Author Archives: Salman Zafar

About Salman Zafar

Salman Zafar is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of EcoMENA. He is a consultant, ecopreneur and journalist with expertise across in waste management, renewable energy, environment protection and sustainable development. 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. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability across the globe Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org

Climate Change Impacts in Kuwait

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Kuwait is facing a wide range of climate change challenges including sea level rise, water scarcity, desertification and loss of diversity. Kuwait is characterized by high temperature, high humidity and arid lands resulting in seriously degraded soil and land damage in addition to salt intrusion in the aquifers affecting the small scale agricultural lands thus enhancing the food security threat in the region. Since 1975, Kuwait has experienced 1.50C to 20C increase in temperature, which is significantly higher than the global average. In recent years, there has been a sharp change in rainfall pattern in Kuwait which may be attributed to … Continue reading →

The Benefits of Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Wastes

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Anaerobic digestion is a biological process which stabilizes organic waste in the absence of air and transforms it into energy-rich biogas and biofertilizer. It is a reliable technology for the treatment of wet, organic waste. Organic waste from various sources is biochemically degraded in highly controlled, oxygen-free conditions circumstances resulting in the production of biogas which can be used to produce both electricity and heat. Almost any organic material can be processed with anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is particularly suited to wet organic material and is commonly used for effluent and sewage treatment. This includes biodegradable waste materials such as … Continue reading →

Build Your Tiny Home From Recycled Materials

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People are turning to tiny living in order to save money. Living simply is about getting back to the earth, leaving a smaller footprint on the planet, and also, for many people, about being frugal. Why create a mountain of debt when you can build a home from recycled materials that can be found for free? Building your tiny home from recycled materials is not as difficult as you may think. In fact, when you learn what to look for, it’s actually not hard to find the materials and put your imagination to work. Image Source: https://tinylivinglife.com/2019/05/how-much-do-tiny-houses-cost-are-they-worth-the-investment/ What Materials Do … Continue reading →

Everything You Need to Know About Whole House Water Filters

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Whole house water filters are exactly what they sound like: a water filtration system for your entire home. While many may find whole house water filters unnecessary because tap water has already been chemically treated, we are here to tell you why this may not be enough. Here, we will discuss everything you need to know about whole house water filters, their purpose, the different types, the benefits, and any additional whole house water filter tips, in order to improve your overall quality of life. Why Whole House Water Filters? For the modern day household, clean, filtered water is essential. … Continue reading →

Popular Methods for Plastic Wastes Collection

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Plastic consumption has grown at a tremendous rate over the past two decades as plastics now play an important role in all aspects of modern lifestyle. Collection and disposal of plastic waste has emerged as an important environmental challenge and its recycling is facing roadblocks due to their non-degradable nature. There are four basic ways in which communities can offer plastic waste collection services for plastic bottles and containers – curbside, drop-off, buy-back or deposit/refund programs. Curbside Recycling The first, and most widely accessible, collection method is curbside collection of recyclables. Curbside (or kerbside) collection is considered a low-risk strategy … Continue reading →

Now Is The Best Time To Switch To An EV

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Electric vehicles (EVs) have been around for a while now, but it’s only recently that they’ve started to become more mainstream. With the current climate crisis and increasing awareness of the need for sustainable transportation, now is the best time to switch to an EV. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the reasons why you should consider making the switch to an EV, and how a new Kia could be the perfect choice for your next car. 1. The Environmental Benefits of EVs One of the most significant benefits of electric vehicles is their positive impact on the … Continue reading →

Everything You Need to Know About a Biorefinery

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A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and value-added chemicals from biomass. Biorefinery is analogous to today’s petroleum refinery, which produces multiple fuels and products from petroleum. By producing several products, a biorefinery takes advantage of the various components in biomass and their intermediates, therefore maximizing the value derived from the biomass feedstock. A biorefinery could, for example, produce one or several low-volume, but high-value, chemical products and a low-value, but high-volume liquid transportation fuel such as biodiesel or bioethanol. At the same time, it can generate electricity and process heat, … Continue reading →

How Can The Effects Of Climate Change Be Mitigated?

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Climate change will affect us all and it’s important to consider how climate change will have wide reaching consequences for generations to come. This article investigates how the effects of climate change will affect all of us and what measures we can take to mitigate the effects of climate change. What is climate change mitigation? Climate change mitigation refers to actions taken to limit climate change by either reducing greenhouse gas emissions or removing those gases from the atmosphere. Mitigation actions can include using new technologies and renewable energies, making existing equipment more energy efficient, and ensuring carbon sinks continue … Continue reading →

Biomass Potential of Date Palm Wastes

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Date palm is one of the principal agricultural products in the arid and semi-arid region of the world, especially Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. There are more than 120 million date palm trees worldwide yielding several million tons of dates per year, apart from secondary products including palm midribs, leaves, stems, fronds and coir. The Arab world has more than 84 million date palm trees with the majority in Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates. Egypt is the world’s largest date producer with annual production of 1.47 million tons of dates in … Continue reading →

Everything You Need to Know About Recycling of Plastics

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Disposal of plastic waste has emerged as an important environmental challenge in the Middle East where plastics make up as much as one-tenth of the solid waste stream. In affluent GCC nations, plastic waste composition in municipal solid waste is around 12 – 16 percent. Plastic waste in the region is continuously increasing due to increasing use of plastics in daily life. The Middle East is responsible for about 8 percent of the global plastic production.   Plastic waste is a source of greenhouse gas emissions and ecological damage. Majority of the items found on beaches across the region contain … Continue reading →

4 Quick Ways to Reduce E-Waste in Your Small Business

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The issue of e-waste is one we all need to face up to, and small businesses are in a position to do more to help the environment and also reduce costs in this context. If you’re looking for a fresh approach to minimizing e-waste in a flash, here are some tips to consider following in your own organization. 1. Donate Old Equipment If you own a small business, chances are there’s an abundance of unused tech lying around. Don’t let these items go to waste – donate them instead. You can give away any gently used equipment like desktop computers, … Continue reading →

4 Energy-Saving Gadgets to Save Money on Electricity Bill

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If you are having problems in settling the cost of your electric bills time and time again, the most obvious thing to do is to conserve energy. One of the most common reasons for your electric bill rising significantly is using your appliances recklessly and without thought. To save energy, you must first deal with how to use your appliances correctly and efficiently. If, however, your devices are ‘energy vampires’; machines that use too much energy even without use, then it’s probably time for you to switch gears and buy gadgets or devices that not only is a useful alternative … Continue reading →