Thursday, Dec 25, 2008

Gulf News

Dubai: Grease and oil from restaurants across the UAE will be the primary source of fuel for the upcoming biodiesel plant in the Al Ain industrial area. This was announced earlier this year.

Plans to use plants, weeds or some form of crop oil are not on the agenda of Ecobility, the founders behind EmBio, the first biodiesel plant in the GCC region.

Karim Ali, the co-founder of Ecobility, said waste oil from restaurants, food production companies and the hospitality sector would be approached for their waste cooking oils and grease.

Ali said this may reduce illegal dumping of grease and create a carbon-friendly fuel.

Reducing waste

"We will target the private sector for our feedstock," he said. Crops associated with biodiesel such as jatropha, soy or corn currently being used in other parts of the world are not being considered yet by EmBio.

Jatropha, a weed, grows on infertile and arid land and does not need to be watered with potable water as it is not grown for human consumption.

"Grey water can be used as these crops are not edible and are just being watered to hydrate them. The water can be used again and again. However we have no plans to ever plant them anywhere," he told Gulf News.

With an initial annual production of three million gallons, Ali is aware that this amount of 100 per cent biodiesel will not answer the UAE's need for an alternative to petrol.

"We will sell at wholesale and not at retail level. Courier companies could switch to a biodiesel blend to reduce their carbon footprint for example. We will buy waste oils from a company and sell them biodiesel in return," said Ali.

"Three million is a conservative volume. The plant will be modular so we can scale up. We can go up 10-fold," he added.

100% eco friendly

Ecobility is backing a sustainable building material, recently available in the UAE, made from 100 per cent recycled paper and cashew nut resin.

The combination has produced Paper Stone which is completely water proof and as tough as marble. "Paper Stone can be used for facades or counter tops and qualifies for sustainability points for green buildings," said Aly.

Paper Stone is 80 per cent recycled paper and 20 per cent cashew nut resin. Depending on the finish it can be used indoors or outdoors.

"It can withstand 300 degree Celsius which makes it suitable for counter tops and putting hot pots or dishes down . It can also be moulded to fit around a sink with drainage grooves to avoid having stainless steel sinks," he said.

"Nobody uses the shells of cashew nuts which is where the resin comes from. This product is about four years old and manufactured in the US. It has been specified for outdoor cladding of buildings."

© Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.

 

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