The UAE aims to reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, by paying special attention to municipal and other waste management and in its Vision 2021, the government targeted to divert 75 percent of all municipal solid waste away from landfills. In the UAE, waste management is coordinated through local authorities. As the population and urbanisation grows, waste management has become a herculean task. As most of the waste end up in the landfills, the UAE has prioritised recycling and has invested in projects such as waste-to-energy with the aim to protect the environment and reducing risks to human health.

Waste-to-energy is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the primary treatment of waste. They serve two purposes - not only do they reduce waste ending up in the landfills, but also generate resources that can be used to power our homes and businesses.

THE SHARJAH WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT

The region’s first waste-to-energy plant, which will be able to divert up to 300,000 tonnes of waste away from landfills each year, was opened in Sharjah in May 2022. The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant has been set up by Emirates Waste to Energy, a joint venture between Sharjah environmental management company Bee’ah and Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar. It is the first commercial scale plant of its kind in the Middle East. His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the facility earlier this year.

Nouf Wazir – Senior Engineer, Bee’ah Energy, gives Waste & Recycling MEA magazine an update on the project. “We are currently in the hot commissioning phase of the plant. Once fully commissioned it will be ready for full-scale operations, powering the equivalent of 28,000 homes in Sharjah. The plant will also displace up to 450,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year and preserve the equivalent of 45 million m3 of natural gas.” Bee’ah also aims to make Sharjah the Middle East’s first zero-waste city.

“Energy is a fundamental requirement for modern society, which makes clean sustainable energy production a global priority in the sustainability fight for generations to come,” Wazir added.

Constructed by France-based industrial contractor CNIM, the plant covers an 80,000 sqm area and follows EU Best Available Techniques to align with the strictest environmental standards globally.

“Adjacent to the waste-to-energy plant is an award-winning wastemanagement complex operated by Bee’ah Recycling, Bee’ah Group’s recycling and material recovery business, which has already helped achieve a 76 per cent landfill waste diversion rate in Sharjah,” she said. Nonrecyclable waste from the complex will be transported to the waste-to-energy plant. Here, up to 300,000 tonnes of nonrecyclable waste will be diverted away from landfill each year and instead will be used to produce 30 megawatts (MW) of low-carbon electricity.

Wazir went on to explain the technology behind the WtE project. “Within the plant, unrecyclable waste is fed into a boiler to produce high-pressure steam which turns electric turbine generators. During this combustion process, toxins and pollutants are filtered from the flue gas (exhaust gas) produced. Bottom ash is also collected during this process to recover any metals and ash which can be used for construction and road work. Otherwise, ‘fly ash’ is also safely harvested and treated separately, completing the process. ”

Bee’ah plans to establish more plants across the UAE and the Middle East and are currently exploring collaboration opportunities with several international organisations and local entities.

Wazir noted that the EWTE is investing in other renewable projects such as solar energy. “As we work towards our zero-waste targets, we will be repurposing a capped landfill into a solar farm. The solar photovoltaic project will comprise up to 120 megawatts and will be constructed on top of the Al Saja’a landfill. Delivered across three phases, the project’s first phase will be complete in 2023.”

Apart from this, Bee’ah is building the region’s first Waste-to-Hydrogen facility through a partnership with Chinook Sciences. Ahmed Albatta, Lead Engineer, Bee’ah Energy, said, “Using RODECS technology, this facility will process non-recyclable plastic waste & waste wood to produce green hydrogen, the cleanest energy source. Through an adjacent fueling station, this hydrogen will be used to power Bee’ah’s future fleet of waste collection vehicles.”

“With the commissioning, Bee’ah will be able to achieve its target of making Sharjah the first zero wasteto-landfill city in the region. As far as waste management is concerned, Waste-to-Hydrogen is the most economical way to achieve a circular economy.”

He said, “On the one hand, Bee’ah’s collection trucks will transport waste to the plant and on the other, these fleet of trucks will be fueled by the green hydrogen generated in the plant - thus achieving a circular model.”

Phase one of the project is expected to produce six tonnes of hydrogen per day which is enough to power about 200 waste trucks. Once complete, the project will produce 18 tonnes per day, which can power Bee’ah’s full fleet of fuel-cell hydrogen trucks.

 Talking about the technology, Albatta said, “The waste-to-hydrogen technology is still in its nascent stage. It involves two steps, through gasification, the plastic and wood waste will be converted into gas - the synthetic gas or syngas. This syngas comprises hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The next step involves the production of hydrogen from syngas using steam reformers. We have also been working with a Japanese company to advance the syngas and to produce the green hydrogen to power fuel-cell vehicles.”

THE DUBAI WASTE MANAGEMENT CENTRE

Dubai Municipality announced recently that 85 per cent of Dubai Waste Management Centre (DWMC), one of the largest waste-to-energy projects, has been completed. Construction of the landmark project began in 2021, in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to raise the emirate’s profile as a global model for sustainable development and consolidate its position as the best city to live and work in, it said.

Located in Dubai’s Al Warsan area, the project will convert 45 per cent of the Emirate’s municipal waste into renewable energy once complete. According to the statement, the construction of the waste management centre is on schedule. The first phase of the project will be ready by 2023, while the entire project is scheduled to be complete by 2024.

H.E. Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said the centre is a crucial pillar of Dubai’s ambition to transform into one of the world’s most sustainable cities. The plant, he said, provides an innovative solution to transforming huge quantities of waste into a sustainable source of clean energy. Al Hajri pointed out that the centre reflects Dubai’s efforts to protect the environment by implementing state-of-the-art technologies. “The DWMC will boost the emirate’s sustainability credentials, in line with national energy objectives and the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to make Dubai a global centre of clean energy and green economy.”

“Dubai has always sought to be a pioneer in the field of waste-toenergy. By reducing the amount of solid waste and providing alternative sources for generating clean energy, the project will contribute to achieve a sustainable and eco-friendly model of waste management. With the world’s largest operational capacity, DWMC will process 1.9 million tonnes of waste annually and convert it into renewable energy, generating enough energy to power 1,35,000 homes,” Al Hajri said.

Once fully operational, the plant’s renewable energy, generated from treating waste, will feed the local electricity grid with 215 MWh of clean energy, the statement said. Through two of its five treatment lines, the centre will commence its initial operations at 40 per cent by early 2023. It will process 2,000 tonnes of solid waste to produce 80MWh of renewable energy at this stage.

Covering an area of 400,000 square meters, the facility’s generator and steam turbine, a key technology in producing electricity, have already been installed. The centre will rely on state-of-the-art Japanese and Swiss technologies for the treatment process that will ensure any emissions are environmentally friendly and odour-free.

According to the statement, the centre will receive around 1,000 truckloads of waste daily, with a capacity to accommodate 88 trucks per hour. Through five treatment lines, the DWMC will have the capacity to process 5,666 tonnes of solid municipal waste per day. Burnt waste will produce around 1,000 tonnes of bottom ash, which will be recycled and used in infrastructure projects. Dubai Municipality has launched an e-platform to exchange recyclable and reusable materials for reducing the quantities of waste produced and raising the percentage of waste diverted from landfills.

As part of its efforts to build a sustainable environment for the emirate’s residents, Dubai Municipality has developed an integrated 20-year strategic plan for solid waste management. The civic body has issued a guide for the mandatory separation of waste. It has been working to raise community awareness on reducing waste and encourage members to become partners in driving sustainability.

In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the DWMC will contribute to achieving Dubai Municipality’s goals to minimise municipal waste in landfills, develop alternative sources of energy, and contribute to Dubai’s sustainable and ecologically friendly waste management as well as the targets of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

GREENFIELD WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT IN ABU DHABI

Tadweer and the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) are currently tendering for a Greenfield Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Independent Power Project (IPP) plant. The Waste to Energy plant is set to be located near the existing Al Dhafra landfill in Abu Dhabi, and will have an expected processing capacity of between 600,000 and 900,000 tonnes of waste per year. The plant will also generate enough electricity to power up to 22,500 UAE households.

Eng. Abdul Mohsen Mubarak Al Kathiri, Director of Projects and Facilities Department at Tadweer, said that the Centre is eager to enhance cooperation with relevant parties to develop waste treatment services, convert waste into energy, and invest it in a sustainable and safe manner that supports the national economy, and serves the sustainable development goals of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. “This comes in line with the Center’s strategic plan, which was designed in line with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030,” he added.

Al Kathiri pointed out, “At Tadweer, our aim is to implement sustainable projects and build treatment plants that will drive us to achieve our goal of building a sustainable integrated waste management system for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

Speaking about the importance of the project, he said, “Sustainable energy production is fundamentally important to the future of the Centre, and is crucial to achieve our diversion from landfill targets. In addition, Waste-To-Energy has positive environmental impacts by reducing CO2 emissions by around 1.5 million tonnes annually.”