DUBAI // The biggest methane gas recovery system in the Middle East has opened at Al Qusais landfill.
About 5,000 tonnes of rubbish is dumped at the 20-year-old site every day. As this rots, harmful greenhouse gasses such as methane and carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere.
The new system, launched today by Dubai Municipality, aims to capture the gas and use it to generate electricity.
The facility has been dubbed Station 2020 because it is expected to eventually have a 20 megawatt (MW) capacity and run for the next 20 years.
"The power generated will be used to operate municipality equipment in the area," said Hussain Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality.
"But this is only for the time being as we have plans to link with the Dewa [Dubai Electricity and Water Authority] grid in the near future.
"This will allow us to contribute clean sources of energy back into the city's power grid."
The system works by gathering gas through a 22-kilometre network of pipes that collect 6,000 cubic metres of methane per hour.
The pipes are connected to 126 wells that run 20 metres deep and link to 12 gas stations.
"At the moment this system covers about 20 per cent of the gas this landfill produces," Mr Lootah said.
At this rate, Station 2020 generates about 1MW of power, which will be used to power a GE Jenbacher gas engine that flares off methane. The system was designed and built by Dubai company Green Energy Solutions and Sustainability Solutions LLC.
"Methane is considered 21 times more harmful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide is," said the business development director, Anita Nouri.
About 55 per cent of the gas produced by the landfill is methane.
"The flare system burns off the methane gas and turns it to carbon dioxide," Ms Nouri said. "The engines used to operate the flares are also fuelled by some of the gas collected instead of using fossil fuels, which makes it a green system."
The flares will result in an annual reduction of approximately 250,000 tonnes of CO2.
Ms Nouri said the project was being registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and it was hoped it would be recognised as a Clean Development Mechanism by next month.
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
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Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
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Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Paatal Lok season two
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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
