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 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 →

Are Toxic Chemicals Harming Me At Work?

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Toxins found at work are poisoning us and ending lives on a global scale. A 2018 United Nations report stated that “one worker dies at least every 30 seconds from exposure to toxic industrial chemicals, pesticides, dust, radiation, and other hazardous substances.” In addition, workplace-related diseases, such as lung cancer linked to inhaling carcinogens on the job, “account for around 86% of all premature death.” Toxins in the workplace can cause “debilitating and fatal lung diseases, neurological disabilities, and reproductive impairments such as infertility and inability to carry a pregnancy to term,” the UN report said. Given the deadly nature of toxic chemicals, minerals and … Continue reading →

Introduction to Composting

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  The composting process is a complex interaction between the waste and the microorganisms within the waste. The microorganisms that carry out this process fall into three groups: bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Actinomycetes are a form of fungi-like bacteria that break down organic matter. The first stage of the biological activity is the consumption of easily available sugars by bacteria, which causes a fast rise in temperature. The second stage involves bacteria and actinomycetes that cause cellulose breakdown. The last stage is concerned with the breakdown of the tougher lignins by fungi. Central solutions are exemplified by low-cost composting without … Continue reading →

Advantages of Using an Organic and Eco-Friendly Mattress

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With the number of options available in the market today, choosing which mattress to buy can be challenging. This is especially true if you don’t have any experience in buying one. If you’re looking for a mattress that can provide more than just comfort, consider buying an eco-friendly and organic mattress. Although new to some, you’ll be surprised how this type of mattress can improve the quality of your life in the long run. All mattresses can be used for sleeping. However, there are some advantages that are only unique to an organic and eco-friendly mattress. Here are some 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 →

Prepaway – Microsoft 70-347 Exam: Preparation Tips & Tricks

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Microsoft 70-347 is now retired, but passing this test led to the MCSA certification. Achieving this credential proves that you have the knowledge to install and manage Cloud-hosted applications with Office 365, including Skype, Exchange, and SharePoint for Business. The 70-347 exam demands your thorough preparation. Otherwise, attaining even the passing score can be very difficult. PrepAway provides the candidates with useful preparation tips for passing this test. Why should you take the Microsoft 70-347 exam? There are so many good reasons why studying for the Microsoft 70-347 exam is worth one’s effort and time. Besides being one of the … Continue reading →

How to Start Your Dream Greenhouse

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Gardening is one of the most interesting hobbies, especially for those who have some time to get their hands dirty every once in a while. As a matter of fact, gardening doubles up as an activity that can both be a primary source of income and a side hassle, especially when done from a greenhouse. Additionally, it also provides you with the opportunity to grow your own food in your backyard or plot near your home. From veggies to citrus fruits and ornamental plants, there’s a wide variety of crops you can grow in your greenhouse or backyard garden despite … Continue reading →

Features of a Green Building

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A green building incorporates environmental considerations into every stage of the building construction and focuses on the design, construction, operation and maintenance phases. The key process difference between green and conventional buildings is the concept of integration, whereby a multi-disciplinary team of building professionals work together from the pre-design phase through post-occupancy to optimize the building for environmental sustainability, performance, and cost saving. Green buildings offer widespread benefits to a number of building industry stakeholders, including building occupants and society as a whole. Green buildings typically incorporate superior air quality, abundant natural light, access to views and noise control which benefits … Continue reading →

Why Do You Need Eco-friendly Cleaning?

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We’ve settled into a lot of different amenities over the years. From cars to washing machines to even the mighty toaster. Of course, just because we’ve built something doesn’t mean we’ve given up on trying to improve it in just about any way, shape, or form we can muster up. One of the newest ways to improve something that exists is to make it more friendly for the environment. One of the newest industries to get hit by the green wave would be the housekeeping industry. What’s to gain from eco-friendly cleaning services? Lucky for you, I got to the … Continue reading →

ادارة النفايات في الشرق الاوسط – التحديات الرئيسية

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يعد الشرق الأوسط من  اخصب الأماكن في توليد النفايات عالميا, ويعد نمط الحياة المسرف, و التشريعات غير الفعالة, و معيقات توفير البنى التحتية, و السلوكيات العامة غير المبالية, و انقص التوعية البيئية من العوامل الأساسية المؤدية لنمو مشاكل النفايات في الشرق الأوسط. كما يسهم مستوى المعيشة المرتفع  مقرونا بعدم توفر مرافق جمع والتخلص من النفايات في تحويل موضوع "القمامة"  الى "مسؤولية" . العقبات الرئيسية ان الأدراك العام للنفايات يتمحور حول اللامبالاة و عدم الاكتراث, و يتم التعامل مع النفايات  على انها(نفايات) و ليس (موارد). وهناك حاجة ملحة لزيادة الوعي لدى العامة حول القضايا البيئية, وممارسات ادارة النفايات الصلبة و المعيشة … Continue reading →

Working Towards a Greener Qurbani

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In Islam, there are many basic acts that are expected by devout Muslims, also known as the Five Pillars of Islam. These include declaring your faith (Shahadah), performing daily ritual prayers (Salat), paying forward charity to those in need (Zakat), fasting during the month of Ramadan (Sawm) and undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). With each of these responsibilities, Muslims can feel closer to Allah and feel satisfied that they are living a responsible and good life according to the expectations of Islam. By taking part in these acts and showing their generosity, there are certain special occasions that Muslims … Continue reading →

Introduction to Trigeneration

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  Trigeneration refers to the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heating and cooling from the combustion of a biomass fuel or a solar heat collector. Conventional coal or nuclear-powered power stations convert only about 33% of their input heat to electricity. The remaining 67% emerges from the turbines as low-grade waste heat with no significant local uses so it is usually rejected to the environment. What is Trigeneration In a trigeneration system, the supply of high-temperature heat first drives a gas or steam turbine powered generator and the resulting low-temperature waste heat is then used for water or space heating. Such systems can attain … Continue reading →

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