Now a new team of ambitious young Egyptians aims not only to scrub the skies clean of its soot, but to make a pile of money doing so. Founded by Yahia Mohamed Reda, who devoted his graduation project at Banha University to finding a way to convert agricultural waste into activated carbon, RecycloEgy must first raise the funds that will see this lofty ambition through. 

By mixing agricultural waste with chemicals at a certain temperature, Reda can produce activated carbon that has a variety of applications.

Most significantly, perhaps, activated carbon is used to remove pollutants such as pesticide from water, and can be used as a substitute for the chlorine so widely used to the detriment of residents’ health in Cairo.

It is also used to whiten and purify sugar.

Despite its many benefits, Reda told Egypt Independent that nobody in North Africa or the Middle East are producing it. In fact, Egypt alone imports approximately 6,000 tons of activated carbon per year at significant cost.

But before we get excited about this extraordinary earning potential, RecycloEgy has a long way to go before it will have sufficient funds to properly develop their concept and sell it to other countries on the African continent or to Gulf countries.

The company’s three-pronged approach includes establishing a small waste collection facility near Banha, where they will charge a small fee to process the waste that is inadequately processed by government.

Then they plan to convert some agricultural waste for use as an organic fertilizer or biogas, and to recycle solid waste into items that can be sold.

Only after these two cash cows are grown will the ultimate goal of developing activated carbon be in reach.

“[In] the long term, I think the activated carbon will contribute to protecting Egypt from the black clouds that consist of the accumulation of factories’ vapors and gases and burning the agricultural wastes by the farmers,” Reda told the paper.

We don’t think this can happen soon enough.

:: Egypt Independent

Image of Cairo’s polluted sky, Shutterstock

The post RecycloEgy Aims to Scrub Cairo’s Black Cloud and Make Money appeared first on Green Prophet.

Amid the turmoil and disappointment of Egyptian President Mubarak’s refusal to leave Egypt despite ongoing and increasingly desperate protests, an unexpected consequence has emerged. Infamous for its stultifying smog, Cairo is packed with factories and cars that create an unhealthy breathing environment for its constituents. Long term government plans include relocating the factories but in the meantime, despite Mubarak’s pleas for Cairenes to return to work, many businesses remain closed. This in turn has cleared the air.Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that Cairenes can breathe a little easier, even though the political drama is far from simmering down.

That’s because many factories are still closed, reducing the amount of emissions clogging up the sky. The problem, according to the paper, is that the air above Cairo has a low dispersal rate, meaning that pollutants linger longer than they should.

The result, according to the World Health Organization, 10-100 times the safe limit of toxic atmospheric pollution that local residents breathe in. The WHO also noted that the average person breathes in 20 times as much pollution as is acceptable.

The World Bank reported in 2002 that pollution causes environmental damage amounting to an average USD 2.42 billion or 5% of Egypt’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Unfortunately, political success – should it ever come for the Egyptian people – would spell further environmental disaster since the capital’s 12,000 factories and four million cars will be back in full swing. And the black cloud will return.

:: Al-Masry Al-Youm

More on the Egyptian Riots and Its Environmental Consequences:

Egypt’s Conflagration Is An Advance Warning For An Unsustainable World

Tunisia, Egypt: What Fuels Middle East Repression

Rising Food Prices Behind Riots in Tunisia And Egypt

The post Egyptian Strikes Clear The Air – Temporarily appeared first on Green Prophet.

Waste, after corruption and smog, is probably Egypt’s number one nemesis. Everywhere one travels – even the most popular tourist spots – is overrun with organic and solid rubbish. Finally, the Ministry of Agriculture is getting serious about addressing the problem.

Although not a solution for solid waste and recyclables, the government is considering ordering tons of special earthworms from Australia that are capable of processing huge quantities of agricultural and organic waste, as well as polluted water. The worms then create a byproduct that can be recycled.

In Egypt, 34,000 tons of organic waste are produced each day. 32% of that is generated in Cairo, while organic waste from Giza, Alexandria, and Cairo put together account for over 50% of the country’s total waste. Pigs used to treat waste previously were culled following the international swine flu scare.

Today most of the organic waste is buried while the agricultural waste is burned, contributing to the black cloud that is ruinous to air quality and citizen health in the country’s capital. The Egyptian government is beginning to realize that a lot of the waste can be recycled, that it is a natural resource.

Enter Australia’s superpower earthworms from Australia.

According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, 1,000 tons of earthworms can weasel their way through 1,000 tons of organic waste every day. In the process, they create a byproduct that renders soil very fertile. They can even be used to treat sewage water, as the worms are able to munch through heavy elements and acidic water, creating water clean enough to use for irrigation.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Climate Research Department, 26-28 million tons of waste can be recycled every year to create fertilizers and even natural gas.

The Center for Agricultural Research intends to use the worms for five years to clean up the current environmental problems. Surplus worms will be used as a high-protein feed for fish and poultry.

:: Al-Masry Al-Youm

More on Egypt environmental issues:

Out of Sight, Out of Mind. How Egypt Cleans Up

Black Smoke Chokes Cairo’s Skies

Egyptian Palm Tree Faces Extinction

The post Egypt Turns To Earthworms To Save Its Environment appeared first on Green Prophet.