Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency Research Articles

Computation of the environmental performance of ready-mix concrete for reducing CO2 emissions: A case study in Egypt

Concrete is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) worldwide due to the use of cement as its main component. The share of CO2 from cement industry is about 7%. There is a growing need for ways and methods to systematically identify, asses, modify, the cement production process for emission reduction. In line with Egypt commitment to climate change in the COP27, a framework is designed for the assessment of the cement plant. The aim of this paper is to investigate and calculate the CO2 emissions from a building in the New Egyptian Administrative Capital in the area of R5 using ready mix concrete. This study used compiled data of emission factors from Titan Egypt cement plant as the producer of cement in R5. The essential data needed for the calculations were collected from the literature with the guidance of the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) as well as the inventory sustainability reports guided by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). This is done on two parts: the calculation of CO2 total emissions of the baseline scenario and the second part is a computation of the emissions based on the alternative use of different categories such as raw materials, fuel consumption, energy efficiency, transportation, and water consumption. A comparison between the baseline and the alternative case took place to compute the percentage of reduction in emissions from concrete. The study findings are promising. The total amount of emissions from the concrete used in this project is about 3114.49 tons. By using the mitigation measures, there is a potential reduction in the total CO2 emissions of the building by calculations is concluded to be around 5.94%.

Convolutional neural network-based deep learning model for air quality prediction in October city of Egypt

Purpose Modern human society has continuous advancements that have a negative impact on the quality of the air. Daily transportation, industrial and residential operations churn up dangerous contaminants in our surroundings. Addressing air pollution issues is critical for human health and ecosystems, particularly in developing countries such as Egypt. Excessive levels of pollutants have been linked to a variety of circulatory, respiratory and nervous illnesses. To this end, the purpose of this research paper is to forecast air pollution concentrations in Egypt based on time series analysis. Design/methodology/approach Deep learning models are leveraged to analyze air quality time series in the 6th of October City, Egypt. In this regard, convolutional neural network (CNN), long short-term memory network and multilayer perceptron neural network models are used to forecast the overall concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter 10 µm in diameter (PM10). The models are trained and validated by using monthly data available from the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency between December 2014 and July 2020. The performance measures such as determination coefficient, root mean square error and mean absolute error are used to evaluate the outcomes of models. Findings The CNN model exhibits the best performance in terms of forecasting pollutant concentrations 3, 6, 9 and 12 months ahead. Finally, using data from December 2014 to July 2021, the CNN model is used to anticipate the pollutant concentrations 12 months ahead. In July 2022, the overall concentrations of SO2 and PM10 are expected to reach 10 and 127 µg/m3, respectively. The developed model could aid decision-makers, practitioners and local authorities in planning and implementing various interventions to mitigate their negative influences on the population and environment. Originality/value This research introduces the development of an efficient time-series model that can project the future concentrations of particulate and gaseous air pollutants in Egypt. This research study offers the first time application of deep learning models to forecast the air quality in Egypt. This research study examines the performance of machine learning approaches and deep learning techniques to forecast sulfur dioxide and particular matter concentrations using standard performance metrics.

Coral Reefs Damage Assessment due to Oil Pollution in Egyptian Water

Coral reefs are the most biological systems productive and versatile on the surface of the planet earth, which is a source with economic and social, returns great for the country that God-given this natural wealth. Egypt is home to some of the most spectacular coral reefs and associated marine life in the world. Egypt has enacted laws and takes effective measures for the protection and management of coral reefs and associated ecosystems in the Red Sea and its Gulf to characterize these areas of the richness and diversity of coral reef environment is scarce to be repeated elsewhere in the world. The largest sub-sector for the Egyptian tourism market is the coastal tourism. Coastal tourism depends largely on intact reefs, and this is also one of the most important causes of reef degradation in Egypt. Over the last two decades live coral cover has declined in Egypt. Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) implements its own methodology to estimate the coral reefs impacts as a result of the destruction of coral reefs due to ship aground or anchorage. This paper focuses on and presents the modelling of the destruction of coral reefs as a result of the collision and the ship ground damage assessment in case of oil spills in Egyptian coastal water referring to the EEAA methodology applied in Egypt.

Development and validation of a lead emission inventory for the Greater Cairo area

Studies that investigate the environmental health risks to Cairo residents invariably conclude that lead is one of the area’s major health hazards. The Cairo Air Improvement Project (CAIP), which was implemented by a team led by Chemonics International, funded by USAID in partnership with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), started developing a lead emission inventory for the greater Cairo (GC) area in 1998. The inventory contains a list by major source of the annual lead emissions in the GC area. Uses of the inventory and associated database include developing effective regulatory and control strategies, assessing emissions trends, and conducting modeling exercises. This paper describes the development of the current lead emissions inventory (1999–2010), along with an approach to develop site specific emission factors and measurements to validate the inventory. This paper discusses the major sources of lead in the GC area, which include lead smelters, Mazout (heavy fuel oil) combustion, lead manufacturing batteries factories, copper foundries, and cement factories. Included will be the trend in the lead emissions inventory with regard to the production capacity of each source category. In addition, the lead ambient measurements from 1999 through 2010 are described and compared with the results of Source Attribution Studies (SAS) conducted in 1999, 2002, and 2010. Due to EEAA/CAIP efforts, a remarkable decrease in more than 90% in lead emissions was attained for 2007.

Recommendations on chemicals management policy and legislation in the framework of the Egyptian–German twinning project on hazardous substances and waste management

The sustainable management of chemicals and their associated wastes-especially legacy stockpiles-is always challenging. Developing countries face particular difficulties as they often have insufficient treatment and disposal capacity, have limited resources and many lack an appropriate and effective regulatory framework. This paper describes the objectives and the approach of the Egyptian-German Twinning Project under the European Neighbourhood Policy to improve the strategy of managing hazardous substances in the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) between November 2008 and May 2011. It also provides an introduction to the Republic of Egypt's legal and administrative system regarding chemical controls. Subsequently, options for a new chemical management strategy consistent with the recommendations of the United Nations Chemicals Conventions are proposed. The Egyptian legal and administrative system is discussed in relation to the United Nations' recommendations and current European Union legislation for the sound management of chemicals. We also discuss a strategy for the EEAA to use the existing Egyptian legal system to implement the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, the Stockholm Convention and other proposed regulatory frameworks. The analysis, the results, and the recommendations presented may be useful for other developing countries in a comparable position to Egypt aspiring to update their legislation and administration to the international standards of sound management of chemicals.

Association between PM10 exposure and sleep of Egyptian school children

This study aims to investigate the potential association between exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10) and sleep disturbances among Egyptian school children. In this cross-sectional study, parents of school children from four elementary schools in areas with different PM10 exposures filled out the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children questionnaire in Arabic. Air pollution data were obtained from the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency. The sample consisted of 276 children, 121 (44 %) of them were boys with a mean age of 9.26 ± 1.96 years. Disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), disorders of excessive somnolence, and the total score were reported in the clinical range (T score > 70) in 19.9, 24.3, and 24.3 % of the sample, respectively. A generalized additive model with adjustment for potential confounding factors was used to examine the association between PM10 exposure and sleep disturbances. There were statistically significant associations between PM10 exposure and DIMS and sleep hyperhidrosis (P < 0.05). Air pollution exposure has a negative impact on children's sleep with significant association between exposure to PM10 and sleep disturbances.

Heavy metal biomonitoring and phytoremediation potentialities of aquatic macrophytes in River Nile

The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in sediments, water, and different plant organs of six aquatic vascular plant species, Ceratophyllum demersum L. Echinochloa pyramidalis (Lam.) Hitchc. & Chase; Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms-Laub; Myriophyllum spicatum L.; Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud; and Typha domingensis (Pers.) Poir. ex Steud, growing naturally in the Nile system (Sohag Governorate), were investigated. The aim was to define which species and which plant organs exhibit the greatest accumulation and evaluate whether these species could be usefully employed in biomonitoring and phytoremediation programs. The recorded metals in water samples were above the standard levels of both US Environmental Protection Agency and Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency except for Pb. The concentrations of heavy metals in water, sediments, and plants possess the same trend: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd which reflects the biomonitoring potentialities of the investigated plant species. Generally, the variation of heavy element concentrations in water and sediments in relation to site and season, as assessed by two-way repeated measured ANOVA, was significant (p < 0.05). However, insignificant variations were observed in the concentrations of Pb and Cd in sediments in relation to season and of Cu and Zn in relation to site. Results also showed that the selectivity of the heavy elements for the investigated plants varied significantly (p < 0.05) with species variation. The accumulation capability of the investigated species could be arranged according to this pattern: C. demersum > E. crassipes > M. spicatum > E. pyramidalis > T. domingensis > P. australis. On the basis of the element concentrations, roots of all the studied species contain higher concentrations of Cu and Zn than shoots while leaves usually acquire the highest concentrations of Pb. Cd concentrations among different plant organs are comparable except in M. spicatum where the highest Cd concentrations were recorded in the leaves. Our results also demonstrated that all the studied species can accumulate more than 1,450-fold the concentration of the investigated heavy elements in water rendering them of interest for use in phytoremediation studies of polluted waters. Given the absence of systematic water quality monitoring, heavy elements in plants, rather than sediments, provide a cost-effective means for assessing heavy element accumulation in aquatic systems during plant organ lifespan.

Assessment of particulate matter and lead levels in the Greater Cairo area for the period 1998–2007

A health risk assessment study conducted in 1994 for the Greater Cairo (GC) area evaluated the environmental health risks to Cairo residents and determined the major health hazards of ambient lead and particulate matter. In order to determine the spatial and temporal trends in the concentration of these substances, the Egyptian environmental affairs agency (EEAA) decided to initiate a pollutant monitoring program. This was conducted with the help of the USA and Denmark. Numerous monitoring sites were established in Egypt. These sites monitored ambient particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5) and lead through the Cairo air improvement project (CAIP) funded by USAID. In addition, measurements of SO 2, NO 2, CO, and O 3 were performed through the Egyptian information and monitoring program (EIMP) funded by DANIDA. This paper describes the ambient particulate matter and lead levels over a period from 1998 through 2007 for the all monitoring sites in GC. In addition, discussions of the sources of the observed pollutants are presented.

Water resources management to satisfy high water demand in the arid Sharm El Sheikh, the Red Sea, Egypt

Sharm El Sheikh (Sharm) in South Sinai, Egypt, is situated in an area of extreme aridity (annual rainfall between 20–50 mm/y). It has been undergoing rapid development and attracts about one million tourists annually which results in an ever-increasing demand for water. The main source of water is desalinated seawater produced by two government-owned reverse osmosis (RO) plants, two centralised privately-owned RO plants and by about 50 decentralised small RO plants in hotels. The government-owned RO plants sell water to the local residents at a very low subsidized price while the two centralised private RO plants (owned by two different companies) charge commercial rates and raise prices considerably in the summer periods of high water demand. For all the plants, there are concerns over high energy consumption and the impact of brine discharge on the environment. Other sources of water in Sharm include tankers and pipes delivering groundwater from Al Tor (100 km distance) and treated domestic wastewater for landscape irrigation. The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) is not regulating and monitoring water management sufficiently. Increasing water shortages and price rises as well as environmental degradation would impact the tourism industry. This paper describes the current water resources management practices in Sharm, and outlines simple strategies which could be undertaken to improve the situation.

Sources of volatile organic compounds in Cairo’s ambient air

The greater Cairo area suffers from extreme levels of gas and particulate phase air pollutants. In order to reduce the levels of ambient pollution, the USAID and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) have supported the Cairo Air Improvement Project (CAIP). As part of this project, two intensive ambient monitoring studies were carried out during the period of February 22 to March 4 and October 27 to November 27, 1999. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured on a 24-h basis at six sampling stations during each of the intensive periods. During the February/March study, samples were collected daily, while in the October/November study samples were collected every other day. The six intensive measurement sites represented background levels, mobile source impacts, industrial impacts, and residential exposure. High levels of NMHC were observed at all locations. NMHC concentrations ranged from 365 ppb C at Helwan to 1,848 ppb C at El Qualaly during winter, 1999 and from 461 ppb C at Kaha to 2,037 ppb C at El Qualaly during fall, 1999. El Qualaly, the site chosen to represent mobile emissions, displayed the highest average NMHC concentrations of any site, by a factor of 2 or more. The highest mobile source contributions were estimated at this site. The major contributors to NMHC at all sites were mobile emissions, lead smelting, and compressed natural gas.

Actin-binding Comparisons of the Marine Natural Product Latrunculin B with Natural and Semi-synthetic Latrunculin B Analogs

Inhibition of actin polymerization by the marine natural product latrunculin A has been quantified [1], whereas the inhibition of its geometric isomer latrunculin B (1) has only been estimated [2]. In this study, measurement of the inhibition of actin polymerization is used to compare the relative actin binding of 1 to a recently reported [3] natural analog Oxalatrunculin B (2) and two semi-synthetic analogs 3 and 4. Docking and molecular dynamics followed by MM-PBSA free energy calculations predicted affinity in the following order 1 >> 2 > 3 ≈ 4. The docking poses showed that 3 and 4 would not be able to fit well into the active site of G-actin due to steric clashes. The EC50 of 1 was determined to be 2.56 µM, 2 was not as effective at the same concentration and both semi-synthetic analogs were ineffective at the highest tested concentration (15 µM) reinforcing the modeling predictions of binding affinity. Acknowledgements: Thank you to the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency for facilitating sponge and sample collection and R. van Soest (University of Amsterdam) for sponge taxonomy. This work was made possible through the support of the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology joint fund project number BIO8-002-013, National Institutes of Health (NIAID) 1RO1AI36596, NIH National Center for Research Resources CO6 RR-14503-01 and National Science Foundation EPS-0556308.

Process engineering design of pathological waste incinerator with an integrated combustion gases treatment unit

Management of medical wastes generated at different hospitals in Egypt is considered a highly serious problem. The sources and quantities of regulated medical wastes have been thoroughly surveyed and estimated (75 t/day from governmental hospitals in Cairo). From the collected data it was concluded that the most appropriate incinerator capacity is 150 kg/h. The objective of this work is to develop the process engineering design of an integrated unit, which is technically and economically capable for incinerating medical wastes and treatment of combustion gases. Such unit consists of (i) an incineration unit (INC-1) having an operating temperature of 1100 °C at 300% excess air, (ii) combustion-gases cooler (HE-1) generating 35 m 3/h hot water at 75 °C, (iii) dust filter (DF-1) capable of reducing particulates to 10–20 mg/Nm 3, (iv) gas scrubbers (GS-1,2) for removing acidic gases, (v) a multi-tube fixed bed catalytic converter (CC-1) to maintain the level of dioxins and furans below 0.1 ng/Nm 3, and (vi) an induced-draft suction fan system (SF-1) that can handle 6500 Nm 3/h at 250 °C. The residence time of combustion gases in the ignition, mixing and combustion chambers was found to be 2 s, 0.25 s and 0.75 s, respectively. This will ensure both thorough homogenization of combustion gases and complete destruction of harmful constituents of the refuse. The adequate engineering design of individual process equipment results in competitive fixed and operating investments. The incineration unit has proved its high operating efficiency through the measurements of different pollutant-levels vented to the open atmosphere, which was found to be in conformity with the maximum allowable limits as specified in the law number 4/1994 issued by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) and the European standards.

CHALLENGES OF OIL SPILL RESPONSE IN EGYPTIAN COASTAL ZONE OVERLOOKING THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE RED SEA*

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of economic development in Egypt over the last few decades has led to numerous offshore projects, expanding maritime facilities and a vast spread of coastal tourist developments. However, adequate capacity building of existing national oil spill response facilities did not complement such growth. This has resulted in an imbalance between the degree of environmental exposure and level of preparedness to respond to potential oil and chemical spills that may occur along these highly sensitive coastal areas and to the marine environment of Egypt. Both the Red Sea and Mediterranean coasts of Egypt support thriving ecosystems and a substantial tourist industry centered around golden beaches, crystalline waters, and a plethora of plant and animal species that exist nowhere else on earth. At the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula Ras Mohammad National Park alone shelters over 130 species of coral and 116 species of fish. Only a few kilometers away, the Gulf of Suez is one of the worlds busiest industrial shipping routes. More than 117 million tons of oil pass through Egyptian waters each year and cross Egypt's main land through the SUMED pipeline from Ain Sukhna terminal (at the head of the Gulf of Suez) to Sidi Krir terminal on the Mediterranean. Another 28 to 30 million tons of oil go through the Suez Canal directly and there is a 15000-ship movement every year in Egypt. The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) has updated a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), prepared in 1986 by the petroleum sector, in 1998. The NOSCP is the national framework for action in the event of an oil pollution incident. Updating, the NOSCP was just the beginning and not the end of the road. Challenges to take forward necessary action at all response levels to ensure efficiency of application of the NOSCP are enormous. Over the last few years concerned parties and stakeholders conducted several investigations and assessment to identify critical areas of concern and high exposure. Many assessment reports have identified gaps and addressed required measures needed to enhance bridging those gaps and restore the required balance between exposure and preparedness to recover from this situation. This paper considers the present status of the imbalance between environmental exposure and oil spill response preparedness along Egyptian coastline, describes current status of the NOSCP and the recovery measures taken to improve the situation and ensure credible response to potential major spills.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Egypt: The Fuka-Matrouh project

Egyptian coastlines comprise more than 3000 km along the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The coastal area of Egypt is under severe and increasing pressure. After passing the law on the Environment (Law 4) in 1994, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) was designated as the responsible agency to implement this law. In this respect, the EEAA formulates the general policy and prepares the necessary plans for the protection and promotion of the environment. Also, it follows up the implementation of such plans in coordination with competent administrative authorities. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is one of the items regulated and addressed by Law 4/94. A framework programme for ICZM in Egypt was issued in 1996. This paper presents the results of a pilot project financed by the Mediterranean Action Programme Coastal Area Management (CAMP), namely ‘Fuka-Matrouh-Egypt’ project, and implemented by the Priority Action Plan/Regional Activity Centre. It also presents the methodology followed in the study and the experience gained nationally that would lead to the sustainable development of the northwest Egyptian Coast.

Environmental concerns for marina planning in the Gulf of Suez

This paper presents a case study where numerical modelling was utilized for the first time to estimate shoreline changes during the planning of a private pleasure marina in the Gulf of Suez. The study was made to compliment an environmental impact assessment study (EIA) requested by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). The paper presents data collected during two surveys and the results of the numerical model. The impact of the marina on the sediment budget was investigated using the GENESIS one-line program. One of the main reasons for the study was to confirm that the choice of the marina location ensured minimum erosion of the shoreline. In the model, the sediment transport calibration constants were determined using the results of two surveys. The choice of the formula is discussed in the paper. Two locations for the marina were tested against minimum erosion at the down drift side of the marina. This study was performed in close co-ordination with the EEAA and several solutions were suggested to minimize the expected accretion before the final location was approved.

PROMOTING OIL SPILL PREPAREDNESS IN EGYPT: JOINT GOVERNMENT/INDUSTRY EXERCISE

ABSTRACT In October 1996, Mobil, Amoco, and Amoco's Egyptian joint venture partner, Gupco (Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company), conducted a tier III oil spill exercise with key government authorities, including the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC). This joint exercise represented a significant step forward in promoting global government and industry cooperation in preparedness and response to major oil spills. The exercise involved high-level decision makers from key Egyptian government agencies charged with responding to oil spills. Other participants were local, regional, and international tier II and III consultants and contractors, including responders from Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) in Southampton, England. During the exercise, onshore response equipment was deployed, and civil aviation, customs, and immigration issues related to air transport of equipment and mobilization of personnel to Egypt were tested. Technical resources from the Integrated Simulators Complex in Alexandria, Egypt, were used by the response team in developing strategies to deal with the oil spill scenario. Professional media personnel were used to test issues pertaining to government and public affairs. This exercise, which was observed by the Egyptian Red Sea governor and the U.S. ambassador, demonstrates that Egyptian authorities are working to become a “center of excellence” in oil spill preparedness for the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and North African region.