The Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC) is set to begin operating in March, the world's first bioenergy research facility using desert land - irrigated by seawater - to produce both food and aviation fuels.

 

The facility will be located on a two-hectare site at Masdar City, a low-carbon, low-waste sustainable urban development in Abu Dhabi, UAE, said a statement.

 

Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, interim provost, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, said: “This game-changing research places Abu Dhabi at the center of a global movement to advance technologies to produce sustainable, commercially viable bioenergy.

 

“Abu Dhabi’s commitment to advance breakthrough research that addresses water and food security – with tremendous growth potential – underpins the nation’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy.

 

“Considering that 97 per cent of the world’s water is salt water and about 20 percent of the world’s land is desert, this approach turns a land and water resource scarcity problem on its head,” said Dr Al Yousuf. 

 

“Already, this research is attracting significant interest from other water and arable land-constrained countries,” he said.

 

The research facility is a platform to explore the commercial viability and scale-up potential of an integrated, sustainable bioenergy system that produces food and fuel, without using arable land or fresh water in a desert environment, said the statement.

 

Successful development of this technology could support global food security, mitigate carbon emissions and reduce water pollution from industrial fish and shrimp aquaculture operations, it said.

 

Masdar Institute, together with Etihad Airways and The Boeing Company, founded the SBRC to advance the aviation industry’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions by developing a clean, alternative fuel supply. 

 

Takreer, Safran and GE have since joined the research group, said the statement.

 

The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water also recently announced that it has signed an agreement with Masdar Institute to collaborate on conserving marine ecosystems and developing a healthy aquaculture in the UAE, it said.

 

Mariam Mohammed Saeed Hareb, assistant undersecretary of Water Resources and Nature Conservation Affairs with the Ministry of Environment and Water, said: “This project in particular is quite unique, and the Ministry is pleased to support it. It was designed as an integrated bioenergy system specifically to eliminate the major criticisms leveled against large-scale biofuel production – that it diverts agricultural production away from food crops, competes for scarce fresh water sources and uses land that could grow food.”

 

The SBRC’s announcement was made during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the Middle East’s largest gathering of international leaders to address the interconnected challenges of energy and water security, climate risk and sustainable development. 

 

Hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, ADSW includes the World Future Energy Summit, the International Water Summit, EcoWaste, Women in Sustainability, Environmental & Renewable Energy (WiSER) Initiative and the Zayed Future Energy Prize. - TradeArabia News Service