Wastes to be turned into biofuel in Fayoum

Egyptian Minister of the Environment Yasmin Fouad met on Sunday the representatives of a major American energy company to discuss a potential project for turning wastes into biofuel in Fayoum Governorate.

During the meeting, the minister listened to a presentation about the project’s objectives and the technology used in it to produce biofuel from wastes.

She listened to an explanation about the production of derivatives, such as hydrogen and paraffin, which can be used in a number of industries.

The minister said Egypt has started the implementation of a new solid waste management system that relies on making the most of solid waste to reduce the refuse buried in sanitary landfills as much as possible.

She added that the new system would contribute to sustainable development nationwide.

“The government has taken upon itself the mission to create the infrastructure necessary for the implementation of the new system,” Minister Fouad said.

This infrastructure, she added, includes the establishment of landfills, intermediate handling stations and appropriate recycling mechanisms.

She noted that the second phase of the programme would include the preparation of contracts for collection operations, transportation, street cleaning, the operation of landfills and stations, and the establishment of recycling and treatment factories.

The third phase of the system, the minister said, would include technical and institutional support and community participation through the issuance of laws and involving the private sector, civil society and the informal sector and raising social awareness.

The representatives of the American company, for their part, said the project comes within their company’s endeavor to launch projects that improve the environment and reduce carbon emissions.

They said the project for turning wastes into biofuel in Fayoum would achieve a number of objectives that serve the local community in the governorate.

They said the project would produce biodiesel and alternative fuels along with products that can be used in agricultural fertilization.