Sustainable Manufacturing: Harnessing Waste Heat for a Cleaner Future
Reducing our environmental footprint is a top priority at GHCL, and we are proud to announce a significant innovation towards creating sustainable production processes. By utilizing waste heat generated during the manufacturing of Soda ash, we aim to conserve resources while creating high-quality vacuum salt.
Many of you may be aware that the Solvay process, the industry standard for soda ash production, relies on a series of exothermic chemical reactions, generating significant heat. Traditionally, this waste heat was used for limited purposes or simply released into the environment through cooling towers or ponds. However, our commitment to environmental sustainability led us to explore an innovative solution.
Through our proactive approach, we identified an opportunity to transform this waste heat into a valuable resource. Previously discarded effluent calcium chloride slurry, a by-product of the Solvay process, holds low-grade heat that was until now, unusable. Collaborating with a renowned technology partner, we have developed a system to harness this waste heat energy for vacuum salt evaporation.
This new vacuum salt plant, once commissioned, will have a production capacity of 0.22 million metric tons per annum (MTPA) and will exemplify our commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices. This process will also yield approximately 664 million litres of clean, demineralized water annually, emphasising our endeavours towards resource conservation and reuse.
Our dedication to sustainable production processes extends beyond waste heat. We are actively working to increase biomass co-firing to 10% in FY25, further reducing fossil fuel consumption at the soda ash plant. We are also implementing variable frequency drives (VFDs) to reduce costs and enhance safety. We are expanding our use of renewable energy sources with existing 6.7MW of wind and solar plants, with an additional 2 MW rooftop solar plant on the horizon. We are also implementing various initiatives to contribute to our goal of a 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030-31.
Our commitment to a cleaner future extends beyond the factory walls. We have planted 60 hectares of mangrove forests, with plans for an additional 30 hectares. Through our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, we have positively impacted the lives of 2.5 lakh people in the communities surrounding our Gujarat operations. Our focus areas include healthcare, education and skill development, agriculture and animal husbandry, women empowerment, and sanitation.
GHCL’s mission is to create value responsibly for all stakeholders. We believe that by continuously improving sustainable practices, we can ensure a cleaner future and contribute to a more sustainable way of doing business.