Young energy leaders see how German industrial giant achieves sustainability
▶ Emiratis are back from Europe after seeking ideas that will help their work on water and energy at home
Young Emiratis have returned from a study trip to Germany eager to start work on projects including better ways to keep buildings cool and sourcing potable water from humidity.
The Young Future Energy Leaders visited chemical producer Basf in the German town of Ludwigshafen, near Mannheim, last week to learn about the latest work being done there.
“The world is shifting towards sustainability and clean, renewable energy,” said Hamad Al Khoori of Al Ain. “Everything I saw there, learning new processes and technologies in sustainability, might be available in the UAE.”
Mr Al Khoori, 25, a civil engineer with Abu Dhabi Ports, discussed his findings with the company on his return.
“They re-use by-products in a sustainable manner so almost nothing goes to waste,” he said. “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.”
Another project involved insulation to heat or cool air inside a building.
“Small pellets are placed into the walls of a building to maintain its temperature, so this can also be used for air conditioning in planes, boats and mid-rise towers,” Mr Al Khoori said.
“We would use a lot less AC, so it’s environmentally friendly and cost effective.”
Sarah Al Zarouni, 22, a graduate in sustainable and renewable energy engineering from the University of Sharjah, hopes to lead the country in a more sustainable direction.
“They have projects in oil refineries and water desalination done in a sustainable manner,” said Ms Al Zarouni, from Dubai.
“It inspired some ideas of my own, like a new way of using photovoltaics not just to generate electricity but also to combine it with other elements, for example wind and solar energy, with new technology.
“I’ve learnt how to convert these ideas into reality. They also taught us to turn humidity into drinkable water.
“We have a lot of humidity here 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 technology 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,” Ms Al Zarouni said. “Having it means nothing if people don’t use it.”
Sharing knowledge with the sustainability leaders of tomorrow and finding answers 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 as 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.
“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 envi-
After visiting Germany, the students came home with a message that everyone must understand the importance of sustainability