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Egypt is nearing the completion of a huge project that mixes science and industry in the city of Alexandria, based on converting carbon dioxide gas into clean energy, with the aim of converting harmful substances into a useful added value.
The project is based on building a national semi-industrial system for the production of liquid green solar fuel, to meet the climate changes resulting from the industrially emitted carbon dioxide, in the coastal Alexandria Governorate. According to what the project organizer confirmed to “Sky News Arabia”.
The project is being implemented by the Center for Scientific Excellence for Graphene and its Applications in Energy and Electronics at the Egyptian Japanese University, in Borg El Arab, Alexandria.
Project manager, Ahmed Abdel Moneim, told Sky News Arabia: “Our research at the Graphene Scientific Center of Excellence at the Egyptian Japanese University is consistent with the state’s plan for sustainable development, which aims to reduce gas emissions from factory work and fuel burning in factories and cars, and the most important of these The gas is carbon dioxide.
Abdel Moneim, who holds the position of Head of the Scientific Center of Excellence for Graphene at the Egyptian Japanese University, said, “Our work during the project is based on converting carbon dioxide that is harmful to the environment and the climate into something beneficial, through a technology known worldwide, which is (Fischer-Tropsch)”. .
In view of the great importance of energy in industry and daily life, and due to the alarmingly high price of fossil fuels, as well as in order to avoid environmental pollution and preserve it from organic waste, carbon, emitted gases and climate change, the search for the development of alternative, clean, permanent and cheap sources has become a necessary and urgent requirement.
– Each country has its own national plan to find alternative sources of energy to secure its needs, so the major and leading countries have allocated a huge budget to develop alternative sources of energy by 2050.
– Egypt began some time ago, realizing the importance of developing alternative and sustainable sources of energy, to keep pace with global development and serve society and industry.
– According to the latest UN report, the emissions rate in Egypt is less than 1%, specifically only 0.6%, with 325 million tons of carbon dioxide, which led to a deterioration in public health and the spread of viruses and diseases, as well as the impact of agriculture and tourism, which requires speed The government’s fulfillment of its international and societal responsibility towards this phenomenon.
In this regard, Abdel Moneim continued, “As the world transitions to a low-carbon energy system, the process of converting carbon dioxide to produce high-value, low-carbon hydrocarbons is important, such as jet fuel, diesel, chemicals, and low-carbon-density chemicals.”
How is the process?
Abdel Moneim explained that this is done “by mixing green renewable hydrogen, produced from desalinated water, directly with carbon dioxide, through the industrial (Fisher-Tropsch) technology, which represents one of the most important sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emissions, and many seek to apply it globally. of the major industrial companies.
He added, “Based on all this, the Egyptian Japanese University in Alexandria (the city most vulnerable to drowning in Egypt due to global warming), in cooperation and with societal support from the major industrial companies concerned, such as Ezz Steel, Ethdeco for ethylene production, and the Academy of Scientific Research, began building the first model. A national pilot semi-industrial integrated ecosystem for liquid solar fuel production.
He pointed out that this is done “through a technology that converts emissions into synthetic liquids with added value, and this technology uses dense carbon dioxide emissions as a primary source of carbon with renewable green hydrogen produced from distilled sea water, to produce liquid fuels consisting of long hydrocarbon chains constituting diesel.” Gasoline and olefins, with oxygen as a by-product.
He explained that the system on which the project is based “consists of a concentrated solar energy unit, supported by a multi-stage water desalination unit, and a unit for producing renewable green hydrogen from pure water.”
Abdel Moneim stressed that “this system focuses on increasing the performance of the process of direct conversion of carbon dioxide gas by hydrogenation, using the Fischer-Tropsch technology to liquid fuels, to develop a new generation of catalysts that have high performance efficiency to create liquid fuels, with a selective ability to produce petroleum vehicles. A specific medium, which has an economic return.
He also stressed that this project “will add to Egypt local experiences gained for the first time, on how to integrate all the individual components of the model together.”
The information obtained will also provide an “assessment of the feasibility of the project and its industrial expansion, to achieve national sustainable development goals and to contribute internationally to facing climate change.”
The man concluded his speech to “Sky News Arabia”, by saying that “many stages of the project have been implemented under the supervision of an alliance of researchers with extensive research experience in national and international scientific research institutions and industrial institutions, and their experiences vary between manufacturing and operating solar cells, water desalination, and hydrogen production. Renewable and vibrant green, and the production of liquid fuels.