Bahraini.TV

Waste Management

by mahmood on 29/08/08 at 9:49 am · email  · print  

Bahrain is looking to go green in an effort to preserve falling stocks of natural resources, preserve the environment and create new business opportunities through the development of recycling processes in the petrochemicals sector, heavy industry and waste disposal.

On August 13, petrochemicals firm Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) announced it had finalised plans to build a carbon dioxide (CO2) recycling plant at its main facility. The unit, to be constructed in co-operation with Italy’s Technoment and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Company of Japan, will recover CO2 from flue gas emitted at its existing petrochemical plant.

Due to be completed at the beginning of 2010, the recycling plant will recover up to 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The recovered CO2 will then be used to increase urea and methanol production. GPIC’s new technology could open up a range of side industries, with CO2 used in the production of dimethyl ether, carbonated drinks and dry ice.

Significantly for Bahrain, it could also be used in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), being pumped into wells that have falling output to raise pressure and facilitate extraction. With its reserves dwindling and production just meeting domestic requirements for oil, Bahrain has embarked on an extensive EOR programme to extend the life of its existing wells.

The move also makes strong environmental sense, with Bahrain ranked fourth in terms of per capital carbon emissions by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), averaging 21 tonnes of emissions per person, almost five times the global average. Of these emissions, 50% are produced by the country’s energy industry, with a further 24% emanating from the manufacturing and construction sectors.

Bahrain could also benefit by building up greenhouse gas credits. As an offshoot of the carbon recycling project, on July 24, GPIC signed an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to further profit from the emission reduction process.

Under the agreement, Masdar will develop and manage GPIC’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a regulatory mechanism governed and audited by the United Nations. The CDM provides financial incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in countries that do not have binding reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, by turning emission reductions into tradable assets or Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).

According to Abdul Rahman Jawahery, the general manager of GPIC, the recycling project and the CDM process are a major step forward for the company’s programme of sustainable growth.

“… we are dedicated to leading the promotion of the CDM within the petrochemical industry being the first petrochemical and fertiliser company that opted for the CDM project in the region,” he said when signing the deal with Masdar.

Though still in the planning stages, UAE-based ETA Star Group announced last year it would construct a $12m aluminum recycling plant at Al Hidd, Bahrain, to process scrap brought from Saudi Arabia, producing ingots for export to India and China.

If brought on line, the new plant would be the kingdom’s second such facility, with the Bahrain Recycling Plant (BRP), established in 1980 to process aluminum scrap.

Bahrain’s efforts to cash in on unwanted by-products are by no means limited to industry. In early August, Majeed Milad, the chairman of the Manama Municipal Council, announced plans for a recycling factory to process much of the 3000 tonnes of waste produced in the kingdom daily.

The project, a joint effort between the five municipalities in Bahrain and the national government, foresees the processing of waste for use in energy production, with projected output being 50 kilobytes. The plant could also be used to produce fertiliser, as well as separate reusable materials such as metals. Though no details have been released concerning the cost of the project, it has been announced that the plant will be located in the Southern Governorate. Bahrain’s Tender Board has already awarded the $750m contract to build the recycling plant to French firm KNIM.

“We’re keen to adopt sustainable waste management including recycling and re-use, recovery of secondary raw materials and maximising the value of waste,” Milad told the local press on August 6.

Currently, most of this waste is disposed of in land fill sites. However, with an area of just 665 sq km, land is at a premium in Bahrain, making in-fill waste disposal an increasingly inefficient form of processing rubbish.

Not all of the municipalities are fully behind the recycling plant project though, fearing it could cause as many problems as it solves. In July, the Southern Municipal Council voted against having the factory located within its boundaries, citing concerns over hazardous emissions from the plant’s incineration unit.

Ali Al Mohannadi, the chairman of the Southern Municipal Council, said that while the plant was necessary, and the technology to be used highly advanced, he would not support it being built in the area covered by the municipality.

“I am keen on pushing for the project in Bahrain, but not in my governorate,” he said on August 2.

While the council’s “not in my backyard” opposition might slow down the project, it is unlikely to stop it, with at least one other municipality keen to host the new plant, and the Muharraq Municipal Council foreseeing opportunities for investment and employment.