In an era where sustainability and resource efficiency are more critical than ever, innovative waste management solutions are proving to be game-changers. Today, we’re excited to share a groundbreaking closed-loop system capable of processing 100 tons of food waste per day—turning organic refuse into valuable resources like electricity, fresh water, industrial salt, and fertilizer, while actively combating desertification.
This model is based on operational data from Hong Kong’s O-PARK 2, adapted to Saudi environmental conditions, and tailored to address key regional challenges.
Quantified Benefits Overview
| Benefit Category | Output Metric | Daily Output | Equivalent Economic/Environmental Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Production | Biogas Electricity | 24 MWh/day | Powers 2,000 Saudi households (avg. 12 kWh/day) |
| Freshwater Production | Desalinated Water | 1,200 tons/day | Meets daily water needs of 4,800 people |
| Desert Restoration | Tire Stabilization Area | 8.5 ha/year | Equivalent to 12 standard soccer fields |
| Waste Conversion | Industrial Salt | 9.8 tons/day | Reduces reliance on salt imports |
| Organic Fertilizer | 22 tons/day | Improves soil quality across ≥17 ha/year | |
| Carbon Reduction | CO₂ Reduction | 18.2 tons/day | Equal to planting 13,000 trees annually |
How It Works: The Closed-Loop Process
🔋 Energy Chain: Food Waste → Biogas → Electricity
- 100 tons of food waste → 12,000 m³ of biogas/day
(1 ton waste ≈ 120 m³ biogas) - Biogas power generation efficiency: 2.0 kWh/m³
- Daily output: 24 MWh — enough to power 2,000 homes
💧 Water Chain: Electricity → Desalination → Salt Extraction
- Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination energy use: 3.5 kWh/ton
- Daily freshwater output: 1,200 tons
- Brine by-product converted to industrial salt: 9.8 tons/day
🌱 Ecological Chain: Fertilizer + Tires → Desert Restoration
- Organic fertilizer: 22 tons/day (wet weight)
- Tire stabilization: 1,333 tires/day filled with digestate
- Annual desert stabilization area: 8.5 hectares
- Night-time condensation collection: 1,066 liters/day (supports vegetation)
Why This Matters for Saudi Arabia
💡 Economic Benefits
- Water cost: $1.6/m³ (vs. municipal $2.3–2.8/m³)
- Salt sales: $120/ton → ~$430,000 annual revenue
🌍 Strategic Alignment with Saudi Vision 2030
- Boosts non-traditional water sources (target: 50%)
- Increases waste recycling rate (target: 85%)
- Contributes to carbon reduction: 6,643 tons/year per site
🏜️ Land & Resource Efficiency
- Uses waste heat for brine drying → saves 20 hectares of evaporation ponds
- Tire-based desert stabilization → low-cost, high-impact land rehabilitation
Visualizing the Impact
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100 tons food waste
│
├── Energy Chain → 24 MWh → powers desalination + grid
├── Heat Recovery → dries brine → 9.8 tons salt ($120/ton)
└── Ecological Chain → 22 tons fertilizer + 1,333 tires
│
├── Desert stabilization: 8.5 ha/year
└── Condensation water: 1,066 L/day + 40% plant survival boost
Conclusion
This closed-loop system demonstrates how 100 tons of daily food waste can be transformed into:
- ✅ 1,200 tons of freshwater
- ✅ 24 MWh of green electricity
- ✅ 3,577 tons of industrial salt annually (worth $429,000)
- ✅ 8.5 hectares of restored desert per year
- ✅ 56,600 tons of CO₂ reduction per year (tradable carbon credits)
A pilot financial model for Yanbu shows an IRR > 22%, making this not only an ecological breakthrough but also a financially viable investment.