In a move towards sustainability and zero-discharge facility, L
anxess India Pvt Ltd, manufacturer of speciality chemicals, has set up a new wastewater post treatment plant at its Nagda unit in Madhya Pradesh. With the commencing of the post treatment plant the site would be virtually free from any effluents and also recover water for re-use in its production processes.
This plant, built with an investment of nearly र35 crores, will treat the discharge from the existing Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) in a manner that virtually no liquid effluent is discharged from the site. The water recovered from the waste water post treatment plant can be used for the production processes, which will bridge the gap in availability of water during the summer months.
Inaugurating in facility, Vijay Vargiya, Minister for Industries and Employment, Madhya Pradesh, said, “Nagda has been facing water scarcity during summer which largely resulting in the industrial units closing down for a couple of month. Lanxess’ setting up of post treatment plant to meet water shortage is definitely a welcome move. I urge all units to look at such solutions.”
The Nagda site, which was taken over by Lanxess India in 2009, has a full-fledged effluent treatment plant and sewage treatment plant. The treated sewage water is used for the make-up water of cooling towers and has a reverse osmosis unit to further process the sewage water for the use as boiler feed water. The site also efficiently recycles steam condensate and has comprehensive air pollution control equipment and ensures responsible disposal of solid and liquid waste.
Taking another initiative towards sustainability, Lanxess has decided to study whether there is a possibility to recycle the entire treated waste water.
Nagda site has constructed a co-generation plant which is fuelled by biomass. It meets virtually all the steam and power requirements of the Advanced Industrial Intermediates plant and makes the site almost independent of external electricity supply. By utilizing a renewable source of energy, Lanxess will significantly reduce its carbon footprint by 70,000 metric tons of coal per year and thus reduce annual CO2 emissions by about 95,000 tonnes. The combustion of biomass as a fuel is carbon neutral for the environment.
Dr. Joerg Strassburger, Managing Director and Country Representative, Lanxess India said on the occasion, “We are happy that we have been able to create new benchmarks in this area in India and we would continue to invest in further improving our levels of safety and sustainability at our manufacturing facilities in India.”
Neelanjan Ban
erjee, Head of Business Unit AII India and Senior Executive Director, Lanxess India added, “In the last two years, we have made significant investments in upgrading this site in terms of health, safety and environment and for this plant too, we have used some of the best technologies available in the world and have partnered with some of the best known suppliers in this industry.”
Also present on the occasion was Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Michael Siebert. Explaining the significance of this plant, Dr. Hubert Fink, Head of Business Unit Advanced Industrial Intermediates (AII), Lanxess AG said, “The Lanxess operation in Nagda is an important pillar for the Business Line Benzyl Products and Inorganic Acids of the business unit AII. This site not only caters to the domestic market but also serves customers in different markets worldwide.”
Lanxess India, since its inception, has systematically laid the foundations for sustainable, profitable growth and is committed to continuously innovate and improve in the areas of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ).
