Towards a Greener Future: Gas Technologies and In-House Energy Saving Drive Put Air Products Ahead of the Game
Air Products, industry leaders for more than 40 years in the manufacture and supply of gas products and technology, is constantly examining innovative ways in which it can make a meaningful contribution towards a ‘greener’ environment.
Apart from in-house initiatives, Air Products’ quest is also to bring environmentally friendly solutions to its customers.
“Our focus is in assisting other companies in order to reduce the carbon footprint of their industrial processes”, says Dustin Mulder, Marketing Manager of Air Products South Africa. “Air Products works tirelessly on developing technologies which address environmental concerns – and the industries we have helped include paper, cement, mining, petrochemical and the food industry, among others.”
The kinds of technologies developed by Air Products are as wide-ranging as the industries themselves, from ozone technology to cyanide destruction to industrial cryogenics. But they share a common goal: to lessen the impact of industrial processes on the natural world, most particularly the air that we breathe and the water we drink.
“At a time when water scarcity looms as one of the planet’s most serious worries, Air Products is working long and hard to provide sustainable solutions to protect and nurture this valuable resource”, says Mulder.
Thus, one of the areas in which the company has made tangible inroads is in water treatment, specifically through the application of ozone technology.
Not only is ozone a powerful disinfectant, it is also highly effective in removing heavy metal toxicity and endocrine disruptors as well as any other unwelcome organic matter in drinking water.
“The use of ozone in a water treatment plant basically eliminates the need for the range of chemicals used in conventional water treatment plants”, explains Sachin Kulkarni, National Sales Manager: Bulk Gases, adding that Air Products is enjoying great success with the use of ozone in its own water cooling towers.
“The elimination of harsh water treatment chemicals means that the water can be recycled many times more, with none of the harmful by-products associated with chemical disinfectants. Our water is cleaner, we are saving more of it – and reducing our water effluent.”
Another area in which Air Products assists companies in reducing their carbon footprint, is through combustion optimisation, Kulkarni explains:
“In the cement industry, for instance, the introduction of oxygen into a lime kiln results in a significantly more efficient combustive process. Oxygen basically enhances the capability of the flame, creating better efficiency, reducing the primary coal load, with the net result of more carbon credits.
“By adding oxygen, we can reduce the amount of fuel burnt per ton of product and increase the capacity of the kiln by about 10%.”
He adds that a further benefit of introducing oxygen into the combustive process is an improvement in the gas emissions from the stack, including a reduction in the nitrogen load, as well as a reduction in toxic gas emission into the environment, such as hydrogen sulphide and carbon monoxide.
In industrial freezing and refrigeration, Air Products has assisted the food industry in reducing its carbon footprint through the use of nitrogen. Cryogenic technology is a much quicker and more efficient way of freezing food substances, resulting not only in reduced power usage but reduction in the kind of harsh chemicals used in conventional refrigeration.
Exciting inroads have also been made in the field of hydrogen fuelling at Air Products. As a leader in hydrogen energy technologies, the company is at the forefront of the development of hydrogen fuel station technology. A number of demonstration projects are under way in the US and Europe, and to date, Air Products has engineered more than 80 hydrogen stations around the world.
Kulkarni comments: “Air Products has over fifteen years of experience in hydrogen fuelling – and this technology can be used for a variety of vehicles, including cars, buses and forklifts. The technology is being developed alongside hydrogen vehicle production, and because hydrogen is abundant and renewable, and produces no emissions, it is the cleanest way of meeting the world’s energy needs.”
Closer to home, Air Products South Africa has been at the forefront of cyanide destruction technology, successfully piloting a project at a local gold mine. “Having developed the technology, we will focus on marketing it”, Kulkarni says, looking to the company’s future plans.
Like its global counterpart, Air Products will also be increasing its focus on water treatment.
“There is undoubtedly a water crisis in this country, as in most parts of the world. Apart from scarcity, our water treatment plants were not built or designed to cope with the kind of pollutants we have to deal with these days”, Kulkarni comments, referring to increasing volumes of effluent in waste water, as well as the increase in levels of heavy metal, pharmaceutical waste and endocrine disruptors.
“We see the future of water treatment as of critical importance and will continue in our efforts to promote the use of ozone technology to play a fundamental role in the future of our water resources.”
But going ‘green’ is not just about technology. Air Products also believes its people play an important role, hence the drive for a drastic reduction in electricity usage in its offices and at its plants. The company has also implemented a system for recycling waste at all its offices.
Concludes Mulder: “Environmental responsibility certainly begins at home, but, even more importantly, we believe we can have a far-reaching impact on the world through products and processes that are designed to help our customers to protect the environment.”
Published on July 14, 2011 in Company News |