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

Medical Wastes in GCC

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There has been a growing awareness of the need for safe management of medical waste all over the world. Medical Waste are generated by all health sectors including hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic and research centers, dental and medical clinics, blood banks, mortuaries and autopsy centres, veterinary hospitals, industrial laboratories etc. Medical wastes which pose the greatest risk to human health are infectious waste (or hazardous medical waste) which constitutes 15 – 25 percent of total healthcare waste. Infectious wastes may include all waste items that are contaminated with or suspected of being contaminated with body fluids such as blood and blood products, used catheters … Continue reading →

All About Carbon Monoxide and How it can be Reused

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Carbon Monoxide is a chemical compound made up of 2 elements which are carbon and oxygen. The proportion of each element is equal which means for every 1 part of carbon, it has an equal part of oxygen. Carbon Monoxide is formed through a lot of processes. One of the most common processes is through the burning of wood or coal or other substances that occur naturally. Vehicles and exhausts also contribute to the creation of this chemical through combustion engines, which means every day, there are a lot of people contributing to the creation of carbon monoxide. However, there … Continue reading →

Algae-Powered Buildings: A Futuristic Invention

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In an environment where the carbon footprint is becoming increasingly large, we need to start developing sustainable solutions which can keep greenhouse gases at bay. It is estimated that the building industry contributes to almost 40% of all of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions! To put this into perspective, this consists to a whopping 90 megatons of emissions that are emitted annually in constructing new buildings and maintaining the infrastructure of pre-developed ones. It is time for us to take action! At Certified Energy, we believe in creating a sustainable future so that the building industry can thrive and support our … Continue reading →

Paper Bag Boy’s Message to the World

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Abdul Muqeet, also known as the Paper Bag Boy, has risen from being just another ordinary student to an extra-ordinary environmentalist. Ten-year old Abdul Muqeet has demonstrated remarkable commitment to saving the environment in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere, and has been a poster-boy for environmental campaigns in the Middle East. Here he shares his views on environment, recycling and public awareness. It is said that you should break your goals down into small steps which you can accomplish each day. Set a goal, and approach it in a simple and basic manner. When I started my environmental campaign couple of years … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management in MENA

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Healthcare sector in MENA region is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other establishments. According to a recent Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs report, Egypt generated 28,300 tons of hazardous medical wastes in 2010. In the GCC region, more than 150 tons of medical waste is generated in GCC countries every day. Saudi Arabia leads the pack with daily healthcare waste generation of more than 80 tons. These figures are indicative of the magnitude of the problem faced by municipal authorities in … Continue reading →

Rationale for Solar Energy in MENA

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The world is rife with news snippets concerning the development of solar power. The sun provides an infinite source of energy that takes off the burden on the renewable sources for power generation. In doing so, there are increased chances of conserving the limited energy reserves. Already about 50% of the earth’s natural resources are in use. If this usage rate continues, we will run out of finite sources in no time. For instance, there is only enough oil left for the coming 46.2 years. Luckily, the development of solar energy serves as the light at the end of the … Continue reading →

Solid Waste Management in Oman

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Solid waste management is a challenging issue for the Sultanate of Oman because of limited land availability and adverse impacts on environment and public health. With population of almost 3.9 million inhabitants, Oman generates more than 1.7 million tons of solid waste each year. The average per capita waste generation is more than 1.2 kg per day, which is equivalent to about 4700 tons of municipal waste every day. Solid waste in Oman is characterized by very high percentage of recyclables, primarily paper and cardboard (15%), plastics (20.9%), metals (1.8%) and glass (4%) (Source: Waste Characterization and Quantification Survey, Be’ah, 2013). However the country is … Continue reading →

Solar Energy in Jordan

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The solar energy potential in Jordan is enormous as it lies within the solar belt of the world with average solar radiation ranging between 5 and 7 KWh/m2, which implies a potential of at least 1000GWh per year annually. Solar energy, like other forms of alternative energy, remains underutilized in Jordan. Decentralized photovoltaic units in rural and remote villages are currently used for lighting, water pumping and other social services (1000KW of peak capacity). In addition, about 15% of all households are equipped with solar water heating systems. Jordan has major plans for increasing the use of solar energy. As per the Energy … Continue reading →

How Many Types of Reusable Fabric Shopping Bags are Available?

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Reusable fabric shopping bags are an eco-friendly, practical, and affordable alternative to disposable bags. Using reusable fabric shopping bags helps the environment by reducing pollution and conserving energy. Plus, switching to reusable shopping bags can save you money in the long run. Up to 1 million birds, turtles, and many other sea animals die annually from taking in plastic bags. Animals can confuse floating bags with sea life to eat, such as plankton and jellyfish. Once they eat it, the plastic chokes up their digestive system. The animals typically starve to death. Other animals may drown after they are entangled in plastic bags. Thus, we … Continue reading →

Masdar’s Partnership with GDF Suez for Morocco CSP Project

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Masdar and GDF Suez are working in a consortium as one of the pre-qualified bidders for the 200MW Noor II and 100MW Noor III CSP projects in Morocco. The winning bidders are expected to be announced in September this year and in a recent interview with CSP Today, Yago Mancebo, Investment Manager at Masdar, spoke about Masdar’s first experience in the bidding process for a CSP project and their reasons for partnering with GDF Suez. Masdar has a strong portfolio of CSP projects behind them (Gemasolar and Shams 1), whilst their partner GDF Suez are one of the biggest independent … Continue reading →

Strategic Water Management in the 21st Century

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The water crisis in the 21st century is related to many economic, political, and social factors. A lot of people believe that the main reason behind the crisis lies in poor strategic water management and not in the lack of resources. It is estimated that in a few years almost half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas, such as MENA, where inhabitants will struggle to gain access to clean water. Saving the Environment It is no secret that the environmental pollution is affecting every aspect of our lives. But when it comes to water resources, the problem … Continue reading →

استخراج الطاقة من النفايات

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انظمة التحويل الحراري (أو الكيمو حرارية) تبدا بتكنولوجيا تحويل النفايات إلى حرارة عن طريق تحويلها لوقود اولا بشكل غازي او سائل، كما يمكنها التحويل باستخدام تقنية التحويل الثانوية التحويلها الى اشكال أكثر فائدة من الطاقة( حرارية و كهربائية). هناك مجموعة واسعة من التقنيات موجودة لتحويل الطاقة المخزونة في النفايات إلى أشكال مختلفة من الطاقة. هذه التقنيات يمكن تصنيفها وفقا للناقل الرئيسي للطاقة المنتجة في عملية التحويل. اشكال الطاقة من غاز، سائل  أو صلبة، وهذا تعتمد على طريقة ونسبة الأكسجين في اثناء عملية التحويل (عادة هواء). الطرق الرئيسية الثلاثة للتحويل وفقا لآشكال الوقود الناتج هي الاحتراق المباشر في الهواء الزائد ، تحويل … Continue reading →

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