MUSCAT: Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (be’ah) will showcase its strategy for the conversion of biogas from landfills into energy at an upcoming forum on sustainability due to take place in Muscat during March 13 – 14, 2023.
Wholly state-owned be’ah – part of Oman Investment Authority (OIA) - is overseeing the Sultanate of Oman’s circular economy development strategy as part of its broader mandate to effectively and sustainably manage the country’s municipal and solid waste sector.
Explaining its vision in a recent post, be’ah stated: “Landfill gases are extracted from the landfills to be either treated or used. However, if the collected gases cannot be used to produce energy, it must be flared. And the main purpose of collecting or extracting gases is to minimize impact on the environment and human health.” It announced that an overview of its plans to convert landfill bio-gas into energy will be shared at the International Sustainability Recourses & Technology Conference (ISRTC) due to take place at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre as part of the upcoming Oman Sustainability Week (OSW).
Methane – a planet-warming greenhouse gas – accounts for around half of all gases by volume emanating from landfills. Carbon dioxide (CO2), another greenhouse gas, accounts for much of the remaining volume. These gases are produced by the action of bacteria on organic waste.
According to be’ah, landfill gases if left to disperse into the atmosphere can have environmental and public health impacts. However, by installing tubes into the multiple cells that make up a landfill, these gases can be harnessed, treated and used as biogas for energy, including electricity generation. Biogas plants powered by landfill gases can meet the energy requirements of around 3,000 households with just 3 kW-hours (kWH) of clean electricity, an initiative that can also contribute to Oman’s Net Zero objectives, says be’ah.
Last year, be’ah had unveiled plans to oversee the development of a network of biogas plants to harness biogas for clean energy production. “Strategically, be’ah plans to support the development of multiple biogas plants across the Sultanate of Oman. With the project still in concept phase, be’ah is currently aligning with a number of entities interested in setting up a biogas plant at their premises as a solution to treat organic waste generated on site or from surrounding areas,” it added.
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