Nice to see good news from habib Gaza. Great article on the inventiveness (yet another invention) from the most besieged people, Palestinians in Gaza:
Ibrahim Sobeh and his son Mahmud with the device they built for domestic fuel production. Credit: Khaled Alashqar/IPS.
Desperate Gazans Turn Plastic Into Fuel, By Khaled Alashqar, May 7, 2014, Inter Press Services
On the roof of a modest house amidst the alleys of Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, Ibrahim Sobeh and his sons spent more than 200 days working on a primitive device that converts waste plastic into fuel.
“The idea came when I watched smoke emissions from a fireplace I made in my house,” Sobeh tells IPS. “I thought how to exploit these fumes and vapours. That prompted me to search online to find there were already attempts in America to exploit fumes emitted by burning hay to produce fuel, and this was the start.”
“Fuel in Gaza is extremely expensive and it is not available on a regular basis as a result of the blockade imposed on Gaza,” says Sobeh. “This is precisely what prompted me to look for a way to produce fuel domestically, which finally succeeded. But the project requires substantial financial support for its development.”
The device exposes plastic waste composed of oil molecules to high temperature in an Oxygen-free airtight box leading to degradation of the constituent particles of plastic into vapours. These are then passed through metal channels where the fumes are cooled. This results in liquid fuel somewhere between gasoline, diesel and kerosene.
“We produce one litre of fuel from 1.5 kg of plastic waste,” son Mahmud Sobeh tells IPS. “Diesel-run electrical and mechanical machines were successfully run on this fuel output. We have sent samples to the laboratories of the Islamic University of Gaza for scientific examination.”
These are desperate measures, and energy expensive in breaking down the plastic. But then Gazans are in a desperate situation.
The fuel crisis in Gaza has been ongoing for eight years now as Israel controls the amount of fuel entering Gaza through the Abu Salim crossing between Gaza and Israel. Gaza’s only power plant also runs on scarce diesel. Blackouts that last hours are a daily feature.
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Gaza Traces: In this exhibition, over 40 artists from Gaza explore the concept of ‘traces’ by contemplating its personal significance. Their resulting work considers issues related to memory, remains, evidence and reminders. Collectively, they convey the importance of documentation by providing insight into the present cultural condition in Palestine. In doing so, they remind us of the necessity of the protection of Palestinian culture and heritage as a means towards Palestinian self-preservation
May 11th- May 21st 2014
10 am- 5pm (Except Friday)
PADICO Holding Gallery, 11th Floor, PADICO House, Ramallah
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Jenny Graham:
Gaza now | Student’s graduation project (Ahmed Jihad Aloul) from Gaza.
Picture: production of the first locally manufactured turbine for electricity generation by wind power in # Gaza
غزة الانFiled under: art in Gaza, siege on Gaza