AASTMT participates in local, regional and international Projects and cooperates with Governmental entities and international bodies for mutual collaboration in training, projects and research related activities.

Funded Research Projects:

Integration Of Sustainable Development Goals In Universities For Better Climate Change Management "Involve"

An Innovative Solar Powered Water Desalination System using Fiber Membranes (Solar-Water)

This project aims to develop and initiate deployment of an innovative small-scale, low-energy, low-cost solar-powered water desalination or water system, based on a breakthrough on solar powered desalination system in the University of Nottingham.The proposed system will provide fresh water from saline and brackish water using solar powered, small-scale desalination system suitable for commercial and household applications.The system utilizes hollow fiber membranes as a humidification unit, for a desalination system based on humidification and dehumidification. The system can be powered by thermal solar system or PV powered heat pump system.This offers a sustainable solution for rural population in countries facing water shortages or water quality deterioration. The system would have a high demand, in particular along the Red Sea and Mediterranean sea coast.

The project will capitalize on Egyptians solar energy endowment and provide an opportunity for UK and Egyptian industrial players to pioneer the development of a new and cost-effective water desalination/treatment technology.

http://www.aast.edu/en/scientific-research/contenttemp.php?page_id=47300104

EU projects - MAIA TAQA

The project involves 6 countries (Italy, Spain, Greece, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan) and 8 partners (research centers, Chambers of Commerce, SME). MAIA-TAQA will address the issue of the demand for efficiency services of renewable energy resources in the southern Mediterranean area countries in order to hold the pressure on the environment and strengthen the energy supply. The project will therefore aim to stimulate innovation processes capable of identifying needs, structuring creative solutions and supporting their diffusion in the local market.

Three pilot interventions will be tested in three countries (Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan) where innovative services will be applied to different technologies (micro grid, photovoltaic, energy storage, solar thermal technologies and water purification services). The partners will develop solutions aimed at overcoming the barriers identified by the project: capacity development program (to overcome the lack of skills) innovation desk (due to lack of information) guidelines (due to lack of regulation) vouchers (due to lack of funding) and targeted B2B events (due to lack of matchmaking).The main final beneficiaries are SMEs, in particular those engaged in the environmental, collective water and waste management, energy and construction sectors. As part of the project, Quipo will be the partner responsible for coordinating the activities for the implementation of pilot projects in the territories aimed at testing innovative solutions.

http://www.enicbcmed.eu/projects/maia-taqa

Knowledge exchange in sustainable Fisheries management and Aquaculture in the Mediterranean region

FishAqu (Knowledge Exchange in sustainable Fisheries management and Aquaculture in the Mediterranean region) is a project, co-financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, in the area of Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education.

The aim of the project is to develop capacities of practitioners and academics working on fisheries management and aquaculture in Egypt, in line with the directives of the Bologna process and the strategies of European Policy Cooperation (Education and Training 2020 framework) in order to launch a master degree programme on fisheries and aquaculture in Egypt.

http://www.aast.edu/en/scientific-research/contenttemp.php?page_id=47300106

SMART AUTONOMOUS IOT AGRICULTURAL MONITORING SYSTEM

Mediterranean Quadruple Helix Approach to Digitalization

Innovation and technology are recognized as a major driver for competitiveness and for long-run endogenous economic growth. However, most of Mediterranean regions are characterized by a high prevalence of micro enterprises, with difficulties to acquire the necessary skills to innovate and grow. MED-QUAD will address this challenge through the cooperation among universities in 6 countries. The project aims to nurture the innovation potential of the regions, by building up a cross- border cooperation scheme of the Quadruple Innovation Helix. The main actors are the universities which will improve their capacity to be and act as “civic universities” in cooperation with the cities to which they belong as “anchor” Institutions together with the socio-economic stakeholders and the citizens. Two cross-border Living Labs will be established in the cities, where several pilot activities for technological transfer and commercialisation of research results will be implemented. They will exploit ICT technologies and Key Enabling Technologies for water use optimization, consumption and reduction (Smart Water Use Applications - SWUAP), as well as cultural heritage promotion and preservation (Applied Research for Cultural Heritage Exploitation - ARCHEO). The project will set up a toolkit for enhancing the institutional capacities of businesses, cities and universities of both shores of the Mediterranean to work together and reinforce their role as “catalysts” for fair and inclusive development. 

https://www.enicbcmed.eu/projects/med-quad

Smart Wirelss Sensor Network to Detect and Purifate Water Salinity and Pollution for Agriculture Irrigation

In this project we propose a system that includes a smart group-based wireless sensor network which is able to detect, locate, monitor, and track the high salinity levels and pollution stains, such as oil spills. Moreover, a new kind of water treatment plant is proposed to depollute the water before the irrigation. The proposal includes some fixed wireless sensor nodes and many mobile wireless nodes are able to move towards the end of the stain seeking its edge in order to delimit the boundary of the stain. They are low-cost, small-size and low-power consumption underwater multifunctional sensor nodes that will be grouped depending on their monitoring purpose. These nodes use IEEE 802.15.4 standard to communicate in open air and acoustic communication to communicate wirelessly under the water and the Global Position System GPS to know the position of the stain. The proposal also includes the design of a water treatment plant using bioabsortion techniques. Agriculture wastes will be used as bioabsortion materials to eliminate the pollution.

http://jlloret.webs.upv.es/SMARTWATIR/index.html

Monitoring, Assessment and Innovative Treatment Technology to Enhance Groundwater Quality For Irrigation Toward Climate Change Adaptation

The main sources of pollution in groundwater including careless disposal of waste materials on the soil, open dumps, unsanitary sewage disposal systems, under or over chemical fertilization and water wells drilled near septic tanks etc. which, transmit contaminants to the aquifer. Groundwater quality differs from season to season and from place to place according to important factors controlling its quantity and quality. These including type of aquifers, pumping rates, climate changes, precipitation, evapotranspiration, nature of recharging water, subsurface and surface water, hydro-geochemical processes in the aquifers, land-use/land-cover change, mining activities as well as mineralogy and the leakage water from irrigation and drainage networks. Temporal changes in the constitution and origin of the water recharged, and human factor, frequently cause periodic changes in groundwater quality. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a regular assessment of irrigation and drinking water quality. Egypt is facing constraints to satisfy water needs especially after completing the construction of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the upcoming years. The present study aims to investigate and enhance the suitability of water from 13 borehole ground wells at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) (Abu Qir Campus) near the eastern coast of Alexandria City (Abu Qir Area) for irrigation and/or drinking purposes. To achieve this aim, physical, chemical and biological characterization of water samples will be collected and assessed to define pollution status spatially and temporally (monthly for a year) and relate them with environmental and climatic factors. This will be followed by treatment using innovative nanotechnology to enhance water quality.