Al-Zamil Chair receives medal at Kuala Lumpur Invention Expo
The Al-Zamil Group Chair for Electricity & Water Conservation received a bronze medal this week at the 2010 Invention & Research Exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur for its research on innovative uses of the palm leaf. To date, this is the 4th award earned by the Chair, including a gold medal at the 2009 British Invention Show and a silver medal at the 2010 International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.
The principal researcher in the bronze-medal project was Abdulmohsen Al-Shaikh, who also acts as the supervisor of the Chair. Other team members included Dr. Abdullah Al-Rehaili and Dr. Saleh A. Al-Hassoun, of the Civil Engineering Department, as well as technical advisors from Malaysia, the University of Putra‘s Thamer Ahmed Mohammed and Abdul Halim Ghazali.
The yearlong research study, conducted at KSU, is based on the use of palm fronds, in the form of mats, floating on water in order to reduce solar radiation and heat, which results the water vaporization.
Initially three water pools were built: one covered, one partially covered and one open, while the mats made of palm leaves were used to reduce evaporation from open water surfaces. The data of this study supported the effectiveness of the mats in reducing evaporation, which bodes well for nations with arid climates, such as Saudi Arabia.
Palm leaves, which are inexpensive and widely available in Saudi Arabia, may very well earn a greater role in Saudi Arabian society, as the researchers believe that these findings will eventually help to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Water and Electricity to stem the region’s rapid rate of water evaporation.
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Sat, 31 Jul, 2010
Exhibitions, KSU Abroad, Main, Research Chairs