Over the millennia, date palms have supplied people with much more than food.
Cultivated for as many as 6,000 years, the date palm has provided leaves used to make baskets, while its seeds have been burnt to produce charcoal.
Oils extracted from date pits (the stones inside the dates) have gone into soap and cosmetics, while the seeds have been given to animals as feed.
The UAE has more than 40 million date palms, many grown for their dates, while others are there to improve the look of town and cityscapes. After all, as an ornamental plant there is nothing to beat the date palm.
Although some historical uses of date palms were decidedly low-tech, science is creating new ways in which parts of this favourite plant and its fruit could be exploited.
For example, scientists at UAE University in Al Ain, the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi and Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus have been looking at date pits as a source of biodiesel. Although sometimes used for soap oils or as animal feed, date pits are often considered waste.
“It’s a waste material. It’s not a valuable material we’re looking at … We’re making use of it before we discard it … Anything we can get of value out of it will be a positive,” said Dr Sulaiman Al Zuhair of UAE University.
The recent study, entitled Biodiesel Production from Oils Extracted from Date Pits, was published in the journal Green and Sustainable Chemistry.
Biodiesel is often seen as being environmentally friendly as it releases carbon recently removed from the atmosphere.
However, there are environmental drawbacks associated with growing oil-rich crops such as rapeseed, oil palms or soybean particularly to produce biodiesel.
The crops take up land that could be used for growing food. This leads to concerns over what environmental groups describe as “indirect land use change”, such as when biodiesel crops displace food crops, which are then grown on land that had been in its pristine natural state.
Therefore, alternative sources of biodiesel, such as using waste products like date pits, are especially attractive.
In this study, the researchers extracted date pits from the popular Khalas date variety, cleaned them, then sun dried them for two days before grinding and sieving them. A solvent extracted the oil, with the yield relative to the weight of the pits reaching up to 11.7 per cent. This is of a quality similar to vegetable oils used to create biodiesel, and it can be converted into biodiesel with an efficiency of about 90 per cent.
Another of the paper’s authors, Dr Emad El Najjar, also of UAE University, said the wide availability of date pits meant they were potentially suitable as a source of biodiesel.
“One of the biggest challenges for biodiesel is whether there’s a consistent source of biomass,” said Dr El Najjar.
He said using date palm pits as sources of biodiesel would help the UAE to play its part in the “great trend” towards sustainable fuels.
“The UAE is trying to keep up with this trend. They’re motivating researchers to pursue renewable sources of energy,” he said.
“Biodiesel is considered one of the smart choices. It’s almost neutral [with respect to] carbon dioxide, because that’s what was used for growing these plants, so it will balance out.”
As well as looking at how much oil they could extract from date pits, the researchers were also interested in the gases produced by burning them. Among the potentially useful gases they recorded were methane, a gas that is burnt to produce electricity, and hydrogen, which is being used to fuel cars.
Date pits contain smaller quantities of oil than some oil crops – oilseed rape, for example, may have an oil content of more than 40 per cent – but the fact that it comes from a waste product makes it especially useful.
“Ten per cent of the amount of the solid is not high, but we’re using waste,” said Dr Al Zuhair, who is also a professor.
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Even if the quantities of oil generated from date pits are not large enough for mass production, Dr Al Zuhair suggested the biodiesel could instead be used to, for example, run machinery in plants that process the material for other uses.
There is already much interest in biodiesel in the UAE. Leftover grease, fat and oil is collected in Dubai, which has a number of biofuel production plants. Oil recycled from Dubai is also used to produce soap in India.
As reported in The National earlier this year, the capital is also becoming involved thanks to licences from Tadweer, the Centre of Waste Management – Abu Dhabi, for companies to collect waste food and oil for biodiesel production.
Dr El Najjar described the recent scientific paper as “the start” of the scientific material that the researchers are planning to release, with more work lined up for publication.
As well as having more papers in preparation, they are continuing with the research itself.
Dr Al Zuhair is looking into optimising methods for extracting the oil, while Dr El Najjar is further analysing the emissions produced when the date pits are burnt.
“We are interested in, for example, the effect of size – how the size of the date pits impacts the oil extraction … We’re trying different parameters, different processes,” said Dr El Najjar.
So, in future, as the researchers refine methods for extracting oil and look further into what gases are produced, the date palm, already one of the UAE’s most important agricultural and ornamental plants, is likely to become more useful still.
The other authors of the study are Dr Hanifa Taher of the Masdar Institute, Salama Al Dhaheri and Dr Shereen Wajeeh of UAE University, and Dr Mutasim Nour of Heriot-Watt University Dubai campus.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The five pillars of Islam
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The years Ramadan fell in May
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Dunki
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