The fuel crisis that has plunged many Lebanese areas into prolonged periods of darkness has posed a serious threat to the country’s energy sector and infrastructure.
Today, a group of Lebanese ex-pats in France is working on a green, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels that they tried to introduce to their homeland.
Dr. Haytham Sayah, the executive director of CryoCollect, is working alongside his team on an ambitious project that offers a low-cost solution to the problem of fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources.
CryoCollect’s waste-to-energy system is based on the liquefication of biofuel. It treats organic waste, i.e. animal and food waste, and transforms it into an efficient energy source.
The Paris-based company collects the needed waste from a group of farms in France that annually end up with a total of around 29,500 tons of animal waste.
The materials are then decomposed in an oxygen-free environment under conditions that replicate those of a digestive system, such as a constant temperature of 37 °C, which naturally produces biogas.
The components of biogas, which are primarily Methane and CO2, are then separated to isolate Methane and, in turn, produce biomethane: A flexible and easily storable fuel that can be burnt to generate heat and electricity.
The difference between CryoCollect and its competitors, as Dr. Sayah points out, is that his company’s system is more reliable and cost-efficient for mass production.
The French government has subsidized the Lebanese team’s production and allowed its market to develop as it aims to gradually transition to more ecological and renewable alternatives to fossil fuels over the coming years.
CryoCollect, led by its Lebanese executives, has expanded and launched projects in several areas in France. It has also crossed French borders to introduce its system to Canada and offer consultancy services in Ukraine.
Interestingly, the team wanted to bring its sustainable, green, affordable, and efficient system to Lebanon and open up new possibilities for the country’s deteriorating electricity sector.
However, CryoCollect’s Energy Efficiency Consultant and Project Manager, Dr. Rami Khadra, complains to Annahar, “We tried to work in our country and we were asked to refer to the politicians.”
“For how long will the rulers remain in control of life and constitute an impediment to the ambitious youth who wish to develop their homeland?” he asked.
Lebanon, which is suffering from a severe lack of combustibles to keep its electric generators running normally, recently appealed to some Arab Gulf countries in an attempt to secure their financial support.
