Author Archives: Salman Zafar

About Salman Zafar

Salman Zafar is the Founder of EcoMENA, and an international consultant, advisor, ecopreneur and journalist with expertise in waste management, waste-to-energy, renewable energy, environment protection and sustainable development. His geographical areas of focus include Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biomass energy, biogas, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. He has participated in numerous conferences and workshops as chairman, session chair, keynote speaker and panelist. Salman is the Editor-in-Chief of EcoMENA, and is a professional environmental writer with more than 300 popular articles to his credit. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability in different parts of the world. Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org or salman@bioenergyconsult.com

Eco-building a Plastic Bottle Village From Rubbish Removal

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This is an inspiring true story that demonstrates a solution to the rubbish removal problem, especially discarded plastic bottles, plaguing our planet! We hope it will encourage and inspire other visionaries to take similar actions around the world! Robert Bezeau moved to the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Panama, after he grew tired of the cold weather in his home country of Canada. He loved Panama, but at the same time, he was dismayed by the rubbish removal left behind by more than 100,000 tourists visiting the area every year. While he walked the beaches, he began collecting discarded … Continue reading →

مستقبل تحلية المياة لمنطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا

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تحلية المياه هي عملية معالجة للمياه يتم فيها فصل الأملاح من المياه المالحة لانتاج مياه صالحة للشرب. عملية التحلية تستهلك كمية كبيرة من الطاقة لانتاج الماء العذب من مصادر المياة المالحة. يتم ضخ الماء المالح في عملية التحلية وتكون المخرجات عبارة عن خط ماء عذب بالاضافة لخط أخر من المياة عالية الملوحه جداً. يوجد أكثر من 15000 وحدة تنقية مياه على المستوى الصناعي في العالم، بطاقة اجمالية تزيد على 8.5 مليار جالون يومياً. يتفوق أسلوب الترشيح بالأغشية في هذا المجال حيث تبلغ نسبته حوالي 44% من اجمالي الطاقة الاجمالية، يليه التحلية بالتسخين MSF بنسبة حوالي 40 %. وبالنسبة للمصادر، تمثل … Continue reading →

Significance of Domestic Water Conservation

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The Middle East region is plagued by water scarcity and water management issues. Despite heavy investment in the water sector, water management remains a serious economic and environmental issue throughout the region. Overconsumption of water is a serious issue as per capita use of water in most of the Middle Eastern countries is several times more water than the global average. For example, on an average each UAE and Saudi Arabian resident consume 550 liters and 250 liters of water per day respectively. On the other hand, per capita water consumption in United Kingdom and Germany is 150 liters and … Continue reading →

Food Waste, Ramadan and the Middle East

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With the holy month of Ramadan only a few days away, huge food wastage in the Middle East is again hogging limelight. It is a widely acccepted fact that almost half of the municipal solid waste stream in the Middle East is comprised of food wastes and associated matter. The increasing amount of food waste in the Middle East urgently demands a strong food waste management strategy to ensure its minimization and eco-friendly disposal.  Food Waste in Ramadan Middle East nations are acknowleded as being the world’s top food wasters, and during Ramadan the situation takes a turn for the worse. In 2012, the Dubai Municipality … Continue reading →

Hazardous Wastes in UAE

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The United Arab Emirates signed the Basel Convention* in November 1992 and established a legislation called ‘Regulation for Handling Hazardous Materials, Hazardous Wastes and Medical Waste (Law 24 of 1999)’. Article 12 of the law states ‘Transportation and disposal of locally produced hazardous waste through land borders, marine environment limit and air space shall be controlled in accordance with the rules, procedure and controls mentioned and specified in Basel Agreement and in coordination with Federal Environmental Agency’. UAE is not yet a signatory to Basel BAN amendments of Sep 1995 thus there is no mention of the Basel BAN amendments in … Continue reading →

الاستدامة البيئية في الإسلام

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إن المعتقدات، التقاليد والقيم الإسلامية وفرت حلول فعالة وشاملة لمواجهة العديد من التحديات البيئية الحالية التي تواجه الجنس البشري. لقد أكد الإسلام على أهمية المحافظة على البيئة وحماية الموارد الطبيعية. ووفقا لتعاليم الشريعة الإسلامية, فإن العناصر الأساسية للطبيعة – الأرض، الماء، النار، الغابات والضوء- تعود ملكيتها إلى جميع الكائنات الحية وليس فقط للجنس البشري. إن القرآن الكريم والسنة النبوية الشريفة يعتبران نبراسا في تعزيز مفهوم التنمية المستدامة في الدول الإسلامية، وكذلك في جميع أنحاء العالم. أمر الله سبحانه وتعالى البشر بتجنب إلحاق الأذى وهدر الموارد الطبيعية والذي من شأنه تدمير وتدهور البيئة. إن الله سبحانه وتعالى ميز الجنس البشري باستغلال … Continue reading →

مقدمة في عملية التسميد

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إن عملية التسميد هي  عبارة عن تفاعل معقد بين النفايات والكائنات الحية الدقيقة المتواجدة داخلها . الكائنات الدقيقة التي تنفذ هذه العملية تنقسم إلى ثلاث مجموعات: البكتيريا والفطريات، والفطريات الشعاعية . الفطريات الشعاعية هي شكل من أشكال البكتيريا مثل الفطريات التي تفتت المواد العضوية .المرحلة الأولى من النشاط البيولوجي هو استهلاك السكريات المتوفرة بسهولة عن طريق البكتيريا، مما يسبب ارتفاعا سريعا في درجات الحرارة . تليها  المرحلة الثانية التي تسبب فيها  البكتيريا والفطريات الشعاعية  انهيار السليلوز . المرحلة الأخيرة هي المرحلة  المعنية بإنهيار اليغنينس “lignins” الصلبة من قبل الفطريات . الحلول الوسط لهذه العملية تتخلص  بالتسميد بكلفة منخفضة دون التهوية … Continue reading →

Biogas from Animal Wastes

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The Middle East and North Africa region has a strong animal population. The livestock sector, in particular sheep, goats and camels, plays an important role in the national economy of regional countries. Millions of animals are imported in MENA each year from around the world. In addition, the region has witnessed very rapid growth in the poultry sector.  Animal Waste Management Animal waste is a valuable source of nutrients and renewable energy. However, most of the waste is collected in lagoons or left to decompose in the open which pose a significant environmental hazard. The air pollutants emitted from manure include … Continue reading →

Role of CSP in South Africa’s Power Sector

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Demand for electricity in South Africa has increased progressively over several years and the grid now faces supply and demand challenges. As a result, the Department of Energy has implemented a new Integrated Resource Plan to enhance renewable energy generation capacity and promote energy efficiency. Solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) are set to be the main beneficiaries from the new plan having their initial allocation raised considerably. Daily power demand in South Africa has a morning and evening peak, both in summer and winter. This characteristic makes CSP with storage a very attractive technology for generating electricity … Continue reading →

Ecotourism in the Middle East

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Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing segments in the global tourism industry and the Middle East is no exception. The ecotourism industry, catalyzed by advancements in transportation and information technology, has brought hitherto unknown geographical landscapes into public limelight, thus bringing tourists to pristine natural locations across the Middle East. Middle East has also been witnessing growing popularity of ecotourism among native and expatriate populations. Some of the Middle East nations popular with ecotourists include Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Oman and Tunisia. Due to its sunny climate, unique landscape, distinct culture and rich history, the region offers wealth of … Continue reading →

Carbon Market in the Middle East

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The Middle East and North Africa region is highly susceptible to climate change, on account of its water scarcity, high dependence on climate-sensitive agriculture, concentration of population and economic activity in urban coastal zones, and the presence of conflict-affected areas. Moreover, the region is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions on account of its thriving oil and gas industry. The world’s dependence on Middle East energy resources has caused the region to have some of the largest carbon footprints per capita worldwide. Not surprisingly, the carbon emissions from UAE are approximately 55 tons per capita, which is … Continue reading →

Garbage Woes in Cairo

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Cairo, being one of the largest cities in the world, is home to more than 15 million inhabitants. Like other mega-cities, solid waste management is a huge challenge for Cairo municipality and other stakeholders.  The city produces more than 15,000 tons of solid waste every day which is putting tremendous strain on city’s infrastructure. Waste collection services in Cairo are provided by formal as well as informal sectors. While local authorities, such as the Cairo Cleanliness and Beautification Authority (CCBA), form the formal public sector, the informal public sector is comprised of traditional garbage-collectors (the Zabbaleen). Around 60 percent of the … Continue reading →

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