Category Archives: Waste Management

Biogas Potential in the Middle East

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Anaerobic digestion is the natural biological process which stabilizes organic waste in the absence of air and transforms it into biofertilizer and biogas. 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. Anaerobic digestion is particularly suited to wet organic material and is commonly used for treating animal manure, organic fraction of MSW, sewage and industrial effluents. Anaerobic digestion is a unique treatment solution for organic wastes … Continue reading →

Dealing with Polystyrene Wastes

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Polystyrene (also known as EPS Foam or Styrofoam) is a highly popular plastic packaging material which finds wide application in packaging of food items, electronic goods, electrical appliances, furniture etc due to its excellent insulating and protective properties. Polystyrene is also used to make useful products such as disposable cups, trays, cutlery, cartons, cases etc. Despite the attractiveness of polystyrene, municipalities and organisations are facing a growing problem in disposal of polystyrene packaging and products. Being large and bulky, polystyrene take up significant space in rubbish bins which means that bins becomes full more quickly and therefore needs to be emptied … Continue reading →

صحوة بيئية

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الخطر الذي يهدد الامن الصحي والبيئي للمجتمع المحلي في بيروت دفع المجتمع المدني البيئي لإعلان مواجهة إجراءات التخلص من النفايات عن طريق الحرق، ومن المعروف ان هذا الإجراء له مخاطره الصحية على الإنسان والبيئة، وسبق وكان للمجتمع المدني البيئي في البحرين موقفه المعارض لاعتماد هذا النظام الذي وجد إستجابة من الجهات العليا والمختصة في الشأن البيئي. التحرك المدني البيئي في بيروت يمثل توجه مهم للتنوير البيئي وتعزيز الصحوة البيئية للمجتمع في مواجهة المشاريع المضرة بصحة الانسان ومحيطه البيئي، لذلك وجدنا ضرورة تسليط الضوء على التحرك البيئي في بيروت. ان توجهنا في تسليط الضوء على التحرك البيئي جاء بناء على التعاون … Continue reading →

Everything You Should Know About Thermophilic Composting

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Thermophilic composting of organic waste is getting increasing attention worldwide because of its ability to convert solid wastes into organic fertilizer within a short period of time. The thermophilic composting system consists of an enclosed reactor laced with a microbe-enzyme cocktail. The commonly used microorganisms are naturally occurring bacillus sp., pseudomonas sp, bifidobacterium sp., lactobacillus sp., streptomyces sp., corynbacterium sp etc. Enzymes such as proteinase, keratinase, lipase and cellulose are employed to accelerate the aerobic digestion process. Features of Thermophilic Composting The most important feature of thermophilic composting process is its operating temperature range of 70 – 80 °C which … Continue reading →

The Menace of Single-Use Plastic Bags

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Single-use plastic bags are one of the most objectionable types of litter in urban areas. The sheer volume of plastic waste generated, coupled with energy and material resources required for production, as well as emissions resulting from these processes, paint a grim picture of the environmental havoc created by plastic bags. These single-use plastic bags are causing extensive negative effects to the environment because of how simply they can be used in one’s daily life. There are candy wrappers, takeout containers, and other packaging that should’ve otherwise been avoided. Single-use plastic bags are a huge threat to the environment as … Continue reading →

Waste Awareness in Qatar: A Survey

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Waste awareness in Qatar has gained traction in recent years, but more efforts are required to make the masses aware about the consequences of reckless waste generation and disposal, and how sustainable living practices and recycling can help in making Qatar a truly sustainable nation. Below is the outcome of an interesting survey on waste awareness which was conducted among Qataris and non-Qataris (expatriates). Plastic is the most common waste generated in a typical household in Qatar. One-third of overall respondents say that of all products, the volume of the plastic waste generated is higher, followed by food waste (19%) … Continue reading →

أفضل خمس طرق لتخفيف البصمة البلاستيكية

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عندما نقرأ التقاريرالاخيرة التي تتحدث عن الكم الهائل من النفايات البلاستيكية العائمة في محيطاتنا، والأنهار والبحيرات، فإننا ندرك تماماً بانه قد حان الوقت أن نبدأ في إيجاد حلول لهذه المشكلة. كلنا نعلم بأن إعادة التدوير أمر جيد، لكن لأسباب كثيرة، ليس الحل الأمثل لتلوث العالم بالبلاستيك. يجب علينا جميعا أن نتعلم كيفية تقليل كمية النفايات البلاستيكية التي نقوم نحن بإنتاجها في المقام الأول. إليك طرقي المفضلة الخمسة لتقليل البصمة البلاستيكية الشخصية: استخدم حقيبة/ كيس التسوق الخاص بك يتم استخدام المليارات من أكياس التسوق البلاستيكية في جميع أنحاء العالم كل عام. حيث توفرها المحال التجارية مجانا لزبائنها، إلا أن تكلفتها البيئية … Continue reading →

Everything You Should Know About Landfill Gas

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Landfill gas is generated during the natural process of bacterial decomposition of organic material contained in municipal solid waste landfills or garbage dumps. The waste is covered and compressed mechanically as well as by the weight of the material that is deposited above. This material prevents oxygen from accessing the waste thus producing ideal conditions for anaerobic microorganism to flourish. This gas builds up and is slowly released into the atmosphere if the landfill site has not been engineered to capture the gas. The rate of production is affected by waste composition and landfill geometry, which in turn influence the … Continue reading →

Easy Ways to Avoid Wastage of Food

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Food waste has environmental, economic as well as social impacts. The rising per capita income and expenditure, living standards, affordability and our careless behavior towards food is taking a significant toll on our finite resources. In shopping malls, restaurants and eateries, it is common to see plates piled up with uneaten or partially eaten food. Unfortunately, affordability is leading to rampant increase in food waste generation all over the Middle East, especially GCC.   The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that over 300 tons per day of food waste is being generated in Bahrain which constitutes around … Continue reading →

Top 7 Benefits of Recycling Used Coffee Grounds

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As coffee lovers, we use multiple devices and brewing methods to get coffee in the way we desire. These machines and tools such as a moka pot, a bean to cup machine, or even a prosumer barista model coffee machine. All these methods result in large amounts of used coffee grounds that will usually end in the garbage. However, you can benefit from used coffee grounds in more ways than one. From using it as a compost or a natural cleaner, the options are endless. Here are remarkable and easy ways for recycling used coffee grounds and save the environment. … 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 →

What Type of Waste Can Be Converted into Renewable Energy?

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There is, no doubt, an obvious need to reduce, reuse and recycle wastes but recovery of energy from wastes is also gaining ground as a vital method for managing wastes and Middle East should not be an exception. Wastes can be transformed into clean and efficient energy and fuel by a variety of technologies, ranging from conventional combustion process to state-of-the-art plasma gasification technology. Besides recovery of energy, such technologies leads to substantial reduction in the overall waste quantities requiring final disposal. Waste-to-energy projects provide major business opportunities, environmental benefits, and energy security.  There are many types of waste that can … Continue reading →