The Global Waste-to-Energy Research & Technology Council (WtERT®) proudly participated in the opening ceremony of the 9th International Training Workshop on Waste-to-Energy, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The workshop was hosted by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in partnership with Zhejiang University, and co-organized with the International Consultant Committee on Waste-to-Energy (ICCWtE) and Zhejiang University of Technology, alongside WtERT as a co-organizer.
This 9th edition marks a historic milestone, as the workshop, traditionally held in China for its previous eight editions, was conducted for the first time in the Middle East. The shift underscores the growing regional commitment to advancing sustainable waste management and building technical capacity in Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies. More than one hundred participants attended the opening ceremony, including government officials, leading scientists, industry and academia representatives, and delegates from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and China Embassy in Riyadh, reflecting China’s strong support for global WtE collaboration.
The workshop opened at KACST’s “The Garage”, chaired by Prof. Qunxing Huang, Executive President of WtERT. Remarks were delivered by Dr. Mustafa H. Almadih and Dr. Prof. Mohammad H. Alotaibi from KACST, along with official representatives from China, Mr. Moussa Al Kaltham from Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), Dr. Adah AlFayez from the National Center for Waste Management, and Mr. Allen Liu from SUS ENVIRONMENT, highlighting a shared commitment to advancing international cooperation and technology exchange.
A major highlight of the event was the signing ceremony between KACST and the College of Energy Engineering at Zhejiang University. During this ceremony, WtERT will serve as a key organization to advance international development and strengthen global academic cooperation between the institutions, enhancing outreach and collaborative impact worldwide. This agreement establishes a long-term framework designed to enhance research collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation in sustainable waste management and WtE technologies. The partnership directly contributes to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and its 2040 target of diverting 90 percent of waste from landfills, reinforcing national efforts to strengthen the circular economy and reduce methane emissions from land disposal.
The workshop agenda also benefited from the valuable contributions of KAUST, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, which supported international participation and provided expert speakers, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s expanding academic leadership in the field. Additional expertise was provided by WtERT’s global academic network, including Sunway University in Malaysia, the Technical University of Munich in Germany, Columbia University in New York, USA, Sharjah University in Emirates, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, reflecting the workshop’s truly international academic footprint.
Industry partners also played a central role, with major WtE companies such as SUS Environment, Reworld, Grandblue, and Shenzhen Energy Environmental Group contributing their knowledge and best practices, strengthening the workshop’s technical depth and real-world relevance.
The two-week program features expert lectures, high-level technical discussions, and field visits to key facilities. Topics include state-of-the-art WtE technologies such as combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis; AI-driven optimization and digital transformation of WtE systems; strategies for methane emission reduction; circular economy approaches to resource recovery; and the integration of policy, technical capacity building, and innovative financing models. Participants are also exposed to international experiences from China, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, enabling a rich exchange of global perspectives.
Since its establishment in 2016, the joint training program led by Zhejiang University, ICCWtE, and Zhejiang University of Technology with support of WtERT network has trained professionals from more than forty developing countries. It is now recognized as the world’s most influential academic platform dedicated to advancing Waste-to-Energy knowledge, technology dissemination, and capacity building.
