[Oman-L] Omani company to launch region's first bio-refinery

[wealsowalk at aol.com]

Joachim, this project to turn date palms to ethanol is very interesting and probably very important on a world scale.  Further, if it is true that:


Harthy explained: "They will be trained in the
re-treatment of the raw material and converting the
aste into coal.

Then it would also be possible to take that waste coal and turn it into very clean deisel as we have been doing with coal here in the USA at a number of locations. In fact, there are several corporations here who have been leasing the technology to do that on a world wide basis.  It is not too different than what was done long ago in Germany.  Why call it waste if you can use it?  Call it a byproduct. The coal has become so valuable here that entire mountain tops have been removed and shovelled into valleys to get at it.  Oman can use it in more environmentally favorable ways than that if they are actually producing it and creating less waste in the process.

Bill Isakson
El Cerrito, CA USA


-----Original Message-----
From: Joachim Duester <jduester at oman.org>
To: oman-l at oman.org <oman-l at oman.org>
Sent: Sun, 24 Jun 2007 6:28 am
Subject: [Oman-L] Omani company to launch region's first bio-refinery



Omani company set to launch region's first
io-refinery   
haleej Times - 22 June 2007
Work on the Arab region's first 'bio-refinery', that
ill produce ethanol mainly from date palms for use in
otor vehicles as a substitute for petrol and diesel,
s due to start in Oman's Batinah region town of Sohar
oon.
The 11 million riyal plant, to be imported from
razil, will immediately create 4,000 jobs for
ationals, besides turning in a profit of $ 225
illion in its very first year of operation, its
romoter, an enterprising Omani businessman, claims.
Mohammed Saif Al Harthy said yesterday that the
niqueness of the project was that cellulose, that
ill be converted into ethanol, would be extracted
rom the date palms "without cutting a single tree."
is 'Oman Green Energy Company' (OGEC) plans to set up
 string of 'bio-fuel filling stations' all over the
ountry and aims to cut carbon monoxide emission by up
o 20 per cent by 2020.
The plant, expected to be ready by the end of the year
r early 2008, will have an initial capacity of
00,000 tonnes per annum, which will be doubled within
wo years.
The new 'green' fuel will be sold at 80 baisas per
itre, compared with an average price of 125 baisas a
itre for petrol and 130 baisas for diesel in Oman.
ighty per cent of the output will be exported, mainly
o Europe, China and India where the demand for
lternative fuels is surging as it is in the United
tates, Canada and Brazil. The rest will be consumed
n Oman and other GCC countries where, Harthy said,
he trend was just catching up.
"Our cost of production, according to detailed studies
e conducted, will be $ 200 per tonne against the
verage worldwide price for the finished product of $
50 a tonne. Hence, on an initial production of
00,000 tonnes annually, we are looking at a profit of
 225 million in the first year," he added.
Harthy, 43, has been working on the project for the
ast two years and has extensively studied the
xperience of Brazil, a pioneer in the field and which
as been successfully producing fuel from sugarcane
or decades. He said 95 per cent of cellulose required
or the project would come from date palms. "The
eauty of the whole thing is that we will extract
ellulose from the trees without cutting a single
ree.
"Each tree can produce nine kilogrammes of cellulose
very five days. So you can imagine the potential," he
dded. Rest of the cellulose needed for the project
ill come from plants such as Arunda Donuts, which
lso grow abundantly in the Sultanate.
"Most significantly, these trees and plants do not
equire too much water," Harthy said, adding that the
roject would give a boost to the agriculture sector
y encouraging farmers to go in for date cultivation
n a much larger scale.
Although the plant as such is not very labour
ntensive — needing only around 50 people to operate
t, it will create thousands of job openings
mmediately.
In fact, OGEC, which will start collecting bio-mass by
id-August, will recruit 4,000 nationals the same
onth.
Harthy explained: "They will be trained in the
re-treatment of the raw material and converting the
aste into coal.
The workers will be trained for five months on
perating the 'pressuring' machines — the company will
e importing 4,000 of these machines — and will be
bsorbed as full-time employees.
"This is really a huge project," Harthy, who is also
he CEO of the company, said, adding: "Once in
peration, not only will it be one of the country's
argest employers, but will significantly contribute
o the economy boosting the agriculture sector,
esides considerably reducing pollution."
He said the company plans to set up a chain of
io-fuel filling stations across the country. "As
eople here become more and more aware of the
dvantages, both in terms of costs and environmental
mpacts I am certain, ethanol will replace petrol and
iesel as the main source of fuel all over the Gulf."
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