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YFEL members engage and interact with industry leaders, while expanding their scope of knowledge in the renewable energy industry. Visits and networking events are designed to provide them with the right learning ground and equip themselves to carry out future roles as industry professionals. It offers young professionals and students from the UAE and abroad an opportunity to become more engaged in finding solutions to the world’s biggest challenges – achieving energy efficiency and tackling climate change.

Along with the planned schedule that they follow along the year, YFEL members participate in volunteering activities and events, locally and internationally. These activities aim to give back to the communities and spread the awareness of sustainability and renewable energy industry.


Preserving Our Environment: A Dilemma Bolstering Green Hydrogen Production in the UAE Recycling Plastic Bottles as Plant Pots in School Cleaning the Beach in Fujairah Using Fly Ash to Break Down Toxic Phenol 1,000kg Of Litter In Two Hours Life-changing Leadership Lessons Clean The Desert Campaign Antarctica
Preserving Our Environment: A Dilemma

By Abdulrahman Alghamdi, YFEL 2021 Member

Ironically, the most crucial problem humans face requires fewer human activities (for example, human wastes and car emissions). Would it be possible to really help the environment? Or would our actions make any difference? The obvious answer is: Yes! But how? The news is filled with studies and statistics that show how our planet is suffering from us. Reducing the use of plastics, using recycling techniques, and saving the forests, do these things resolve the environmental problems?

Nowadays, interconnectedness has become the main feature of our world. This planet relies heavily on how we, humans, communicate and connect. Connections are made without even knowing (we are always part of something bigger).

Thus, simple actions matter now! For instance, if you posted a video about trash/recycle management, people will try to imitate your actions. Eventually, a trend will appear and get  published everywhere leading to building greater awareness in our society. A famous quote that we need to keep in our minds is:

“The easiest way to achieve big results is to take consistent and small actions for an extended period. Similarly, taking small negative steps also adds up and leads to negative outcomes.”  We owe it to the world to try. Let us not care about the results for a while, and focus on the actions and strategies that would make the difference.

Bolstering Green Hydrogen Production in the UAE

By Aamna Alteneiji, YFEL 2021 Member

I am a mechanical engineer working in the leading energy producing company in the  UAE, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). I joined the YFEL program to gain knowledge and skills, and to be involved in the world’s different energy and sustainability challenges.

During the YFEL program, I worked with international professionals to provide solutions to current energy challenges. Within my group, we worked on the topic of Green Hydrogen. We investigated many of the current green hydorgen projects and the challenges they face. Together we proposed advanced solutions to enhance green hydrogen production in the UAE.

Being involved in this topic helped me develop my knowledge in a field that has great potential in the UAE and the wider region. ADNOC is keen to investigate heavily in hydrogen production and is willing to become the largest hydrogen producer in the world.

My YFEL project will help me to be part of new projects at ADNOC and lead future sustainable projects in the UAE aligned with the UAE’s ‘Energy Strategy 2050,’ to increase the contribution of clean energy up to 44% by the year 2050.

Recycling Plastic Bottles as Plant Pots in School

by Sara Al Hinai

As a part of our YFEL initiative I established with my group, I have taken it upon myself to start an initiative towards plastic recycling in my community. I have collaborated with Saraa Private School to start a plastic recycling and gardening initiative. It started with collecting empty water bottles to be used as planting pots. The initiative started at home by collecting water bottles used by my household and then preparing the bottles for gardening (e.g. cutting bottles and poking holes through). Plants selected were diverse, ranging from native plants, fruits, leafy greens and flowers. Native plants included Acacia Arabica, Mesquites and Moringa Peregrina. The purpose of selecting such species is to promote sustainable landscaping with climate appropriate plants and to educate students on such types of native plants. In addition, flower planted was the Mirabilis or the Four o’clock flower and that is to add variety and colorful aesthetics to the landscaping. Lastly, yielding crops were planted such as thyme, green beans, pumpkin, cantaloupe and watermelon.


Figure 1- Collection of used plastic bottles


Figure 2- Start of plantation in June 2020


Figure 3- Close up of recycled plastic as plant pots


Figure 4- Plantation at end of September 2020


Figure 5- Second batch of plantation

Cleaning the Beach in Fujairah

by Arwa Fikri, YFEL 2020 Member

As part of YFEL member, we were asked to volunteer in any community service that benefits the society. The service I choose to volunteer in was cleaning up the beach in Fujairah. As we know in summer season many families visit the beach and unfortunately some of them leave their trashes behind them, such as food waste and plastic bottles, which result in a negative effect not only for the environment but also for the marine creatures who live and depend on land to survive. I decided to go and clean up some of these trashes to help our environment, even if we see this as a simple work, but these small details make the difference if we all cooperate!      

Using Fly Ash to Break Down Toxic Phenol

by Laura Andrea Acosta Figueredo, YFEL 2020 Member

The average crude oil production for the year 2018 in Colombia, until August was 858 KBPD (Thousand Barrels Per Day) [1], of which for each barrel of crude produced, 11.6 barrels of water on average [2]. These contain phenolic compounds between 98 and 128 mg/L [3], very high values ​​compared to the maximum permissible limits required by Resolution 0631 of 2015 in Colombia, reported as 0.20 mg/L [4]. It represents a serious discharge problem due to its low biodegradability, high toxicity, as well as causing considerable damage to Ecosystems and human health.

The Fenton process with ultraviolet light, different concentrations of Fe2+ and H2O2 has proven highly effective and is positioned as an economically viable alternative for the elimination of toxic and persistent pollutants. Allows the oxidation of phenol in the best case to CO2 and H2O [5].

The use of solid waste as a catalyst is proposed, such as fly ash, whose estimated total annual global generation is 7.5 x 103 t/year. It has a very attractive chemical composition to be used in the Photo-Fenton process due to the presence of iron oxide and TiO2 in the structure [6].

Image 1. Middle Magdalena Valley

Image 2. Fly ash

The characterization of fly ash from the waste of Termotasajero S.A. thermoelectric was carried out, for which X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), molecular adsorption (BET) and morphology tests were performed.

The variables of fly ash and peroxide concentration were taken as variables (Table 1). Two targets were made to check the effect of ash and peroxide in the presence of LED light on a concentration of 50 ppm of phenol, finding the degradation percentages are not significant in any of the cases. Then, several of the 4 of the 9 tests proposed at 30 ° C and with a pH of 3 were carried out.

Variable

Units

Range

C,H2O2

mM

5

12,5

20

C,Fly ash

g/L

0,2

0,6

1,0

Table 1. Ranges of the variables proposed

To monitor the degradation, the 4-aminoantipyrine colorimetric method was used, from which a colored reaction is generated and the absorbance of the samples with respect to time was taken.

100% degradation of the phenol concentration of a 50-ppm solution was achieved in 140 minutes, from the addition of 12.5 mM H2O2 and 5.55 g/L of fly ash.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 

  1. Degradation

  1. Determination[7]

 

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Fly Ash characterization

The smallest diameter was 0.54 μm and the largest was 67.85 μm, with a standard deviation of 3.09 μm, showing that its distribution is heterogeneous. The particles are predominantly spherical in shape (left) and consist of solid spheres and porous unburned carbon (right).

Image 3. SEM (left) and TEM (right) micrographs of fly ash from Termotasajero

This suggests that once the ash is involved in the catalytic photo process, the Photo-Fenton process prevails over heterogeneous photocatalysis by titanium dioxide

Chemical Composition (% w/w)

SiO2

TiO2

Al2O3

Fe2O3

MnO

MgO

CaO

Na2O

K2O

P2O5

SO3

BaO

51.49

1.08

26.37

9.37

N.D.

0.32

0.63

N.D.

1.05

0.13

0.30

0.14

Table 2. Chemical Composition (% w/w) of Fly Ash from Termotasajero S.A

The X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) for the ash sample revealed the presence of the mineralogical phases: Mullite (31,5%), Quartz (9,7%), Magnetite (2,3%), Amorphous (55,8%).

Image 4. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) of fly ash from Termotasajero S.A.

Phenol Degradation

 

Graph 1. X,Phenol (%) vs. time (min)

  • LED light favors the development of the Photo-Fenton reaction.
  • It is possible to degrade the phenol content using a Photo-Fenton reaction using fly ash as a catalyst.
  • 100% degradation of the phenol present in a 50-ppm solution was achieved in 140 minutes, using 1.11 g of fly ash and or 0.40 mL of H2O2 at pH 3 and 30 °C

Future Work

 

  • Evaluate the efficiency of the phenol degradation process using the Photo-Fenton reaction with a real water sample.
  • Perform tests in a continuous reactor.
  • Think about the escalation of this process.

REFERENCES

  1. «Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos de Colombia,» [En línea]. Available: http://www.anh.gov.co/Operaciones-Regalias-y-Participaciones/Sistema-Integrado-de-Operaciones/Paginas/Estadisticas-de-Produccion.aspx.
  2. Ecopetrol S.A., «Reporte Integrado de Gestión Sostenible 2016,» 2017.
  3. A. Coelho, A. Castro, M. Dezotti y G. Sant’Anna, «Treatment of petroleum refinery sour water by advanced oxidation processes,» pp. 178-184, 2006.
  4. Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, «Resolución 0631,» 2015.
  5. A. Rubio-Clemente, E. Chica y G. Peñuela, «Aplicación del proceso Fenton en el tratamiento de aguas residuales de origen petroquímico,» Ingeniería y Competitividad, vol. 16, nº 2, pp. 211-223, 2014.
  6. R. J. M, C. Santos, L. Cambronero, F. Corpas, F. Alfonso y A. J. Moraño, «Aprovechamiento de las cenizas volantes, clase F, de centrales térmicas para la fabricación de materiales cerámicos,» Cerámica y Vidrio, vol. 39, nº 3, pp. 229-231, 2000.
  7. ASTM, D1783-01: Standard Test Methods for Phenolic Compounds in Water, 2015
1,000kg Of Litter In Two Hours

Four YFEL students from Masdar Institute collected 68 kg of trash, including barbeque litter, plastic buckets and even a 3kg motor, as part of a Volkswagen “Clean the Desert Campaign” on March 17 in association with Siemens and Rotana. It involved 250 volunteers using 20 VW SUVs to drive into the desert near Dubai to collect garbage. In just two hours, the volunteers collected 1,000 kg of waste. But it was the four-member YFEL-Masdar team that collected the most of any group participating in the event!

Later in the day, the founder of Plastic Not So Fantastic (PNSF) made an informative presentation at the Amwaj Rotana on camel deaths caused by eating plastic litter.

Life-changing Leadership Lessons

YFEL member Iman Ustadi learned about leadership from highly successful women from across the globe during the fourth biannual Women as Global Leaders conference held in mid-March at Zayed University. Iman, a graduate student in the Engineering Systems and Management program at Masdar Institute, also networked, developed partnerships and shared experiences with fellow female students from around the world.

Highlights of the conference included insightful presentations from Her Royal Highness Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal Al Saud, Her Highness Sheikha Sheikha Saif Mohammed Al Nahyan, Baroness Helena Ann Kennedy, Her Excellency Raja Essa Al Gurg and actress Sigourney Weaver.

Clean The Desert Campaign

Four YFEL students from Masdar Institute collected 68 kg of trash, including barbeque litter, plastic buckets and even a 3kg motor, as part of a Volkswagen “Clean the Desert Campaign” on March 17 in association with Siemens and Rotana. It involved 250 volunteers using 20 VW SUVs to drive into the desert near Dubai to collect garbage. In just two hours, the volunteers collected 1,000 kg of waste. But it was the four-member YFEL-Masdar team that collected the most of any group participating in the event!

Later in the day, the founder of Plastic Not So Fantastic (PNSF) made an informative presentation at the Amwaj Rotana on camel deaths caused by eating plastic litter.

Antarctica

‘The Last Frontier’ : A Classroom

Antarctica. It’s the world’s last unspoiled frontier and a place of remarkable beauty. This extreme environment also offers enormous research and educational opportunities, particularly for students of alternative energy and sustainability. UAE nationals Reem Al Junaibi and Maitha Al Kaabi, two YFELs who also are graduate students at Masdar Institute, had the life-changing opportunity to experience this first hand.

The YFEL program opened the way for their application to participate in the 16-day International Antarctic Expedition 2012. This once-in-a-lifetime research, sustainability and leadership program was led by renowned polar explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan, who, through the program, seeks to develop global ambassadors to champion environment preservation and sustainability.

Reem, who is a graduate student in the Engineering Systems Management program, researches the impact of mixed, intermittent energy sources on the electric grid. During the trip they visited the E-Base research station, which operates entirely on renewable energy. Maitha, who is a graduate student working in the Green Composites and Bio-fuels Lab of the Water and Environmental Engineering program, studies the preparation of materials for use in water treatment and purification. Antarctica, which is a virtual desert, provided valuable insights and perspectives on the challenges of sustainably producing potable water.

Reem and Maitha also benefited from the IAE 2012 guest experts on the environment, climate change, sustainable development, and outdoor leadership, who hosted presentations, debates, and lessons in the dynamic “classroom” of the Antarctica to prepare them to be ambassadors of the environment and change.