President of Alexandria University Inaugurates PECA Fab Lab for Plastic Reuse Initiatives

Professor Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, inaugurated today, Monday 27 May 2024, the Fab Lab for reusing recycled plastic (PECA), in light of the Sustainable Development Strategy – Egypt Vision 2030. The event was attended by Ambassador Lina Blin, Consul General of France in Alexandria, Dr. Jacqueline Azer, Deputy Governor of Alexandria, Dr. Essam Wahba, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Dr. Walid Abdelazim, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, Dr. Wael El-Meghlani, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Zeyad El-Sayyad, Assistant Professor of Architecture and the principal researcher for the project, Dr. Sameh Riad, Chairman of the Environmental Affairs Agency in Alexandria, Mr. Mohamed Hanno, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alexandria Businessmen Association, Professor Bastien Poggi, Vice President of the University of Corsica, Professor Thierry Verdel, Vice President of Senghor University, and Professor Robert Andre, President of the Horizon Solidarity Foundation, Mr. Remy Hallegouet, Director of France Volontaire for Africa and the Middle East, and Ms. Rogina Farag, Representative of the Government of the Southern Province of France.

In his speech, Dr. Konsowa stressed that the PECA project came as part of cooperation between the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in France and the Alexandria Governorate, with the aim of benefiting from plastic waste that ends up in the Mediterranean Sea, through the establishment and development of the digital manufacturing laboratory at Alexandria University, which will provide the opportunity to reuse converted and recycled plastic waste to manufacture prototypes and manufacture new products. He stressed that the project is the first tangible model in Alexandria that collects, sorts, and recycles waste, in addition to its contribution to reducing plastic pollution in the city by improving the management and recycling of plastic waste within the campus of the Faculty of Engineering. He pointed out that the project is expected to make use of plastic waste in the factory that was established on an area of 100 square meters, and to take the necessary health precautions for the safety of waste collectors and workers of any other entity involved in collection and sorting within the Faculty of Engineering.

While Dr. Jacqueline Azer emphasized the role of the digital manufacturing laboratory to serve the innovators and creators of Alexandria University students, pointing out that the Egyptian state played an influential role in the issue of environmental challenges by developing the National Strategy for Climate Change 2050 to coordinate between all ministries and concerned authorities in the country, regarding confronting the risks and threats of climate change, in addition to establishing a package of major national projects in Alexandria Governorate. She added that Alexandria was the first governorate to adopt the “Going Green” initiative to raise environmental awareness and protect resources to create healthy communities and move to a sustainable development pattern. She indicated that the projects that adopted environmental preservation are the Integrated Strategic project for Rainwater Management, and the Alexandria Beaches Protection Project to protect beaches from erosion, as well as areas at risk as a result of rising water levels.

Meanwhile, Dr. Essam Wahba, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, spoke about the role of the faculty and university in serving the surrounding local community as it is a house of integrated engineering expertise to serve Alexandria and the surrounding governorates, and he praised the role of the university and faculty in preserving the environment and adopting green transformation initiatives in various projects.

Ambassador Lina Blin, Consul General of France in Alexandria, welcomed the attendees and praised the excellent cooperation between the southern French region in particular and France in general with Alexandria at the governorate and university levels. She expressed her pleasure for inaugurating the project as a first stage of the fruits of cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean, which strengthens the bonds of cooperation between the two countries.

While Dr. Zeyad El-Sayyad thanked everyone who contributed to bringing this project to light, explaining that the digital manufacturing laboratory will be an opportunity for collaborative and creative work in cooperative projects that work with recycled plastic waste through meetings that will take place with all parties concerned with plastic waste, in addition to the laboratory which will be gathering place for all parties concerned with plastic waste from various sectors, whether university and school groups, artists, designers, the industrial community, emerging companies and non-governmental organizations. He pointed out that the laboratory is open to all people who have ideas and projects and wish to implement them within the laboratory. He added that the total budget for the project amounted to 496,800 euros with support from the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, the Corsican community in France, the Alexandria Governorate and Alexandria University in Egypt.