Construction works are nearing completion on a solid waste treatment plant at the Marine Environment Research Centre in Umm Al Quwain.
Once complete, the $36 million plant will process solid municipal waste generated in Ajman and UAQ into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to power cement plants that usually rely on charcoal.
According to Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, minister of Climate Change and Environment, the 400,000sqm facility will have two parallel operation lines. The first will receive non-recyclable waste from waste segregation units, turn it into alternative fuel and transport it to cement factories, while the second will receive recyclable waste from segregation units and convey it to recycling companies.
Once operational, the plant is expected to process 1,500 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day to produce 300,000 tonnes of alternative fuel annually, said the minister after inspecting the ongoing work along with senior government officials.
The tour is said to be part of a series of visits that Dr Al Nuaimi is making to explore the latest developments in the projects carried out by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
Around 50% of the cost of the project is being supported by the Follow-up Committee of the Initiatives of the UAE President. The plant is expected to commence operations in Q4, 2020.
