Maintaining cool temperatures in buildings and converting humidity into potable water are some of the projects a group of young Emiratis hope to one day apply in the UAE.
The Young Future Energy Leaders visited one of the world’s largest chemical producers, Basf, in Germany this week to learn about the latest ground-breaking sustainable solutions.
“The world is shifting towards sustainability and clean, renewable energy,” said Hamad Al Khoori, a 25-year-old Emirati from Al Ain. “Everything I saw there, learning new processes and technologies in sustainability, might be available in the future in the UAE.”
The civil engineer, who works for Abu Dhabi Ports, discussed his findings with the company upon his return. He hopes many of the projects he witnessed will help serve the UAE in the future.
“They reuse by-products in a sustainable manner so almost nothing goes to waste. Oil is the main mechanism here in the UAE and it’s what we mainly depend on to create energy but it’s not very sustainable so using that can create clean energy here,” Mr Al Khoori said.
Another potential project included insulating heat or cool air in a building. “Small pellets are placed between the walls of a building to maintain its temperature so this can be used for air conditioning, in planes, boats and midrise towers,” he said. “We would use a lot less AC so it’s environmentally-friendly and cost effective.”
For Sarah Al Zarouni, a graduate in sustainable and renewable energy engineering from the University of Sharjah, leading the country in a more sustainable way is her goal.
“They have projects in oil refineries and water desalination done in a sustainable manner,” said the 22-year-old from Dubai. “It inspired some ideas of my own like a new way of using photovoltaics in different applications, not just to gain electricity, but also in a hybrid system to combine it with other elements, for example combining wind and solar energy with new technologies.”
The UAE uses photovoltaics through solar parks to generate electricity from sunlight. “I’ve learnt how to convert these ideas into reality,” Ms Al Zarouni said. “They also taught us to convert humidity into drinkable water. We have a lot of humidity here in the UAE so if that works, it would be great to have and we could add more twists and more resources to it and tie it with other technologies to improve it.”
She said citizens must become more aware of their surroundings and the environment. “They should care and take the next step by recycling, for instance,” she said. “Having it available means nothing if people don’t use it.”
Knowledge sharing with the sustainability leaders of tomorrow and finding solutions for pressing real-world problems by giving young people direct exposure to new technological trends is key for Basf.
“It provided us with an insight [to] how these extremely bright and ambitious young people work towards promoting a water-secure and sustainable energy future for the UAE,” said John Frijns, the company’s Vice President for the Middle East.
“They toured various site facilities, including one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Europe and they received first-hand insights from Basf’s experts in water chemicals and ultrafiltration on how the company manages wastewater from [our] production process.”
The visit also included talks on insulation for greener buildings and chemical solutions for solar energy plants that enable the sun’s energy to make a sustainable contribution towards a low-carbon society.
“The Basf Ludwigshafen site is the world’s largest integrated chemical complexes,” Mr Frijns said. “It employs more than 39,000 people and uses resource-saving processes that make products that create value for customers and the environment”.
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
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Pakistanis at the ILT20
The new UAE league has been boosted this season by the arrival of five Pakistanis, who were not released to play last year.
Shaheen Afridi (Desert Vipers)
Set for at least four matches, having arrived from New Zealand where he captained Pakistan in a series loss.
Shadab Khan (Desert Vipers)
The leg-spin bowling allrounder missed the tour of New Zealand after injuring an ankle when stepping on a ball.
Azam Khan (Desert Vipers)
Powerhouse wicketkeeper played three games for Pakistan on tour in New Zealand. He was the first Pakistani recruited to the ILT20.
Mohammed Amir (Desert Vipers)
Has made himself unavailable for national duty, meaning he will be available for the entire ILT20 campaign.
Imad Wasim (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders)
The left-handed allrounder, 35, retired from international cricket in November and was subsequently recruited by the Knight Riders.
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies+– by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
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Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
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Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Civil War
Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Nick Offerman
Rating: 4/5
