Gulf Construction Online - How the pumps sector can support green drive

Environment

Nagi ... companies need to adopt sustainable solutions that safeguard resources.

How the pumps sector can support green drive

YASSER NAGI, Managing Director, Wilo Middle East, elaborates on how smartly designed pumps can contribute to global sustainable development.

01 December 2021

The world is in the midst of a period of transition to a circular economy as an increasing number of organisations and individuals awaken to the importance of integrating sustainable systems and practices into their day-to-day operations. As a result, we are seeing an unprecedented surge in the adoption of renewable supplies and environment-friendly products and machinery.
Companies need to adopt sustainable solutions that can improve the quality of life for people, while mitigating the damage to our environment and safeguarding the resources needed by future generations. In the corporate setting, this means taking into account every single detail, starting with manufacturing all the way to logistics and customer services.
In the wastewater management sector, the use of pumps has gained increasing popularity as the operations of sewage systems became more challenging when these systems were required to handle more solid waste and began experiencing longer retention time, thus requiring forceful pumping of sludge and similar fluids. These pumps, however, account for high levels of electricity.
Given this, the role of smart, energy-efficient pumps in the effective pumping of solids-laden wastewater at varying flow rates and delivery heads in wastewater management cannot be overlooked.
The integration of smart, energy-efficient pumps can optimise the operations and reduce electricity consumption significantly. Sustainable wastewater management in industrial water re-processing, water recycling, and sewage treatment can contribute to a company’s overall sustainability goals, in addition to benefiting more people.
Statistics show that poorly designed pumps consume 10 per cent of the world’s energy. This is a serious concern, considering that not all parts of the world have access to sufficient power. What is worse, many countries still do not have adequate access to clean energy. From this, we can then infer that a significant amount of wasted energy comes from non-renewable sources.
Another important aspect to take into consideration when aiming towards sustainability is reducing waste through design. For instance, this can be achieved by using easily recyclable raw material as well as by dismantling the product and remanufacturing it in a form that is more environment friendly. Furthermore, firms should be on a constant lookout for more ways to reduce the usage of raw material.
The pump industry can reduce their intake of raw materials in a number of ways, such as minimising scrap and offcut material, utilising excess scrap material, reducing waste through design, and so on.
By using sustainable materials in creating pumps, firms will be able to reduce the consumption of stainless steel, iron, cast iron, bronze, aluminum, and copper.
By upgrading their initial designs to sustainable ones, companies can reduce the consumption of raw material, hence bringing significant cost savings and environmental benefits. Additionally, they can reap significant financial advantages and attract attention from investors, which means even more profitability in the long term.
Wilo, a major European manufacturer of pumps and pump systems, recommends replacing obsolete technology with a new generation of high-efficiency pumps, in order to save energy and minimise carbon dioxide emissions.
Aside from energy and raw materials, water is another resource that not every country has adequate access to. Companies should work together in ensuring an adequate water supply for the future generations as part of their sustainability goals. In addition, the usage of innovative products that reduce consumption can help conserve this precious resource.
Finally, the pump sector should continue to reassess the sustainability of their operations and rethink their strategies. By reviewing the production process, transportation, warehousing, they can avoid unnecessary expenses and save up more resources. They should also look for more ways to reprocess any raw material and reuse them as part of the remanufacturing process or reuse them for other products or purposes.