FOR PARTICIPATION FORM / KATILIM FORMU İÇİN:

https://forms.gle/xEgbPtvt2beW4UAG9

SEMINAR LANGUAGE: English. The Turkish versions of the English texts published here will be added to this website soon.

SEMİNER DİLİ: İngilizce Burada yayınlanan İngilizce metinlerin Türkçeleri yakında bu web sitesine eklenecektir.

SEMINAR PROGRAM / SEMİNER PROGRAMI

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPEAKER / KONUŞMACI HAKKINDA BİLGİ

Muhammad Waqas, PhD in Environmental Sciences

Gold Medalist, 1st Gold Medal in 2012 and 2nd Gold Medal in 2014

Assistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Türkiye

Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat KPK-Pakistan

TUBITAK 2221-Visiting Scientist at Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul-Türkiye

Review editor in the Editorial Board of Bioenergy and Biofuels, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology and Energy Research

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations user=0mlRPPwAAAAJ&hl=en

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Muhammad_Waqas61

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-waqas-a4216266/

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0415-0968

Website: https://avesis.ktu.edu.tr/mvaqas

BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRAINING SEMINAR TOPICS / EĞİTİM SEMİNER KONULARI HAKKINDA KISA BİLGİLER

DAY 1: 3 Dec. 2025

ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE: 

ASSESSING RISKS AND APPRAISING OPTIONS

Objective:

To equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of climate change-induced risks and uncertainties in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sectors, and to develop their capacity to assess these risks, appraise effective adaptation options, and formulate strategies for building climate-resilient WASH facilities in both urban and rural contexts, thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goals.

Description:

This timely and critical training seminar is designed to address the escalating global challenges posed by climate change to essential WASH services. Through three intensive technical sessions, participants will gain deep understanding of climate-induced risks, explore innovative adaptation strategies, and learn to appraise practical options for building robust, resilient WASH systems.

Technical Session I:

“Understanding the Problem: Climate Change (CC) as a Source of Risk and Uncertainty in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) provide thorough examining the intertwined crises of climate change and its implications for human well-being. The session explores the causes and impacts of climate change, scientific consensus behind global warming, changes in precipitation patterns, extreme weather events, and sea-level rise. Moreover, the participants will gain insights on the current status and future perspectives of water resources, understanding global and regional water stress, availability challenges, and human right to sanitation. This leads to a crucial discussion on coping with water need in an era of increasing scarcity and variability. The core of this session focuses on identifying and analyzing CC and WASH risks and uncertainties, detailing how climate impacts the existing WASH vulnerabilities, from water scarcity affecting supply to increased flood risks overwhelming sanitation infrastructure and disease transmission. Practical case studies related to risk analysis and projection of CC trends will be presented, illustrating real-world challenges and analytical approaches. The session concludes by firmly establishing the linkages with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), demonstrating how climate-resilient WASH is integral to achieving broader sustainability targets.

Technical Session II:

“Strategies for Building Climate Resilient WASH Facilities” pivots towards proactive solutions and adaptive planning. The session highlights the principal concepts of CC adaptation with significant focus on addressing the nexus of WASH and CC through multi-stakeholder partnerships, highlighting the importance of collaboration among government bodies, NGOs, communities, private sector, and academia to develop integrated solutions. In depth discussion will be made on the principles of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) by integrating WASH, understanding how to manage water resources, considering the demands and ensuring equitable and sustainable access. Furthermore, climate screening with rural and urban water supply and sanitation systems will be explored that involves learning methodologies to assess the vulnerability of existing and planned WASH infrastructure to specific climate hazards (e.g., droughts, floods, salinity intrusion) and identifying critical intervention points to enhance resilience in diverse geographical and socio-economic settings. This session will empower the participants with strategic frameworks for designing future-proof WASH systems.

Technical Session III:

“Meeting Goals for Climate Resilience and WASH” focused on the implementation, evaluation, and fostering collaborative action. This session examines the practical aspects of achieving resilience of water supply and sanitation in changing climate, discussing specific design enhancements, technological innovations, and operational adjustments needed for robust WASH infrastructure. Case studies of climate-resilient WASH infrastructure from various global contexts will be presented, showcasing successful adaptation measures, best practices, and lessons learned in building systems that withstand climate shocks and stresses. Participants will also engage in economic analysis of CC resilience and adoption options, learning methodologies to evaluate the costs and benefits of different adaptation strategies, including cost-effectiveness analysis and benefit-cost ratios, to make informed investment decisions.

The training seminar will end in an interactive Breakout with discussions from all the participants, fostering a collaborative environment to address critical themes: Standardization and evaluation of resilient WASH practices, Bridging the gap between research and policy to ensure evidence-based decision-making, promoting an Interdisciplinary approach to tackle complex WASH-CC challenges, defining a Community agenda for localized adaptation, Building community involvement and educational capacity to empower local stakeholders, and understanding the vital Role of donors in financing and supporting climate-resilient WASH initiatives.

DAY 2: 4 DEC. 2025

INTEGRATED WASTE BIOREFINERIES: FUTURE ENERGY AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

Objective:

To provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of waste as a valuable resource, exploring the principles and technologies of integrated waste biorefineries for energy and material production, and critically assessing the techno-economic feasibility and commercialization pathways of waste-to-energy systems.

Description:

The training seminar "Integrated Waste Biorefineries: Future Energy and Waste Management" is designed to address the most pressing global challenges including waste generation, problems in sustainable waste management and increasing energy demands. Through the technical sessions, participants will gain holistic approaches on transforming waste into sustainable resources for energy and valuable products.

Technical Session I:

“Waste as a Resource” provide the basic understandings by re-framing waste as not a problem but an untapped resource. The session comprehensive overview the types of waste, categorizing them into municipal solid waste, industrial waste, agricultural residues, hazardous waste, and emerging waste streams. The participants will be briefed about the diverse origins and characteristics of each type of waste. A session will also focus on the intrinsic linkages with population growth and resource depletion and hence illustrate that how the increasing global population and finite resource availability necessitate a shift in waste management. In depth discussion will be made on the global waste production and composition, presenting quantitative data on regional variations and the challenges pose by them. The final and most transformative part of this session establishes waste as a resource for material recovery, exploring the value of components within waste streams (e.g., plastics, metals, organic matter) and the preliminary steps for their extraction and valorization, setting the stage for advanced biorefinery concepts.

Technical Session II:

“Waste Biorefineries for Energy Production” focused on the core technological aspects of converting waste into energy. The session contextualizes the problem with an analysis of global energy demands, highlighting the need for diversified and sustainable energy sources to meet energy requirements and mitigate climate change. This sets the stage for understanding the crucial role of waste-derived energy. The participants will get understanding on the characteristics of waste biomass for energy production that represent the suitability for various conversion technologies. A key technical component of this session is the determination of high heating values/calorific values of different waste types, introducing methodologies and empirical data that determine the energy predictions. The session enlists detailed exploration of various technologies for converting waste to energy and valuable products including thermochemical processes such as incineration (waste-to-heat/power), pyrolysis (bio-oil, char, syngas), and gasification (syngas for fuel/chemicals), as well as biochemical processes like anaerobic digestion (biogas production) and fermentation (bioethanol). Each technology will be discussed in terms of its operational principles, advantages, and the range of valuable products it can yield beyond just energy.

Technical Session III:

“Techno-economic Feasibilities and Approaches and Commercialization of Waste-to-Energy Systems” addresses the practical implementation and viability of waste biorefineries. This session examine the environmental and economic benefits associated with waste-to-energy technologies. Environmentally, this includes greenhouse gas emission reductions, landfill diversion, and resource conservation. Economically, it covers revenue generation from energy sales, valuable co-products, job creation, and reduced waste management costs. Participants will then explore critical factors such as process efficiency, infrastructure requirements, feedstock consistency, commercializing, and end-use application. This involves understanding how factors like scale, location, pre-treatment needs, and market demand for products influence project success. The session also focuses on approaches to overcome technical challenges in waste to energy systems, discussing solutions for feedstock variability, process optimization, emissions control, and integration into existing energy grids. The final segment emphasizes that cost-effective operation is necessary to improve the efficiency of biofuel production, economic modeling, investment analysis, optimization of operational expenditure, and strategies to enhance the financial attractiveness and long-term sustainability of integrated waste biorefinery projects. This holistic view ensures participants grasp not only the 'how' but also the 'why' and 'if' of waste-to-energy implementation.

DAY 3: 5 DEC. 2025

APPROACHES AND CONCEPTS BEYOND 3RS

Objective:

To equip participants with the comprehensive understanding of environmental pollution caused by waste, the principles of advanced waste management hierarchies, and practical, material-specific "Rs" methods to achieve sustainability.

Description:

This comprehensive training seminar is designed to provide the participants with an advanced understanding of environmental sustainability, focusing specifically on the challenges and innovative solutions related to achieving environmental sustainability through sustainable waste management. Comprised of three interconnected technical sessions, the contents are designed from the basic ecological principles to advanced waste management strategies and practical implementation, aiming to foster a holistic approaches and equip the attendees with actionable expertise. The details of each technical session is as fallow;

Technical Session I:

“Understanding the Environment and Waste as Pollution and Its Impacts” establishes the basic knowledge necessary to understand the urgency of sustainable waste management. The session commences with an in-depth understanding of the various components of the environment and highlights the critical role of natural systems in sustaining life. Likewise, participants will be also briefed about the types and impacts of pollution, categorizing them into key areas such as air, water, soil, and noise pollution. For each type, the session will detail common sources, specific pollutants, transport mechanisms, and their profound effects on human health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Special attention will be given in examining waste as an environmental problem, transitioning from general pollution to the specific challenges posed by municipal, industrial, hazardous, and emerging waste streams like e-waste. It will critically analyze the full lifecycle impacts of waste, from resource depletion and manufacturing to disposal issues like landfill leachate and greenhouse gas emissions.

Technical Session II:

“Waste Management Hierarchy: Advances in Rs Concepts and Approaches” will mark a critical shift towards solution-oriented techniques with more sustainable models. The session will provide in depth understanding on linear economy, recycling economy, and circular economy concepts. Moreover, detailed comparisons will be also made between the three economies in content of long-term resource and environmental liabilities by providing empirical data on resource depletion, energy consumption in production and environmental costs. The session will also explore the advances in Rs concepts and approaches, extending beyond the traditional 3Rs concept. This includes "Refuse" (avoiding unnecessary consumption), "Rethink" (redesigning systems for sustainability), "Repair" (extending product lifespans), "Remanufacture" (restoring used products), "Refurbish" (restoring aesthetics/function), "Repurpose" (new functions for old items), and "Recover" (energy/material extraction from non-recyclable waste). Each advanced 'R' is detailed with practical examples and its role within a comprehensive waste management hierarchy.

Technical Session III:

“Rs Methods for Achieving Sustainability” focused on the concepts into actionable strategies, focusing on practical implementation. The session enlightens the methods by material type, providing insights into the unique challenges and opportunities for specific waste streams such as plastic waste, metal waste, glass waste and organic waste. The session will also explore various legislation and approaches in light of available case studies. This segment critically analyzes existing national environmental protection acts, waste management rules, and relevant policies, discussing institutional frameworks, enforcement challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Case studies of local waste management initiatives will offer valuable lessons.

The training seminar concludes with the empowering segment, "What can I do to make a difference?" This practical guide inspires individual and organizational action, providing strategies for applying "Rs" principles in daily life – at home, in the workplace, and within communities. It emphasizes conscious consumption, waste segregation, supporting circular businesses, and advocating for policy changes, underscoring that collective individual actions drive significant environmental impact towards a sustainable, circular future.