Abu Dhabi-based Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has signed a two-year research agreement with Tadweer, the Center of Waste Management (CWM) on improving the process for production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil.

Masdar Institute is an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies.

The research agreement was signed by Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, the president, Masdar Institute, and Eisa Saif Al Qubaisi, the general manager of Tadweer (CWM), a lead agency responsible for controlling and co-ordinating waste management activities throughout the emirate.

The research will focus on achieving fundamental improvement in the process of converting waste cooking oil to biodiesel through further experimentation and sensitivity studies.

Processing and reusing waste cooking oil as fuel is an eco-friendly sustainable energy solution that can contribute to targets for renewable energy uptake within the UAE and abroad. Biodiesel is bio-renewable, carbon-neutral and rapidly biodegradable.

Dr Isam Janajreh, the associate professor of mechanical engineering and head of the waste to energy (W2E) laboratory at Masdar Institute, will be the principal investigator (PI) of the project, while Dr Ahmed Aljabri will be the co-principal investigator.

As per the agreement, the principal investigator and the co-principal investigator will design, plan, and formulate the modelling and experimental investigations with assistance from two Masdar Institute Master’s degree students.

Dr Moavenzadeh said this agreement illustrates the UAE’s commitment to facilitating the production of clean energy and minimization of waste.

"With the support of the country’s leadership, we will continue our contribution to the development of clean energy technologies and ensure faster adoption of sustainable measures. We are confident that the outcome of this collaboration will encourage the community to support such green technologies," he added.

Al Qubaisi said Tadweer was mandated to provide, among other things, ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities to promote resource conservation, enhance carbon footprint reduction, and maximize net positive social and environmental benefits to the people.

"The agreement with Masdar Institute will achieve this objective by tapping the research-based institution’s knowledge resources, and hoped that the combined initiative will lead to the development of new technologies that will help the UAE and the world meet clean energy goals and objectives," he added.

Faris Fahed Al Munaiei, the projects & facilities department director at Tadweer, pointed out that Abu Dhabi produced an estimated 20 kg per capita WCO annually.

"Processing and reusing WCO as fuel is an environmentally-friendly and efficient energy solution that can contribute up to 5 per cent of sustainable energy needs by 2020," he added.

The duo will be assisted in this project by Australia’s Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace and Combustion, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Sydney.-TradeArabia News Service