UAE to test conversion of food waste into biogas and fertiliser

Emirates Biotech and United Arab Emirates University are launching an integrated pilot project in the UAE to process organic waste. The facility will convert food waste and compostable packaging into biogas and compost.

The pilot plant will be located near the UAEU campus in Al Ain. It will process up to 40 kg of organic waste per day, with the main goal of testing the technology and developing guidelines for its potential wider rollout in the UAE.

The project addresses a significant waste challenge, as food waste accounts for nearly 40% of the UAE’s daily municipal solid waste. Some of this material, together with contaminated packaging, currently ends up in landfills, and the partners aim to test their joint processing.

The technology will combine anaerobic digestion and composting. Digestion will produce biogas, while the remaining digestate will be converted into nutrient-rich compost. Researchers will also examine the possibility of converting the biogas into renewable hydrogen.

The project will run for two years, with installation and commissioning scheduled for completion by August 2027. According to the partners, a full-scale facility of this type could potentially reduce CO₂ emissions by around 89% compared with landfilling organic waste.

Tags: UAE, fertilisers, food waste, biogas