BrazilTadweer hires consultants for landfill gas to energy project
Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) has hired a consultancy firm to conduct a feasibility study for one of its sustainability projects.
Tadweer is Abu Dhabi’s main government entity responsible for waste management services in the emirate, including the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste.
As part of its strategic agenda, Tadweer is exploring several avenues to green its operations, with the conversion of landfill gas (that is unleashed during waste treatment processes) into environmentally-friendly energy sources one of the initiatives being explored.
To understand the potential business case of landfill gas to energy conversion, Tadweer has launched a feasibility study for one of its waste management facilities in Abu Dhabi, located at Al Dhafra.
The landfill in Dhafra treated over 25,000 tons of waste last year, with nearly half of the waste extracted for the purpose of reuse and recycling, including plastic waste, paper, cardboard, iron, wood, and aluminium. By re-using gas, the waste management facility would take a next step in upping its environmental efforts.
Landfill gas to energy
According to data from several leading waste management institutes worldwide, solid waste landfills are one of the largest human-generated source of methane emissions. Reducing methane emissions from landfills is therefore one of the most effective ways for waste companies to lower their CO2 footprint.
Gas to energy terminals can capture roughly 60% to 90% of the methane that previously was emitted to the atmosphere, depending on system design and effectiveness. Meanwhile, the energy generated by the process offsets the use of non-renewable resources, such as coal, oil or natural gas, to produce the same amount of energy.
“This project at Al Dhafra landfill is part of our sustainability agenda, which serves the sustainable development goals in Abu Dhabi, in line with the emirate’s Vision 2030,” said Abdul Mohsen Mubarak Al Kathiri, Director of Tadweer’s Projects and Facilities Department.
Supporting the exploration is a team from KEO International Consultants, an engineering and project management group with seven offices in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The consulting firm will lead the feasibility study, spanning the technical, financial, and environmental aspects for the development and operation of a gas conversion terminal.
The remit of the consultants includes defining the business case of the project, and the setup of a pilot operation which will require drilling operations, gas pumping tests, as well as evaluating the properties of the extracted gas.
Al Kathiri: “With this collaboration, we look forward to implementing the project in line with the best standards and practices and in a manner that meets the requirements of Abu Dhabi to enhance environmentally-friendly energy sources, leading to a brighter and more sustainable future for coming generations.”
