The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy, and sustainable technologies, and Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology provider, today jointly announced a research collaboration to establish sustainability indicators such as energy and cost performance of processes and equipment for water, wastewater and water transport and treatment facilities in Abu Dhabi.

The key performance indicators (KPIs) will be established through a one-year study that aims to help policy-makers, regulators and those responsible for specifying and purchasing equipment and processes in the region to make informed decisions.

The report will also help achieve targets set through development of a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) for wastewater transport and treatment technologies. The MACC is an established method for identifying and ranking the most cost-effective areas for mitigating  greenhouse gas emissions in a variety of industries. It can be a useful visual tool to compare potential projects and prioritize them based on their economics for reducing carbon emissions. ‘Marginal abatement’ in the MACC refers to the cost to reduce or offset one unit of pollution and optimal technology choices have a negative or zero marginal abatement cost.

The agreement was signed by Vincent Jean Marie Chirouze, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa, Xylem Inc., and Dr. Steve Griffiths, Vice President of Research, Masdar Institute, on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2016, which is being held as part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2016 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).

Dr. Steve Griffiths, Vice President of Research, Masdar Institute, said: “Our partnership with Xylem will result in an increased ability to identify areas for improvement in the water and wastewater transport and treatment sector. Masdar Institute has experience in developing abatement cost curves, and believes this collaboration is foundational to our expanded research efforts across the water sector.”

“Today’s announcement with Masdar Institute marks a pivotal milestone in our regional growth plan and represents a solid step in our journey as a leading water technology innovator and provider,” said Vincent Chirouze, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa, Xylem Inc.

“The partnership with Masdar Institute will enable us and government stakeholders to further understand areas of improvement for the UAE’s water and wastewater sector, in particular around energy efficiency, ultimately supporting the deployment of highly-efficient technologies and processes to help solve pressing water issues with sustainable solutions. Masdar Institute has demonstrated its expertise and ability to address issues critical to the UAE’s sustainable development, and we are proud to partner with them on this important project,” he added.

The principal investigator (PI) for the project will be Dr. Shadi Wajih Hasan, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Masdar Institute, who has a wide experience in wastewater related research. Dr. Taha Ouarda, Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Masdar Institute, who has expertise in environmental sampling and data analysis, will be the co-PI.  A Master’s student will also be part of the team.

Xylem is already engaged in applying the MACC technique to wastewater transport and treatment in various regions. According to a Xylem report titled ‘Powering the Wastewater Renaissance: Energy Efficiency and Emissions Reduction in Wastewater Management,’ nearly half of the electricity-related emissions in global wastewater management can be abated at a negative or neutral cost. This translates to a potential global volume of 44 million metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) that could be abated annually at zero or negative cost.

Xylem’s report also indicates almost 50% of electricity-related emissions from the wastewater sector in the US, Europe and China can be abated with existing technologies. Nearly 95% of this abatement can be achieved at zero or negative cost, where savings from energy efficiency would exceed spending on the abatement measure.

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