QATAR. Qatar University (QU) has revealed groundbreaking
research into the development of sustainable biofuels, as the
Gulf state hosts the UN climate change conference COP18. The
state-backed QR45.5million biofuel project is the only one of
its kind in the region. Now, the team has publicly detailed its
latest progress for the first time. The university’s project, in
collaboration with Qatar Airways and Qatar Science and
Technology Park (QSTP) is now into its third year. From a
standing start, where the labs were nothing more than empty
rooms, the research team has developed state-of-the-art
facilities which are the best in the GCC and competitive
internationally for this type of research. The project aims to
produce affordable, sustainable biofuels which do not use
valuable arable land and which can be produced efficiently in
the punishing climate of Qatar. These fuels should provide an
alternative source of energy for use by the airline industry. If
successfully produced on a commercial scale, the discover