Catalysing the GCC’s Waste-to-Energy Prospects for Agriculture – orfonline.org

Report on Waste-to-Energy Potential in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Waste Management Challenges and SDG Imperatives

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is confronting significant waste management challenges driven by projected population growth, rising affluence, and accelerated domestic food production. These trends directly impact the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The escalating generation of agricultural residues and food waste poses a threat to environmental sustainability and resource management, undermining progress towards SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

• In 2023, agricultural waste collection in GCC countries increased by 44 percent.
• In 2022, per capita food waste averaged 150kg annually, surpassing the global average by 14 percent.
• Current waste management is heavily reliant on landfilling, which processes over 85 percent of the region’s waste, contributing to methane emissions and challenging SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development

Core Principles and Technologies

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) encompasses processes that generate electricity or heat from waste treatment. While incineration is prevalent, technologies like Anaerobic Digestion (AD) and pyrolysis offer significant potential for converting organic matter into valuable resources. These technologies are central to establishing a circular economy and offer multiple co-benefits that align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Contribution to Key Sustainable Development Goals

The adoption of WtE, particularly AD and pyrolysis, offers a viable solution to address agricultural and food waste, contributing directly to the following SDGs:

• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): By converting waste into bio-fertiliser and biochar, WtE promotes regenerative agriculture, enhances soil fertility, and supports sustainable food production systems.
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Diverting organic waste from landfills reduces water contamination. The use of biochar improves soil water retention, reducing irrigation demands and pressure on constrained water systems.
• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): WtE contributes to renewable energy targets by generating biogas and biofuel from organic waste, providing a decentralized energy source for agricultural facilities.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): WtE is a cornerstone of circular economy models, promoting resource looping, material recovery, and significant reductions in food loss and waste.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): By diverting organic waste from landfills, WtE significantly reduces methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Biochar also aids in carbon sequestration.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): The application of biochar strengthens soil fertility, combating land degradation and reducing dependence on synthetic fertilisers.

Policy Landscape and Current Status in the GCC

National Commitments and Existing Gaps

All six GCC countries have established targets for renewable energy production (SDG 7), yet WtE comprises a minimal fraction of this output. A significant gap exists between policy ambitions and implementation, with less than 20 percent of solid waste being adequately treated and less than 5 percent recycled. This reliance on landfilling is unsustainable, particularly for nations with limited land capacity like Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, and hinders progress on SDG 11 and SDG 12.

Progress in WtE Infrastructure

Converging national policies on waste, energy, and the circular economy have enabled WtE to gain traction. Commercial-scale plants, primarily focused on incinerating municipal solid waste (MSW), are operational in the UAE and Qatar, with projects materializing in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. However, the potential of AD and pyrolysis for organic waste remains heavily underutilised.

Integrating WtE in the Agriculture Sector to Advance the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Aligning with Food Security and Production Goals (SDG 2)

GCC national strategies increasingly focus on enhancing domestic food production and reducing food waste. Implementing on-site, integrated AD and pyrolysis systems within agricultural facilities can create closed-loop processes. This approach transforms agricultural residues and animal waste, which are energy-rich feedstocks, into valuable resources, directly supporting sustainable agriculture and food security objectives outlined in SDG 2.

Synergies for Water, Energy, and Soil Health

• Energy (SDG 7): Biogas produced through AD can meet the energy needs of increasingly energy-intensive AgriTechnologies, reducing reliance on the grid. Studies indicate that crop and animal waste offer untapped energy potential of 1.68 Mtpa and 25.52 Mtpa, respectively.
• Land (SDG 15): Pyrolysis converts organic waste and AD byproducts into biochar, which enhances soil fertility and water retention, contributing to regenerative agriculture and climate resilience.
• Water (SDG 6): This integrated approach reduces the need for water-intensive synthetic fertilisers and complements efforts to reuse treated wastewater in agriculture, alleviating pressure on scarce water resources.

Untapped Potential Across the GCC

Despite proven technical and economic feasibility, the potential of AD remains largely untapped. In Oman, energy from organic waste could offset up to 22.5 percent of total energy consumption. In Qatar, valorising organic waste could generate 3.5 million MWh of clean energy. In Kuwait, food waste is the most energy-rich feedstock, yet biogas contributes zero percent to its renewable energy footprint, representing a missed opportunity for advancing SDG 7.

Overcoming Barriers to Scale WtE for SDG Achievement

Financial, Regulatory, and Logistical Hurdles

Scaling WtE initiatives faces several challenges that impede progress towards the SDGs. These include:

1. High Capital Intensity: WtE projects are capital-intensive and compete with the lower immediate costs of traditional landfilling.
2. Nascent Regulatory Frameworks: Emerging policies and financial incentive structures often lack consistency and are insufficient to drive private sector investment.
3. Feedstock and Infrastructure Variability: The efficiency of waste collection, sorting, and logistics varies across the GCC, limiting the consistency and quality of feedstock required for optimal WtE operations.

Strategic Recommendations for Progress

To capitalize on the region’s WtE potential and accelerate SDG achievement, a multi-faceted approach is required:

• Financial Incentives: Implement state-led tax incentives, carbon credit allowances (SDG 13), and increased landfill gate fees to improve the financial viability of WtE projects.
• Innovative Financing (SDG 17): De-risk innovation and scale efforts through blended finance models, public-private partnerships, joint ventures, and sustainable financing instruments like green sukuk.
• Policy and Research Integration: Strengthen the link between research, policy, and development to create a supportive ecosystem for WtE technologies.
• Market Development: Foster markets for WtE byproducts such as biochar and digestate fertiliser to create additional revenue streams and reinforce the circular economy.
• Capacity Building: Facilitate technology adoption, particularly among small-scale farmers, through integrated capacity-building programs and public awareness campaigns.

Conclusion: A Pathway to a Circular Economy and Sustainable Development

Waste-to-Energy presents a significant opportunity for the GCC to advance its sustainable development agenda. By transforming organic waste into valuable resources, WtE can promote a closed-loop, circular economy, particularly within the expanding agriculture sector. Realizing these strategic benefits for the water-energy-food nexus requires harmonizing waste management standards, reducing financial barriers through public-private initiatives (SDG 17), and embedding WtE within a broader strategy of responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article connects to SDG 2 by discussing the increase in domestic food production to enhance food security in the GCC region. It also highlights the generation of agricultural residues and the potential to convert this waste into bio-fertiliser (biochar), which promotes regenerative agriculture and strengthens soil fertility, contributing to sustainable food production systems.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  This goal is addressed through the discussion of how diverting organic waste from landfills can reduce water contamination. Furthermore, the article mentions that biochar produced from waste can improve soil water retention, reducing irrigation needs, and that leveraging local water treatment and reuse systems for agriculture can reduce pressure on constrained water systems.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  SDG 7 is a central theme, as the article’s main focus is on Waste-to-Energy (WtE) as a method to generate electricity and heat. It explicitly discusses converting agricultural and food waste into biogas and biofuel, which contributes to the renewable energy mix and helps meet facility-level energy needs, particularly in the energy-intensive agriculture sector.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The article discusses the need for developing infrastructure for waste collection, separation, and management. It promotes innovative and clean technologies like anaerobic digestion (AD) and pyrolysis as sustainable solutions for waste treatment and energy generation, aligning with the goal of upgrading infrastructure and industries for sustainability.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  This goal is relevant as the article addresses the challenge of managing municipal solid waste (MSW) in a region experiencing exponential population growth. It points out that over 85% of waste is sent to landfills, a practice that is unsustainable for countries with limited land capacity. The proposed WtE solutions aim to reduce the adverse environmental impact of cities by improving waste management.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  SDG 12 is directly addressed through the focus on reducing food waste and overall waste generation. The article highlights the high per capita food waste in the GCC and advocates for a circular economy approach, including prevention, reuse, recycling, and resource looping, to move away from a linear model of consumption and disposal.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article connects to climate action by explaining that food waste in landfills is a primary source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By diverting this waste to WtE facilities like anaerobic digesters, methane emissions can be significantly reduced. Additionally, generating renewable energy from waste helps in transitioning away from fossil fuels.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The use of biochar, a byproduct of pyrolysis, is mentioned as a way to strengthen soil fertility and promote regenerative agriculture. This contributes to restoring degraded land and improving soil health, which is a key aspect of SDG 15.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article concludes by emphasizing the need for public-private initiatives, joint ventures, and blended finance (like green sukuk) to overcome the high capital costs of WtE projects. It also calls for harmonising waste management standards across the GCC, highlighting the importance of partnerships to achieve sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 2.4: Sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices

   The article supports this target by promoting the use of biochar from waste to “strengthen soil fertility and water retention,” which are key components of resilient and sustainable agricultural practices, especially in water-scarce regions like the GCC.

2. Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution

   This target is identified through the statement that “Diverting organic waste from landfills would also help reduce water contamination.” Landfills are a major source of leachate that can pollute groundwater, and the article’s proposed solutions directly address this issue.

3. Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

   The entire article is built around this target. It details how WtE technologies can convert organic waste into biogas and biofuel, noting that GCC countries have established “targets for renewable energy production” and that WtE can help meet these goals. For example, it states that animal and crop waste could “offset up to 13.35 percent of current electricity consumption.”

4. Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable

   The promotion of “on-site, localised and integrated AD and pyrolysis systems” in agriculture and food facilities is a direct call to adopt clean and environmentally sound technologies and upgrade industrial infrastructure for greater resource efficiency.

5. Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to… municipal and other waste management

   This target is addressed by the article’s focus on improving the GCC’s waste management strategies, which are currently “greatly limited to landfilling, which currently processes more than 85 percent of the region’s waste.” The push for WtE is a direct attempt to reduce the environmental impact of urban waste.

6. Target 12.3: Halve per capita global food waste

   The article explicitly identifies the problem this target seeks to solve by stating that “the amount of food waste in 2022 averaged 150kg per capita annually, surpassing the global average by 14 percent.” While WtE manages waste rather than preventing it, it is presented as a solution within a broader strategy that includes food waste reduction initiatives.

7. Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

   The article’s core argument is about moving beyond landfilling to better waste management. It advocates for a circular economy that includes “landfill diversion, material recovery, resource looping,” and emphasizes that “prevention, reuse, and recycling should remain at the forefront of sustainable waste practices.”

8. Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil

   The article connects to this target by describing how pyrolysis transforms waste into biochar, “which helps sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide when reused in soil, contributing to regenerative agriculture” and strengthening soil fertility.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress.

• Amount of waste generated and recycled (Indicator for Targets 11.6 & 12.5)

  The article provides baseline data, stating that “more than 85 percent of the region’s waste” is landfilled, while “less than 5 percent is recycled.” Progress could be measured by tracking the reduction in the percentage of waste sent to landfills and the increase in the recycling rate.

• Per capita food waste (Indicator for Target 12.3)

  The article specifies that food waste in the GCC averaged “150kg per capita annually” in 2022. This figure serves as a direct baseline indicator to measure progress towards the goal of halving food waste.

• Share of renewable energy from waste (Indicator for Target 7.2)

  The article implies this indicator by highlighting the untapped potential. It notes that biogas currently contributes “zero percent of the country’s renewable footprint” in Kuwait. It also provides potential energy generation figures, such as “3.5 million MWh of surplus clean energy” in Qatar and “213.3 GWh/y” in Bahrain from biodegradable waste. Progress can be measured by the actual MWh of energy generated from WtE projects and its share in the total energy mix.

• Amount of agricultural waste collected (Indicator for waste generation)

  The article mentions that “the amount of agricultural waste collected in GCC countries increased by 44 percent” in 2023. This can be used as an indicator to track the scale of agricultural waste that needs to be managed sustainably.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: orfonline.org