UAE | Environment
New way to turn UAE waste water into something useful
Sewage and water treatment facilities that offer a cheaper alternative to desalination have arrived in the UAE with several plants planned around the country.
- By Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:51 August 22, 2008
Dubai: Sewage and water treatment facilities that offer a cheaper alternative to desalination have arrived in the UAE with several plants planned around the country.
Membrane bio-reactor (MBR) plants go a step further than traditional sewage treatment plants by filtering the treated waste water and making it suitable to use for unrestricted irrigation and district cooling plants.
It is purified almost to the level of potable water but is not suitable for drinking. An MBR plant can provide a sewage treatment option whilst producing water good enough to serve the needs of machinery and cooling facilities, said Mohammad Awad, director of business development for Concorde-Corodex.
The Abu Dhabi Sewage Services Company awarded a contract to Concorde-Corodex earlier this year to design, construct and commission an MBR plant for the largest planned labour accommodation facility in the UAE. The Construction Worker's Residential City will house 32,000 people.
The MBR plant will be the biggest in the UAE. Desalination plants use an enormous amount of energy and the water produced is of high quality but often wasted on irrigation and landscaping, said Awad.
Traditional sewage treatment plants produce treated waste water that can only be used for restricted landscaping, he said.
Eco-friendly
"MBR is 99 per cent free of suspended solids due to a more complicated filtering process," said Awad.
He believes that MBR can reduce national dependency on desalinated water.
Mohammad Abdul Aziz Al Awadi, director of the Al Aweer sewage treatment plant, said MBR technology is more ecologically friendly with a lower carbon footprint, but is more expensive.
Share this article
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
The best reader pictures from around the UAE this week
Latest news
- Criminal wanted in 360 cases arrested in Dubai
- UAE visitor admits to possessing fake notes
- Men get bail in Dubai due to lack of translator
- Security trial in UAE adjourned until December
- Colombia seeks stronger ties with UAE
- Conference on combatting crime through sports begins
- Passer-by foils Dh2.5m robbery bid in Dubai
- Brothers deny vandalising plaintiff's car
- Over 6,000 Haj pilgrims to get vaccines
- Extended break for Eid and National Day
- Free SMS offer for paid parking in Dubai
- UAE official urges corporate support for diabetes control initiatives
- Duo develop low energy desalting process
- Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides glimpse of Indian culture
- Sharjah book fair to focus on innovative publishers
Community Reports
-
Pavement parking irks pedestrians
Gulf News reader calls on authorities to step in and stop car owners from invading pathways meant for safe walking
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
-
Community report: Doing their bit for poor children
A group of students takes concrete action to raise funds for Dubai Cares
