Report on Experience in Dubai

The Warsan Waste Management Centre, which went into operation in the Warsan region of Dubai in 2024, is a superlative facility in many respects. This report describes the special features of the plant and the solutions.

by Kerstin Matthies and Ruedi Kummer

Abstract

The Warsan Waste Management Centre, which went into operation in the Warsan region of Dubai in 2024, is a superlative facility in many respects. On average, it converts 5,500 tonnes of waste into renewable energy every day. Partly because of the special climatic conditions at the site, there were a number of challenges during the construction of the plant, and also in the course of commissioning and operation. One example is a delay in commissioning due to heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in April 2024. Another challenge has been temperatures that can rise to 55 degrees in the boiler house during the summer months, preventing adequate air cooling of the steam and thus necessitating much larger air coolers. This report describes the special features of the plant and the solutions. While technical solutions have been found to meet some of the challenges, such as the high temperatures, suitable approaches are still being sought in other areas. On the waste management side, for example, there are repeated cases of unauthorised disposal of palm trunks, which are too robust to burn on the grate and subsequently block the deslagging units. The solution lies primarily in early detection as well as identifying and penalising the person responsible. Solutions to some other challenges, such as the basic composition of the waste fractions, are being found through comparison with other plants. All in all, the plant is running very well and is making a valuable contribution to waste disposal security in the region.

published: TK Verlag, 4|2025
Keywords: Energy Recovery, Resource management, Mixed Waste, Germany, United Arab Emirates

Dr. Kerstin Matthies
Kanadevia Inova AG