Nurturing Natural
Resources

Renewability is a responsibility we take seriously.

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Environment & Planet

Conservation is not a choice for us at Pidilite. It is a commitment. We want to create a future that is balanced - where we reduce the excess consumption of natural resources while encouraging the use of more renewable sources.

Our Focus is on Reducing Freshwater Consumption

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Waste Water Recycling and Reuse: A wastewater recycling unit consisting of Reverse Osmosis (RO), Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR), Agitated Thin Film Dryer (ATFD) and Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection was installed at one of our water intensive manufacturing units.

Condensate Water Reuse: A steam condensate recovery system was installed at multiple locations to collect and reuse boiler condensate.

STP Water for Toilet Flush and Gardening: Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) were installed at multiple locations to eliminate freshwater usage for toilet flushing and gardening.

Drain Water Reuse: By installing an innovative closed-loop system for cooling tower water, we were able to recover and reuse jacket drain water. This created 50% reduction in effluent generation as well as a fresh water top-up for cooling towers.

We implemented a system to collect and redirect the gland cooling water from various processes back to the cooling tower. This closed-loop design prevents unnecessary water waste and contamination, and promotes sustainable water management practices.

Reuse of water for cleaning reactors.

A roof rainwater harvesting system was installed at multiple locations.

At multiple locations, conventional water taps were replaced with state-of-the-art water-saving taps, featuring flow control mechanisms and auto shutoff. This upgrade minimised water wastage through the enhanced regulation of water flow - ensuring optimal usage without compromising functionality.

Other water conservation initiatives, include the arresting of water leakages, use of soft water for the cooling tower and the installation of closed loop recirculation.

Water Conservation Case Study:

Rainwater conservation

At our Mahad A22 manufacturing site, we began harvesting water during the monsoon season from the fire pond. The existing roof water harvesting system is only efficient during the period of heavy rains, therefore we connected it to the fire pond. As a result, we were able to store rainwater for reuse during periods of scanty rainfall.

Outcome: Annually, an average of 2,119 KL of rainwater is collected and reused, which would otherwise be wasted through surface runoff.

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Process Wastewater - Recycling and Reuse

At our Vapi 23 manufacturing site, we installed a wastewater recycling plant. The purpose of this plant is to collect and recycle the process wastewater to meet the quality standards for process raw water. As a result, the recycled water can be reused in the process, reducing the need for freshwater. In the absence of this recycling plant, the process effluent was discharged to an effluent treatment plan, where it was treated according to the outlet parameters set by regulatory authorities.

Outcome: The freshwater consumption at the plant reduced by an average of 85,000 KL.

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Our Efforts to Reduce Energy Consumption - Major Projects

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Heat Pumps were installed to harness wasted heat from process heating, which was then utilised for the refrigeration cycle. This significantly cut down energy consumption for utilities.

Heat Recovery Units were deployed to generate hot demineralized water by utilising waste heat from the process, reducing the overall energy required for heating.

Thermal Conductive Oil in Ductable Air Conditioners showcased the company's drive to adopt advanced cooling solutions. The Thermal Conductive Oil enhances heat transfer efficiency within the air conditioning system, reducing the workload on compressors and lowering overall electricity consumption.

Replaced fixed-speed split air conditioners with energy-efficient inverter technology 5-star air conditioners.

Replaced existing fixed-speed motors of air compressors with energy-efficient IE4 motors.

Replaced existing fixed-speed motors of Reactors and Blenders with energy-efficient IE3 motors.

Replaced outdated pumps and motors with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient equipment that comes with variable speed drives to optimise energy consumption.

Replaced multiple smaller chillers with a single, larger chiller that boasts advanced refrigeration technology and optimised design for the entire plant.

Energy Saving Initiatives at Nalagarh Plant

At our Nalagarh Plant we initiated a project to eliminate the usage of electrical heating systems through the utilisation of hot condensate water. Through this initiative, we were able to achieve energy savings of 12,000 KWhs annually. We also took the initiative to plug the leakages in our air compressors and the compressed air line.

Outcome:
  • Utilisation of hot condensate water in the heating process resulted in energy savings of 12,000 KWhs annually.
  • We were able to reduce air compression in the leakages from 13% to 8%.
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Increasing the Mix of Renewable Energy in Overall Energy Consumed:

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Windmills were installed in Maharashtra.

An Off-Site solar farm was installed in Gujarat.

Rooftop solar plants have been installed at multiple manufacturing locations.

Boilers using fossil fuels were replaced with biofuel-based boilers at multiple locations.

Usage of coal-fired boilers was phased out.

Reducing the Quantity of Waste Generated and Disposed:

Waste generation

Drying process implemented for solid waste to reduce overall moisture and the quantity of hazardous waste generated.

Recycling of ash generated from coal and briquette fired boilers for brick manufacturing or other useful purposes.

For all our plants in Himachal Pradesh (HP) i.e. Baddi, Kalaamb and Nalagarh, the hazardous waste generated is disposed off to authorised recyclers. They, in turn, prepare compost and recycle the waste back as fuel for the Cement Industry. Today, all our HP Plants are declared as ‘Zero Waste to Landfill' sites.

The implementation of waste solvent recovery from residue, through the use of a Rotary Cone Vacuum Dryer at Vapi Unit, reduced the overall quantity of hazardous waste and further helped to recover solvents for useful purposes.

Replaced single-use, secondary plastic and cardboard boxes for packaging material with reusable rigid plastic containers. It resulted in an average annual saving of 3 MT of paper waste and 400 kg of plastic waste.

We utilised the steam transfer process for a batch to reduce the overall amount of hazardous waste generated during cleaning of vessels. This led to the reduction of overall frequency and water used for cleaning. It also resulted in the minimisation of waste scale generation by about 33% - from 2400 MT/annum to 1600 MT/annum.

At multiple locations, we have shifted to bulk raw material storage from barrel packs, eliminating the generation of empty barrels as hazardous waste.

For certain product categories, we have developed processes for quality check and the reprocessing of retained samples after the retention period in fresh batches. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the generation of hazardous waste.

Use of alternate cleaning chemicals, which are recycled back in the process, eliminates the generation of hazardous waste during cleaning of machinery.