The world’s first research facility to grow both food and fuel, using desert lands irrigated by seawater, began operations today on a two-hectare site in Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The facility, operated by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, is funded by the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC), a group advancing the aviation industry’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by developing a clean, sustainable and alternative fuel supply.
The research facility uses coastal seawater to raise fish and shrimp for food, whose nutrient-rich wastewater then fertilises plants rich in oils that can be harvested for aviation biofuel production. The salt-tolerant halophyte plants – whose commercial potential is relatively unexplored – thrive in arid, desert conditions and don’t require fresh water or arable land to grow. In the last step of the system, wastewater is diverted into a cultivated mangrove forest, further removing nutrients and providing valuable carbon storage, before the naturally filtered and treated effluent is discharged back into the sea.
The goal of the research facility is to demonstrate the viability of an integrated bioenergy production system with respect to essential food and fuel production, suitable land use, reduced carbon emissions and wastewater clean-up. If the technology proves viable at this smaller-scale, further expansion will continue with the ultimate ambition to scale up to a 200-hectare demonstration site.
“Research and innovation underpin the UAE’s ability to overcome environmental and social challenges, such as food and water security, while protecting our ecosystems, from our coastlines to our deserts,” said Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of climate change and environment. “This project will not only sustainably produce bioenergy, but also offer a pathway to grow our aquaculture industry, which supports food independence.”
Today, the UAE imports roughly 90 percent of its food – at a cost, that if left unchecked, is predicted to increase 300 percent over the next decade. But the challenge of food security is also an unprecedented opportunity to advance ideas and innovations that are both sustainable and economically viable. The Masdar Institute, along with its partners, is doing just that, said a statement.
“Energy, water and food security are key, interlinked needs for the UAE. Masdar Institute is committed to supporting the country’s strategic goals, and we are proud to be operating this research facility, which not only develops sustainable bioenergy and food to help fuel and diversify the UAE economy, but also serves as a training ground for a new generation of innovators,” said Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, interim provost of Masdar Institute, a graduate research-based university in Abu Dhabi, and a founding member of the SBRC.
“This project reinforces Masdar City’s burgeoning ecosystem of innovation and strengthens its collaborative links between industry, academia and government,” said Dr Al Yousuf. “The cutting-edge bioenergy facility also provides an example of how collaboration produces real and valuable outcomes, and will thus inspire and attract further research to Abu Dhabi.”
Aquaculture – industrial fish or shellfish farming – is one of the world’s fastest expanding food sectors, with a current growth rate of about 6 percent a year. While aquaculture systems can reduce a nation’s dependence on foreign food and improve security, they pose environmental challenges due to the impact of nutrient-rich effluents flowing into the ocean. The SBRC tackles these concerns and is seeking to minimise the footprint of commercial farming practices.
“Aquaculture systems are here to stay,” said Dr Kevin Fitzsimmons, professor of environmental science at the University of Arizona and a globally recognized expert on aquaculture systems. “As the planet’s population approaches 9 billion people, we must advance technologies that enable sustainable and manageable food production. The innovative facility in Abu Dhabi is a showcase of how cross-sector cooperation can lead to breakthrough research with the potential to deliver both food and aviation fuel – and do so in a sustainable, scalable way.”
Learn more: Research facility to grow food, fuel in desert land
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Grow fuel in desert land
- A plant that’s everywhere is fuelling a growing risk of wildfire disaster
CNN- A ubiquitous, resilient and seemingly harmless plant is fueling an increase in large, fast-moving and destructive wildfires in the United States. Gras ...
- Inside Wyoming’s Uranium Revival At Lost Creek, Largest Producer In The US
Ur-Energy’s Lost Creek operation in Wyoming’s vast Red Desert is leading a uranium revival and gave Cowboy State Daily an inside look at the largest uranium producer in the United States.
- A coal billionaire is building the world’s biggest clean energy plant and it’s five times the size of Paris
The scale of the project transforming swathes of barren salt desert on the edge of western India into one of the most important sources of clean energy anywhere on the planet is so overwhelming that ...
- Fire for Watersheds
To bring more water to the landscape — and fight the growing risk of catastrophic wildfires — a Tribe in California helps to reshape fire management policy.
- It's Coal v Clean Fuels in the Coming Power Struggle Over EPA Climate Rules
Coal interests promise to fight the EPA's strict new rules on CO2 from power plants, in a battle that could shape the country's climate future.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Grow fuel in desert land
[google_news title=”” keyword=”grow fuel in desert land” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Grow food in desert land
- A Fort Worth neighborhood was a food desert. Then an ex-Dallas Cowboys linebacker moved in
This former NFL star knows what it’s like to be successful. Now, he wants his neighbors in Fort Worth to know that feeling.
- A Fort Worth neighborhood was a food desert. Then an ex-Dallas Cowboys linebacker moved in
That’s when the idea of moving began to grow, he said. “I thought if we can get into the neighborhood so they can see what a middle class family is all about, we can be good role models.
- Commentary: State's support for farming program keeps New York growing
State funding for the FNG-NY program provides critical support to farmers, offering a farmland finder website, events and resources, and a statewide network of more than 30 regional navigators who ...
- Alfalfa is not Arizona's water-use enemy. Why we grow so much of it here
Opinion: Some argue that growing alfalfa in Arizona is a waste of water. But this crop uses less water than many others and provides many benefits.
- What we’ll grow and eat may change with a warming climate
James Beard Award-winning food writer Beth Dooley talks about why this is providing us with “lessons in adaptivity and resilience” ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Grow food in desert land
[google_news title=”” keyword=”grow food in desert land” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]