Dr Al-Halabi: discussions underway to build recycling plants in the Middle East

IuT Austria and Zero Waste Technology, a waste recycling organisation based in Bahrain, have successfully put up the first bio methanisation plant at Tuas, Singapore, using the environmentally friendly technology of anaerobic digestion.

Marking a significant milestone in Singapore’s environmental waste management industry, the Tuas facility is the first bio methanisation and renewable energy plant in Singapore and the largest of its kind in Asia. It has the capacity of processing up to 800 tonnes of organic waste per day.
The plant puts the waste through ‘anaerobic digestion,’ the process by which food is digested by bacteria. Methane gas, one of the end products of this process, can fuel large gas engines and generate electricity. About one third becomes compost to fertilise fruit and vegetable crops and trees to create a greener Singapore.
The plant, at full capacity, is capable of generating more than 6 MW/hr, providing power for 10,000 households or equivalent industrial facilities. It will also reduce the amount of food waste currently delivered to incineration plants for disposal by more than half.
Zero Waste Technology Bahrain, a pioneer in this technology, is planning to put up recycling plants for municipal wastes and construction wastes also in the Middle East.
 “Discussions are in progress with several interested organisations, public and private, in a number of countries that include Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to apply the same procedure and build recycling plants,” said Dr Omar Al-Halabi, vice president of Zero Waste Technology. 
 “What is important here is to emphasise that with the help of other bodies, solid waste management will be a much easier task. Each one of us can contribute to a cleaner greener country by recovering, recycling and reusing.”
 Zero Waste says its technology effectively recycles waste back into the environment in the form of recyclables - sanitised nutrient rich compost and high-quality bio gas. The generation of green or renewable power not only produces a cleaner, greener alternative but also contributes to long-term reduction of greenhouse gases emission and global warming. Unlike other waste treatment methods, this process is free from emissions and hence is a good solution for the growing waste crisis in the Middle East.
Reinhard Goschl of Emirates Environmental Technology, a subsidiary of IuT, commented: “The plant put up by our partner at Singapore is a step to make the clean city even cleaner. Recover, recycle and reuse is our motto and we want it to spread to the people in the Middle East where waste volumes are enormous when compared to other regions”