How to Convert Scrap Tires into Biofuel

Waste disposal is a serious concern these days, especially with the increasing public awareness of the need to protect the environment. Solid wastes like old tires present complicated disposal problems. Large, hollow, durable, and non-biodegradable, old tires can take up substantial space in landfills. Leaving tires to nature can also be problematic as mosquitoes and other pests may thrive on them. In the United States, an estimated 300 million scrap tires are produced every year. Around the world, the number jumps to about 2 billion. Fortunately, there are several ways to recycle scrap tires including conversion into biofuels. What is … Continue reading

Energy from Wastes via Thermal Route

Thermal (or thermochemical) conversion systems consist of primary conversion technologies which convert the waste into heat or gaseous and liquid products, together with secondary conversion technologies which convert these products into the more useful forms of energy being heat and electricity. A wide range of technologies exists to convert the energy stored in wastes to more useful forms of energy. These technologies can be classified according to the principal energy carrier produced in the conversion process. Carriers are in the form of heat, gas, liquid and/or solid products, depending on the extent to which oxygen is admitted to the conversion process … Continue reading

Waste-to-Energy Potential in Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been grappling with the problem of solid waste in recent years. Around 15 million tons of municipal solid waste is generated in the country each year with per capita average of 1.4 kg per day. Depending on the population density and urban activities of that area, the major ingredients of Saudi Arabian MSW are food waste (40-51 %), paper (12-28 %), cardboard (7 %), plastics (5-17 %), glass (3-5 %), wood (2-8 %), textile (2-6 %), metals (2-8 %) etc. Due to high population growth rate, (3.4% per annum), rapid urbanization (1.5% per annum) … Continue reading

Disposal of Waste Tires

Tens of millions of tires are discarded across the Middle East every year. Disposal of  waste tires is a challenging task because tires have a long life and are non-biodegradable. The traditional method of disposal of waste tires have been stockpiling or illegally dumping or landfilling, all of which are short-term solution. Menace of Waste Tires Stockpiled tires provide perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, vermin and snakes. Accidental fires caused in tire dumps can rage for months releasing toxic fumes. For example, a massive fire broke out at Jahra dumpsite in Kuwait in April 2012 where more than 5 million … Continue reading