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Technology firm Emirates Biotech and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) have launched a joint project to develop the UAE’s first integrated organic-waste valorisation pilot plant.
The facility, located near the UAEU campus in Al Ain, will process mixed food waste streams containing compostable packaging, converting them into renewable biogas and nutrient-rich compost.
The pilot plant will have the capacity to process up to 40kg of organic waste per day. The two-year project, running from August 2026 to August 2028, will assess the technical, environmental and economic performance of the integrated process, with installation and commissioning expected to be completed by August 2027.
The project will combine anaerobic digestion and composting, with researchers also investigating whether the resulting biogas could be converted into renewable hydrogen at laboratory scale.
“The project will demonstrate a novel integrated biorefinery concept for organic waste management in the UAE,” said Dr Aman Kulshrestha, Chief Technology Officer of Emirates Biotech.
“Anaerobic digestion will convert organic waste into renewable biogas, with the potential for upgrading to green hydrogen. The resulting digestate will undergo composting to produce nutrient-rich compost.”
Kulshrestha said successful regional validation could support greater organic-waste diversion and circularity, while demonstrating the potential role of compostable packaging in the process.
Food waste accounts for nearly 40% of daily municipal solid waste in the UAE, according to the project partners, with much of this currently sent to landfill.
The pilot will therefore examine whether food waste and compostable packaging can be processed together to recover resources and divert material from landfill.
Professor Zafar Said Sher, UAEU project lead, said the project would evaluate “a practical end-of-life pathway for food waste and compostable packaging” while supporting the UAE’s circular economy, food security and Net Zero ambitions.
It will also provide training opportunities for students and researchers in waste-to-resource technologies.
Dr Rami, Associate Provost for Research at UAEU, said collaboration between academia and industry would be important in translating research into scalable solutions.
“If successfully scaled, an integrated organic waste valorisation plant could eventually reduce CO2 emissions by 89% in comparison to landfilling,” the project partners said.
The research is expected to produce technical evidence and operating guidance that could inform the development of larger, modular facilities in the UAE and other markets.
