company is presently importing chemicals and selling them in the local market from an office in Rathmalana. More details about history of Paranthan chemical factory can be read here

Years ago, efforts to resume the operations of the Pranathan factory were made.But those are not successful. More details can be referred here

Furtheremore, more recently, under the ministry of Plantation and Industries, feasibility studies were carried out related to the production of number of chemicals including Sulphiuric Acid, as reported here. Archived.

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Conclusion:

The claim that sulfuric acid would be produced using sea water at the Paranthan Chemical Factory, as stated by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is false. Dissanayake did not make any such statement. The misinformation appears to have been derived from a misinterpretation or deliberate distortion of his speech.

Brief Overview of Industrial Sulfuric Acid Production:

Industrial production of sulfuric acid typically involves the Contact Process, which includes the following steps:

1. Burning of Sulfur or Sulfide Ores:
   • Sulfur is burned in the presence of oxygen to produce sulfur dioxide (SO₂).
   • S+O2→SO2S + O₂ → SO₂S+O2​→SO2​
2. Conversion of Sulfur Dioxide to Sulfur Trioxide:
   • Sulfur dioxide is then oxidized to sulfur trioxide (SO₃) using a vanadium(V) oxide catalyst in a converter.
   • 2SO2+O2⇌2SO32SO₂ + O₂ ⇌ 2SO₃2SO2​+O2​⇌2SO3​
3. Formation of Sulfuric Acid:
   • Sulfur trioxide is absorbed in concentrated sulfuric acid to form oleum (H₂S₂O₇).
   • SO3+H2SO4→H2S2O7SO₃ + H₂SO₄ → H₂S₂O₇SO3​+H2​SO4​→H2​S2​O7​
   • Oleum is then diluted with water to form sulfuric acid.
   • H2S2O7+H2O→2H2SO4H₂S₂O₇ + H₂O → 2H₂SO₄H2​S2​O7​+H2​O→2H2​SO4​

This process does not involve sea water. The production relies on sulfur as the primary raw material, not sea water. The claim regarding the use of sea water in sulfuric acid production is scientifically unfounded. More details can be reached here