DOHA: The Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre is looking forward to having a new plant to handle 3,000 tonnes of solid waste, said a senior official of Keppel Seghers, the environmental engineering arm of Keppel Infrastructure, which operates the centre.
The plant in Mesaieed, which became operational in 2011, is running at its full capacity. It was designed to treat 2,300 tonnes of waste per day. However, with the growing population, the daily waste generation has increased to 2,700 tonnes, with the remaining 400 tonnes being dumped in landfills.
The centre, the first fully integrated facility in the Middle East, aims at reducing the share of domestic waste disposed of in landfills to three to five percent, thereby decreasing the share of total waste going to landfills from 92 percent to 64 percent.
Stefan Kipp, Regional Director, Mena, Keppel Seghers, said: “The obvious benefit of waste-to-energy is that it mitigates the need for more landfill sites, protecting the open deserts and land of Qatar for future generations to enjoy. The integrated approach we have taken at the centre means that, of the waste we receive, 95 per cent is now converted to energy or recycled.” the peninsula
The pre-processing aspect of the Center, first-of-its-kind in the region, is especially important, because it enables materials suitable for recycling and energy recovery to be separated and transferred to the appropriate processing line. This is done through Keppel Seghers’ proprietary ‘dano drum’, which feeds into magnetic separators, eddy current separators, and infra-red and wind sifters. This entire process can help to recover 90 per cent of metals, and 50 per cent of plastics for recycling.
“After separation, some of the reaming waste is burned to convert waste to energy. The fly-ash produced may also find use in making concrete blocks for the construction industry. While the organic waste is sent to the Anaerobic Digestion and Composting plant to produce soil enhancers for use in agriculture and landscaping as well as energy,” added Oon Ee Heng, General Manager of Keppel Seghers.
The remaining waste, which is not recycled or composted, is then sent to an advanced and fully controlled incineration process, where energy will be recovered to generate steam and electricity. The facility has three separate lines with a combined capacity of 1,500 tons per day. The plant, built in three sq km area, is self-sufficient in terms of power consumption. Currently it generates about 36 mega watts (MW) of electricity from the solid waste, of that only 5MW is used to run the plant while the surplus is transferred to Kahramaa, through a power grid located at the site. The facility does not treat any hazardous waste such as batteries, e-waste or other similar items. But it has plans to recycle tyres with an installed capacity to handle up to 1.5 million tyres per year. A separate plant worth $20m for tyre recycling is under consideration with the government. The centre has already accumulated about one million units of tyres which can be seen piled-up strategically in an open area to avoid fire.
The DSWMC receives waste from five transfer stations (South Doha, West Doha, Industrial Area, Dukhan and Al Khor).
Keppel Seghers, participated in the Waste Management and Recycling Summit held in Doha last week. The Summit was followed yesterday by an exclusive media and delegate tour of the facility. The Peninsula
