Application of the ‘waste to water’ concept to Sharm El Sheikh through a CFD simulation Original Research Article

Many communities in arid regions have both waste disposal and water shortage problems suggesting the use of the thermal energy inherent in municipal waste to desalinate sea and brackish waters. The technology requires to be demonstrated in an appropriate pilot study effected on a complex having the scale of an hotel or appartment block. Particularly suitable candidate sites are available in the prosperous Egyptian resorts on the Red Sea and similar complexes throughout the arid regions of the Middle East. Solid waste disposal creates a nuisance condition in relation to the tourist industry for which these resorts were conceived. This paper presents the results of a prior theoretical study of two hotels in Sharm El Sheikh. The one is a five-star hotel comprising 800 rooms (Pyramisa hotel), the other is a four-star establishment of 100 rooms (Days Inn Gafy). Data have been collected for both of these complexes in order to demonstrate the validity of the ‘waste to water’ (W2W) concept. Further support for the concept is provided via a mathematical simulation of the waste thermal treatment unit (WTTU). Thermal vapour compression distillation technology has been selected as the most suitable for direct coupling to the WTTU. It is concluded that the two hotels could be self sufficient in fresh water supply through environmentally clean thermal treatment of their waste streams. It is foreseen that the technology, once demonstrated, will be replicated in the many resorts of the Gulf region and elsewhere. It will also enable the creation of environmentally acceptable and self-sufficient new small communities in arid regions providing new habitat and employment possibilities. However, the concept is not restricted to arid rural regions, it is also perfectly suited to urban areas subject to water shortages.