United Arab Emirates, Umm Al Quwain,

Emirates RDF

Treating household waste to replace fossil fuels!

BESIX has built and helps manage the first Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) plant in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain. Based on a vision of integrated waste management, it converts the waste of the emirates of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain's 550,000 inhabitants into RDF, which partially replaces the gas and coal used in the region's cement plants.

A PPP between Umm Al Quwain and Emirates RDF

The RDF facility was built and is managed by a public-private partnership. Partners are the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain and the Emirates RDF Company.

Emirates RDF is a joint venture of BESIX, the Ajman-based Tech Group Eco Single Owner holding company, and Finland-based Griffin Refineries.

A sustainable approach

The RDF plant has the capacity to process 1,000 tons of household waste a day from the emirates of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain.

Solid waste is shredded, sorted and dried to turn it into RDF, which can serve as an alternative, low-carbon fuel in cement kilns, partially replacing traditional gas and coal. Implementation of this project could divert up to 90% of household waste from landfill sites.

Together with our partners Griffin Refineries and the Tech Group Eco Single Owner holding company, we were pleased to launch this strategic waste management project in the Northern Emirates. This will enable the UAE to meet its ambitious sustainability goals and help cement companies reduce their fossil fuel consumption.