Dubai launches industrial wastewater treatment plant

The Municipality of Dubai, the UAE, has launched a new plant to treat industrial wastewater, which will then be reused for irrigation.

The new plant is situated at the Jebel Ali Hazardous Waste Treatment Complex and can produce 450,000l of irrigation water in 24 hours.

Dubai Municipality director-general Dawoud Al Hajiri was quoted by Gulf News as saying, “It is one of the innovative projects to enhance efforts in the transition to a green economy. The plant will be able to treat 600 cubic metres of liquid waste per day, using the latest technology and Artificial Intelligence.”

Al Hajiri added that this plant can treat different types of waste, which include acid and petroleum wastes and effluents with high percentages of toxic components.

According to Waste Management Department director Abdul Majeed Abdul Aziz Saifaire, 75% of the treated wastewater will be used for irrigation after further treatment. This treated water will be used for washing equipment, which in turn is expected to reduce the dependency on potable water.

Saifaire also added that this project was implemented after studying the international practices and the municipality adopted technology that suits the nature of waste produced in Dubai.

“In addition, the station is equipped with an Artificial Intelligence system, which contains intelligent sensors capable of reading the quality of water entering the various units of the station”

The municipality reportedly plans to operate the plant one shift a day to treat 200m3 based on the current needs.

This new plant is aimed at meeting the objectives for the environment in the National Agenda and the Dubai 2021 Plan.