Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar

<p dir="ltr">The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are on the verge of a significant shift in waste management, with governments increasingly focused on reforming the waste sector. In Qatar, which currently landfills 90% of its waste, efforts are underway to establish one of t...

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محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Sophia Ghanimeh (17787575) (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Farah Idris Sangor (22565855) (author), Johaina Khalid Alahmad (17714295) (author), Adriana Gomez-Sanabria (18847723) (author), Fares AlMomani (14097725) (author), Hamza A. Halwani (22565858) (author), Sanju Purohit (22565861) (author), Rabin Chakrabortty (20880737) (author)
منشور في: 2025
الموضوعات:
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author Sophia Ghanimeh (17787575)
author2 Farah Idris Sangor (22565855)
Johaina Khalid Alahmad (17714295)
Adriana Gomez-Sanabria (18847723)
Fares AlMomani (14097725)
Hamza A. Halwani (22565858)
Sanju Purohit (22565861)
Rabin Chakrabortty (20880737)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Sophia Ghanimeh (17787575)
Farah Idris Sangor (22565855)
Johaina Khalid Alahmad (17714295)
Adriana Gomez-Sanabria (18847723)
Fares AlMomani (14097725)
Hamza A. Halwani (22565858)
Sanju Purohit (22565861)
Rabin Chakrabortty (20880737)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Sophia Ghanimeh (17787575)
Farah Idris Sangor (22565855)
Johaina Khalid Alahmad (17714295)
Adriana Gomez-Sanabria (18847723)
Fares AlMomani (14097725)
Hamza A. Halwani (22565858)
Sanju Purohit (22565861)
Rabin Chakrabortty (20880737)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-07-15T09:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Harnessing_Waste_for_Emission_Cuts_the_Anaerobic_Digestion_Potential_in_Qatar/30542765
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Environmental sciences
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Ecological applications
Environmental management
Anaerobic digestion
Clean energy from waste
Fertilizer substitution
GHG avoidance
Gulf cooperation council
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are on the verge of a significant shift in waste management, with governments increasingly focused on reforming the waste sector. In Qatar, which currently landfills 90% of its waste, efforts are underway to establish one of the region’s most advanced waste treatment centers, including an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility. However, the question arises whether AD solutions are justified in a fossil fuel-rich nation like Qatar. To this end, this study is among the very few ones that aim to evaluate “concomitantly” the benefits of green energy generation and fertilizer substitution– and the first to consider the specificities of GCC countries. Three organic waste streams were considered: organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), livestock manure (LMW) and sewage sludge waste (SSW). The results indicate the potential of AD to generate 850 million m³ of biogas and 2.5 million metric tons of digestate. The biogas could produce up to 3.5 million MWh of surplus energy, equivalent to a reduction of 642 million kg CO2-eq. Substituting traditional fertilizers with digestate could further save 49 to 788 million kg CO₂-eq annually– reaching a total of 691-1,430 million kg CO₂-eq mitigated annually. Overall, AD of the three studied organic waste streams can potentially offset 0.7–1.4% of Qatar’s GHG emissions. The findings also highlight the importance of selecting appropriate feedstock sources to maximize GHG savings. For instance, the complementarity between OFMSW and LMW boosts both clean energy production (by OFMSW’s high biogas yield) and fertilizer replacement (by the high LMW nutrient content).</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Earth Systems and Environment<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9</a></p>
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identifier_str_mv 10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9
network_acronym_str Manara2
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oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/30542765
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spelling Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in QatarSophia Ghanimeh (17787575)Farah Idris Sangor (22565855)Johaina Khalid Alahmad (17714295)Adriana Gomez-Sanabria (18847723)Fares AlMomani (14097725)Hamza A. Halwani (22565858)Sanju Purohit (22565861)Rabin Chakrabortty (20880737)Environmental sciencesClimate change impacts and adaptationEcological applicationsEnvironmental managementAnaerobic digestionClean energy from wasteFertilizer substitutionGHG avoidanceGulf cooperation council<p dir="ltr">The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are on the verge of a significant shift in waste management, with governments increasingly focused on reforming the waste sector. In Qatar, which currently landfills 90% of its waste, efforts are underway to establish one of the region’s most advanced waste treatment centers, including an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility. However, the question arises whether AD solutions are justified in a fossil fuel-rich nation like Qatar. To this end, this study is among the very few ones that aim to evaluate “concomitantly” the benefits of green energy generation and fertilizer substitution– and the first to consider the specificities of GCC countries. Three organic waste streams were considered: organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), livestock manure (LMW) and sewage sludge waste (SSW). The results indicate the potential of AD to generate 850 million m³ of biogas and 2.5 million metric tons of digestate. The biogas could produce up to 3.5 million MWh of surplus energy, equivalent to a reduction of 642 million kg CO2-eq. Substituting traditional fertilizers with digestate could further save 49 to 788 million kg CO₂-eq annually– reaching a total of 691-1,430 million kg CO₂-eq mitigated annually. Overall, AD of the three studied organic waste streams can potentially offset 0.7–1.4% of Qatar’s GHG emissions. The findings also highlight the importance of selecting appropriate feedstock sources to maximize GHG savings. For instance, the complementarity between OFMSW and LMW boosts both clean energy production (by OFMSW’s high biogas yield) and fertilizer replacement (by the high LMW nutrient content).</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Earth Systems and Environment<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9</a></p>2025-07-15T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1007/s41748-025-00698-9https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Harnessing_Waste_for_Emission_Cuts_the_Anaerobic_Digestion_Potential_in_Qatar/30542765CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/305427652025-07-15T09:00:00Z
spellingShingle Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
Sophia Ghanimeh (17787575)
Environmental sciences
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Ecological applications
Environmental management
Anaerobic digestion
Clean energy from waste
Fertilizer substitution
GHG avoidance
Gulf cooperation council
status_str publishedVersion
title Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
title_full Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
title_fullStr Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
title_full_unstemmed Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
title_short Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
title_sort Harnessing Waste for Emission Cuts: the Anaerobic Digestion Potential in Qatar
topic Environmental sciences
Climate change impacts and adaptation
Ecological applications
Environmental management
Anaerobic digestion
Clean energy from waste
Fertilizer substitution
GHG avoidance
Gulf cooperation council