Tue, 01/26/2016 - 09:40

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (Jan. 20, 2016) – The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Xylem Inc. have jointly announced a research collaboration to establish sustainability indicators such as energy and cost performance of processes and equipment for water, wastewater and water transport and treatment facilities in Abu Dhabi. The key performance indicators will be established through a one-year study that aims to help policy-makers, regulators and those responsible for specifying and purchasing equipment and processes in the region to make informed decisions. The report will also help achieve targets set through development of a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) for wastewater transport and treatment technologies. The MACC is an established method for identifying and ranking the most cost-effective areas for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in a variety of industries. It can be a useful visual tool to compare potential projects and prioritize them based on their economics for reducing carbon emissions. Marginal abatement in the MACC refers to the cost to reduce or offset one unit of pollution, and optimal technology choices have a negative or zero marginal abatement cost. The agreement was signed by Vincent Jean Marie Chirouze, Xylem Inc.’s Middle East and Africa regional director and Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Masdar Institute’s interim provost. “Our partnership with Xylem will result in an increased ability to identify areas for improvement in the water and wastewater transport and treatment sector. Masdar Institute has experience in developing abatement cost curves and believes this collaboration is foundational to our expanded research efforts across the water sector,” said Dr. Steve Griffiths, Masdar Institute vice president of research. Vincent Chirouze said the agreement marks a pivotal milestone for the company’s growth. “The partnership with Masdar Institute will enable us and government stakeholders to further understand areas of improvement for the UAE’s water and wastewater sector, in particular around energy efficiency, ultimately supporting the deployment of highly-efficient technologies and processes to help solve pressing water issues with sustainable solutions. Masdar Institute has demonstrated its expertise and ability to address issues critical to the UAE’s sustainable development, and we are proud to partner with them on this important project,” Chirouze said. The principal investigator (PI) for the project will be Shadi Wajih Hasan, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Masdar Institute, who has wide experience in wastewater related research. Taha Ouarda, professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Masdar Institute, who has expertise in environmental sampling and data analysis, will be the co-PI. A master’s student will also be part of the team. Xylem is already engaged in applying the MACC technique to wastewater transport and treatment in various regions. According to a Xylem report titled “Powering the Wastewater Renaissance: Energy Efficiency and Emissions Reduction in Wastewater Management,” nearly half of the electricity-related emissions in global wastewater management can be abated at a negative or neutral cost. This translates to a potential global volume of 44 million metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) that could be abated annually at zero or negative cost. Xylem’s report also indicates almost 50 percent of electricity-related emissions from the wastewater sector in the US, Europe and China can be abated with existing technologies. Nearly 95 percent of this abatement can be achieved at zero or negative cost, whereby savings from energy efficiency would exceed spending on the abatement measure. The Masdar Institute was established by the government of Abu Dhabi as a not-for-profit, private graduate university to develop indigenous R&D capacity in Abu Dhabi addressing issues of importance to the region.