HOW CAMEL WASTE IS FUELLING THE UAE’S CIRCULAR ECONOMY
More than 50 tonnes of manure is helping power cement production every day as part of a waste not, want not approach in Ras Al Khaimah
In Ras Al Khaimah, the government has tied two of its biggest industries in an unlikely partnership to cut carbon emissions. Every day, more than 50 tonnes of camel manure are used as fuel in cement production.
“When we started to make an estimate, people wouldn’t believe me,” said Sonia Nasser, the executive director of the waste management agency at the RAK Municipality. “But the first thing in creating a circular economy is, what do I have that I’m throwing away?”
The emirate is home to 9,000 camels and each produces about eight to 10 kilogrammes a day. Instead of dumping it, the government began a programme last May to process it and give it to local cement factories as fuel.
Camels produce far more waste than farmers use to fertilise palm orchards. The excess manure was going to the landfill. When Ms Nasser suggested the programme, camel farmers were immediately supportive.
For cement companies, it cut costs and carbon emissions. The project began in May 2018, and more than 10,000 tonnes from 6,000 camels have been diverted so far this year.
Farmers bring manure to four collection stations where it bakes in the sun. From there, the manure is taken north to Gulf Cement Company in the town of Khor Khair.
This has saved an estimated 18 tonnes of carbon emissions, and cut costs.
To make cement, ovens must burn at 1,400 degrees, 24 hours a day. More than 70% of Gulf Cement’s production costs are heat and power. With so much energy required, cement production is one of the country’s main contributors to carbon emission.
Dried camel manure has about half the calorific value of coal, so a tonne of camel manure replaces half a tonne of coal.
After some experimentation, they found they it worked best mixed with coal as boiler fuel. About 8 to 10% of coal is substituted with camel waste.
“Cement production is a natural incinerator,” said Tiruneveli Palanikumar, the head of Gulf Cement’s business development. “Most of the waste we can burn. I need about 1,500 metric tonnes of fossil fuel every day.”
Similar programmes could be applied to other animals. After all, Ras Al Khaimah has more livestock than people. In addition to its camels, there are more than 317,000 goats, 81,000 sheep and 5,000 cattle.
Following the success of Gulf Cement, other cement factories want to use camel fuel and RAK hopes to expand the manure fuel project to other Emirates. There are 14 cement plants in the UAE and six are in Ras Al Khaimah. About 13,000 tonnes of coal is burned in the Northern Emirates every day.
“If you can stop using this amount of coal, there’s a whole carbon emissions trail that we’re reducing,” said Ms Nasser. “Coal is being shipped all the way from South Africa to Ras al Khaimah.”
Other waste like clothing, agricultural waste and dry sludge could be alternative fuels.
Some cement factories are already substituting coal with carbon dust, a byproduct from the aluminium industry and Star Cement substitutes 10% of its fuel with tyre chips.
“When people have strange materials, we call the cement factories,” said Ms Nasser. “Does it have calorific value? Instead of trying to landfill it, can we incinerate it? There’s a lot you can get rid of.”
By 2020, all coal-burning cement factories must use local municipal, commercial and industrial waste for at least 10% of total energy needs.https://www.thenational.ae/uae/environment/how-camel-waste-is-fuelling-the-uae-s-circular-economy-1.877698
