Monday, Jun 18, 2012
Abu Dhabi:
Biodiesel produced from waste cooking oil will help establish world class waste management systems, providing a platform for sustainable resource consumption.
More importantly, it can bring down the five-to-six million tonnes of waste oil produced annually in Abu Dhabi, according to Rasha Abd Rabu, a Masdar Institute graduate and member of the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) programme.
She is a Master’s graduate Mechanical Engineering and a Research Assistant at Waste to Energy Laboratory at Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi. She showcased her project titled “Dual Chamber Tubular Reactor for Continuous Trans esterification of Waste Cooking Oil” at the Rio+20 Summit organised by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, said a press release issued by the institute on Monday.
The summit being held from 20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil has gathered more than 50,000 participants from governments, companies and environmental and non-government groups to set new goals across seven core themes including food security, water and energy.
The YFEL member was one of the students in the delegation from Masdar Institute, participating in key events at the Summit in Brazil. Rasha is additionally participating in the Women Leaders’ Forum on ‘Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and Sustainable Development’, while offering her support at the UAE Pavilion Theatre.
Providing details on her research, Rasha said: “Environmental protection and conservation depend on reducing emissions and waste. Biodiesel, which has comparable physical and chemical properties to petroleum diesel, can reduce the presence of Green House Gas and bring down harmful emissions. Through this process, I have discovered at the Masdar Institute laboratory that it is possible to minimise the negative impact on environment, while establishing world class waste management systems.”
Speaking at the Women Leaders’ Forum, Rasha Abd Rabu said: “Women should remember that it all starts with a few unusually brave and extraordinary women to take the lead and successfully make their way to become engineers and participate in efforts towards sustainable development and renewable energy. Emirati women should fully utilise the support the UAE leadership offers through institutions and organizations.”
Staff Report
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
