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The accelerated rate of growth witnessed by the UAE and the Middle East in general has left indelible footprints in terms of

waste generation. The majority of the Gulf countries are ranked amongst the top ten worldwide in terms of waste production per

capita. Reports suggest that of the approximately 120 million tonnes of waste currently produced in the GCC countries, 55

percent is construction and demolition waste, 20 percent municipal waste, 18 percent industrial waste, and 7 percent

hazardous waste.

 

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, through Estidama, its sustainability programme, has developed the Community

Sustainable Responsibility initiative, Estidama CSR 2030. This initiative aims to take Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 beyond existing sustainable initiatives by monitoring, enforcing clear procedures and clearly outlining responsibilities that are crucial to support its 2030 economic vision. The target is to achieve economic growth while simultaneously protecting the environment and enhancing the quality of life.

An integral aspect of such an initiative would be to beneficially recycle construction waste, which would otherwise be dumped in landfills. The focus then lies on reducing the carbon footprint and improving environmental management. This will consequently lead to a lesser load on virgin resources, providing the construction market with high quality recycled products and sustaining growth patterns. Herein, then enters the crucial role of waste management entities.

 

“We entered the UAE market when it was growing at a rapid rate. It was an opportunity to use our experience and a well demonstrated track record in an exciting and emerging market. We have entered into a 15-year concession contract with the Centre for Waste Management, Abu Dhabi for the management of construction and demolition (C&D) debris. At our Al Dhafra C&D Recycling Facility, we recycle construction and demolition waste and return it back in to the market to be used in the construction of roads and infrastructure projects in Abu Dhabi,” says Tim Harwood, General Manager, Thiess Services Middle East (TSME), a joint venture between Thiess Services Pty Ltd, Australia and Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises Co. LLC, UAE. 

 

Harwood adds, “We initiated our operations in UAE in early 2008 focusing on all types of municipal and infrastructure services such as waste management, utilities infrastructure maintenance, facilities management and contaminated land remediation. In the UAE we’ve grown up from a start-up company to one which is now providing a wide array of facilities, waste and municipal support services.”

Thiess Services Middle East is an established and diverse environmental and waste management, facilities management and utilities contracting organisation. Working in partnership with its clients, TSME is implementing dynamic waste strategies across the GCC, focussing on the core principles of the waste hierarchy. The guiding principles of waste management are: waste disposal, energy recovery, recycling, reuse, minimization and prevention with disposal being the least effective and prevention, the most effective waste management tool. 

 

 

The Al Dhafra project was competitively tendered in 2008 and took some time and hard work to design and bring it to fruition. TSME engaged an American Joint Venture of Lippmann Milwaukee (an equipment manufacturer) and Turnkey Processing Solutions (a process contractor) to engineer, procure, construct and commission the plant. Construction of the plant started in February 2009 and features the latest technology. The processing plant features two different types of crushers, several screens, a number of powerful magnets and picking stations, all of which are linked by a series of conveyors. The plant was officially opened by senior representatives of the Abu Dhabi Government on 10th May 2010. The plant is designed to process between 5,000 to 7,000 tonnes of C & D waste on a daily basis. It is one of its kind and the largest and most sophisticated in UAE and the Middle East. “It provides Abu Dhabi with a unique opportunity to showcase its environmental credentials. Virgin materials used in construction that come from quarries can now be partially substituted with the products from this plant. We are very pleased to be associated with such an endeavour,” says Tim Harwood.

 

TSME has been stockpiling suitable construction and demolition debris during the facility construction period in preparation for the commencement of processing operations this May. The quantity of C&D waste generated by the emirate of Abu Dhabi fluctuates depending on the time of year and the number of projects underway in the emirate. However it is anticipated that quantities ranging from 5000 to 7000 tonnes per day are expected to be supplied to the C&D recycling plant. To reflect the anticipated activity and also to meet the requirements of the concession agreement, the facility has a design capacity to match the volume of incoming C&D material.

 

The facility will produce a range of materials including road base, sub base, structural fill, trench bedding, hardstand and low dust asphalt products. International experience has demonstrated that recycled products perform as well if not better than virgin natural materials. “The plant will produce material that complies with existing standards used in Abu Dhabi in conformance with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and ASTM (American Society for Testing of Materials), and have been shown to outperform the natural quarried products. The Abu Dhabi Government has outlined mandatory specifications that will require projects in Abu Dhabi to use at least 40 percent of the material in construction projects,” affirms the General Manager.

 

He explains, “This capital and machinery-intensive project has a lot of positives and is great in terms of sustainability. The project enables a 50 percent reduction in waste to landfill, reduced greenhouse impact compared to production and transportation of quarried products, and reduced use of natural resources. This will reduce the reliance of Abu Dhabi on the quarries of other emirates and hence, reduce the carbon footprint of construction projects in Abu Dhabi.”

 

He further says, “The incoming waste is segregated at the stock-piling area. Unsuitable materials such as carpets and timber are removed before an excavator feeds a hopper which leads to the plant. After passing through a series of magnets, screens, crushers and picking huts that are connected by a series of conveyors, the end product is delivered to a radial arm stacker for stockpiling and testing to ensure compliance with specifications. As part of the process other recyclable materials are recovered, such as steel and plastics. Unsuitable materials are rejected and diverted to the nearby Al Dhafra landfill. It takes approximately 3 to 4 minutes for unprocessed material to be converted into the recycled product.” “Our Al Dhafra plant has been a fantastic effort by a dedicated team with a tremendous focus on health and safety during construction and now, into operations. The plant has been designed with many safety features as the well-being of our staff executing the recycling operations is extremely important to us. The plant also includes devices to minimise environmental impacts such as dust and an environmental monitoring programme is in place,” says Tim Harwood.

 

Source: cleanmiddleeast.ae