The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology said its sustainable bioenergy research consortium (SBRC) has broken ground on its integrated seawater, energy and agriculture facility coming up in Abu Dhabi.

The SBRC is a non-profit consortium supported by founding members Etihad Airways, Boeing and Honeywell UOP as well as more recent members Takreer, Safran and General Electric.

The facility, which was designed with technical support from CH2M Hill, is expected to be completed before the end of 2015.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Masdar Institute officials said the demonstration project will use desert land irrigated by seawater to sustainably produce biofuel, bio-chemicals and food.

The 20,000-sq-m bioenergy pilot facility will include saltwater aquaculture ponds where fish and shrimp will be bred. Water from the ponds, including nutrient-rich waste produced by these fish, will be used to irrigate and fertilise salt-tolerant halophyte plants that will then be harvested and turned into aviation biofuel and other products, they stated.

Flowing from the halophyte fields, the seawater will also nourish a wetland planted with mangroves – a plant that serves as a natural carbon sink to absorb carbon dioxide from the air, the officials added.

On the new project, Masdar CEO Dr Ahmad Belhoul said: "This innovative research is tackling the challenge of harmoniously producing food and fuel in water- and arable land-constrained regions. The project is also a reflection of Masdar City’s ecosystem that enables public and private partners to coalesce and advance sustainable solutions that have social and economic impact."

"This type of co-innovation is how we re-imagine what’s possible and take bold ideas to commercial reality," he noted.

According to him, the pilot project is intended to run for three to five years, allowing researchers to learn more about the optimal operations and conditions to support the scalable production of bioenergy.

Dr Moavenzadeh, the president of Masdar Institute, said: "The UAE and the world need renewable and sustainable fuels. That is why Masdar Institute is proud to be leading the SBRC and launching the integrated seawater energy and agriculture system, which is more than an aviation biofuel production facility; it represents a holistic approach to sustainably produce food and bioenergy in a way that does not compete with fresh water and arable land."

"We are pleased to begin construction of the world’s first integrated seawater bioenergy pilot plant – a truly innovative project to mark the UAE’s Year of Innovation," he added.-TradeArabia News Service