BESIX Middle East, part of Belgium-headed BESIX Group, has announced that its flagship Sludge-to-Energy project in the Emirate of Ajman has successfully passed performance and reliability tests.
Designed and built by BESIX Middle East for Ajman Sewerage (Pvt) Co. Ltd (ASPCL), the facility transforms what was previously considered a waste stream – sewage sludge – into a valuable source of sustainable energy.
The facility, the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), comprises two power generators with a combined capacity of 2.4 MWe.
This allows for the on-site production of green energy covering up to 50 percent of the electricity consumption of the ASPCL wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Al Jurf.
A circular, ecological and cost-saving solution
Sewage sludge is a residual organic by-product of biological wastewater treatment, which sewage treatment plants have historically disposed of in conventional landfills.
The Ajman Sludge-to-Energy facility digests the sludge to produce biogas, which is then used to generate heat and electricity that is used in the WTTP itself.
This solution has environmental advantages. In addition to reducing the WWTP’s reliance on the public power grid, it provides a circular solution.
The digestion process allows for a significant reduction of the sludge quantities, whilst avoiding the uncontrolled fermentation of unstabilized sludge which releases large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs), generates odorous nuisance, and poses a potential risk to public health.
In addition, the facility paves the way for further environmental upgrades such as the implementation of solar sludge drying and the use of fats, oils, and greases (FOG) from restaurant grease traps to boost the facility’s electricity production potential.
Aligned with UAE strategy and European standards
The contract for designing and building the Sludge-to-Energy facility was awarded to BESIX Group by ASPCL in 2019, and construction continued throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic period.
According to BESIX, this required a high level of creativity and flexibility from the project team and seamless cooperation between all stakeholders, including the local government electricity provider Etihad Water & Electricity (EWA).
The Ajman Sludge-to-Energy facility is fully aligned with the UAE Federal Government’s strategic environmental and energy objectives, in particular the UAE Green Agenda 2015-2030 and the UAE Net Zero program, a strategic initiative led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The project complies with the relevant European safety regulations for biogas plants, and its emissions meet the stringent TA-Luft standards, the German air pollution control regulation.
Third Sludge-to-Energy project
This is the third Sludge-to-Energy project that BESIX has successfully commissioned in just five years.
In the Netherlands, BESIX has successfully implemented similar biogas production and energy recovery schemes, including 100 percent energy-neutral facilities.
