DUBAI // A system to reduce the risk of fires at landfills is due to be piloted at one of Dubai's largest dumps next month.
Safety experts have welcomed the move by Dubai Municipality to launch a gas recovery scheme at the landfill at Al Qusais.
"It is a pilot project," said Naji Alradhi, the head of the waste treatment section at the municipality's Waste Management Department.
The system sucks out highly flammable methane gases that build up in waste sites and safely burns them. "We contacted a company to put it in Al Qusais and they are almost done," said Mr Alradhi.
Global Energy Solutions, which is setting up the system, says on its website that "landfill gas generated from the decay of organic matter contained in the waste disposed of in the landfill site would be captured and flared, preventing the emission of methane gas generated from the landfill into the atmosphere."
"The gas collection project is a trial. If it succeeds, we may expand it to other sites," said Mr Alradhi.
Landfill gas would be captured and routed to a high-temperature flare system for burning the methane.
Installation at other sites depends on the amount of waste dumped.
"It depends on the size of the landfill," said Mr Alradhi. "For a small landfill it is not feasible."
There are five dumping sites for more than 7,000 tonnes of general waste, including domestic waste, generated daily in Dubai. Al Qusais - established in the 1970s and spanning more than 3.5 kilometres - receives more than 4,000 tonnes.
The municipality hopes to use the collected methane gas to generate power or use as fuel.
"We have a plan to utilise this gas for power. But the first stage is to link the pipelines to control the gas," said Mr Alradhi.
A spokesman for Ceres Associates Gulf, an environmental waste management company in Ras Al Khaimah, welcomed the move.
"This is a very important system that will greatly improve safety in landfill sites," he said. "Methane, which is highly flammable, builds up in landfill sites with high levels of organic waste."
Methane makes up about 55 per cent of the gas in landfills and must be safely removed.
"In that environment, which is often very hot, it only takes the slightest thing, be it a spark or a mixing of combustible chemicals, for a fire to start," said the spokesman.
Glenn Platt, the environmental manager for Keo International Consultants, said all new landfills should be built with gas recovery systems in mind.
"Feasibility studies need to be carried out - there needs to be a balance in terms of investing in this technology and the potential benefits," he said.
nhanif@thenational.ae
pkannan@thenational.ae
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
England 12-man squad for second Test
v West Indies which starts Thursday: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jack Leach
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
