COVID-19 - a Stepping Stone for a Sustainable Bio-Economy

The Economic shutdown has had two types of impact on our lives - negative & positive. the negative impacts meant loss of jobs, reduction in income, loss of business and in a few cases, complete closure of certain business models. On the other hand, the positive effects are rather long lasting and long awaited such as drastically reduced pollution levels, significantly improved air & water quality, saving of fuels, shift of focus from unhealthy foods to healthy ones, less wastage and an overall contained life. Ofcourse, the pandemic has proved to be a great tribulation to various sectors of society especially the policemen, doctors, administrators, migrant laborers and gig workers, but what we got in return was nothing less than phenomenal - a worldwide detox.

What we need to do now is to take these change of events in our stride and start a new way of life. We need to let go off the previous state of toxicity and adopt a new one - one where emphasis is placed on necessity over extravagance. Now that we have been given an opportunity to amend our ways, one of the key areas for a rethink would be the dependence on fossil fuels. We already know that fossil fuels greatly contributes to environmental pollution and exploitation of nature, yet we continue to do so offsetting health hazards. One should remember that Covid-19 has been known to exacerbate existing respiratory and other health conditions often caused due to toxic air. In fact, according to a research, the death toll in China could have been more had their pollution levels been regular which are way beyond acceptable levels.

Promote Bio fuels

According to a report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD’s) Global Subsidies Initiative and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (Ceew), 56% of India’s energy comes from coal, 36% comes from oil & gas, while a mere 3% comes from renewable energy. The study urges the Union government to use the pandemic as an excuse to calibrate wasteful subsidies and target investment towards renewable fuel schemes to balance our fuel consumption and give an impetus to the ethanol industry. By concentrating more on enhancing and promoting the ethanol production process in India, we will achieve our target of 20% blending in the next 10 years. Not only will using ethanol reduce the cost of procurement and our reliance on imported crude oil, but will also reduce carbon emissions, carbon footprint, create more rural jobs, make good use of sugar mills, and make us self sustainable in the long run.

Turn Waste into Wealth

On the bio-energy front, we can use solid waste that is bio-composted, vermin-composted or anaerobically digested, based on bio-recycling methods. The Bio-energy plant would provide a cost-effective means of generating organic manure and megawatts of bioenergy, respectively. Successfully running biogas programs across our villages and nearly 100MW worth of biomethanation plant across cities such as Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad are proof of their success for Indian conditions. A mandatory drive for household-level waste segregation across urban India would thus be an essential first step.

Just like an occasional fast helps our bodies purge out toxins and regenerate, the This economical detox brought down by COVID-19 will have scrubbed our environment clean and handed us the opportunity for a restart.

An in-depth look at the importance of the distillation process.

For any processing plant that involves liquid processing at some level to correctly produce the desired end product, distillation is bound to be needed in the process. Distillation is the most critical part of the various liquid control and monitoring systems that are in place to ensure optimum chemical composition and quality of the liquid. The results or outcomes of the distillation process directly influences the quality of the end-product that is being manufactured at the processing plant.

Types of Distillation

Distillation is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation. Distillation can achieve complete separation (for highly pure components), or a partial separation, that effectively increases the concentration of the desired components in the mixture. In either case, the process exploits differences in the relative volatility of the mixture's components.

There are 5 known ways to conduct the distillation process;

a.       Simple Distillation-  This process involves purifying a liquid mixture by heating it in a distillation flask and bringing the liquids to their boiling points. The liquid with the lower boiling point will evaporate and the vapours can be collected in condensation flask.

b.       Double distillation:  This process involves repeated distillation on the collected liquid, in order to enhance the purity of the separated compounds.

c.       Steam Distillation:  In this process, steam is introduced to the apparatus and the temperature of the compounds are depressed by vaporizing them at lower temperature. This is done to distil temperature sensitive compounds without damaging/decomposing them.

d.       Vacuum Distillation:  Vacuum distillation is a special method of separating compounds at a pressure lower than the standard atmospheric pressure

e.       Fractional Distillation- This process is almost same as the Simple Distillation, but the mixture is divided into fractions and then distilled using a special column called fractional columns or distillation columns. 

Out of all, the Fractional Distillation process is known to be the most effective one. It requires a relatively simple setup and has shown some considerable benefits, especially when it comes to liquid processing in large-scale plants.

Here are a few advantages of fractional distillation;

a.       It is highly fuel efficient

b.       The setup is quite easy to implement

c.       Works for any type, size or scale of industry

d.       Can handle all types liquid waste streams

e.       Easier to separate miscible liquids

Distillation in industries:

Distillation serves as the backbone of most processing plants across all industries.  It is one of the most important steps in the manufacturing of gasoline, diesel and bio fuels.  Distillation columns or fractionating columns are widely used as they facilitate optimum results for strict industrial requirements.

A few industry examples in which distillation is used as a core step;

1.       Crude oil refineries: Crude oil is made up of thousands of liquid hydrocarbons, in which hundreds of other solid based hydrocarbons are dissolved. The oil is distilled into liquid fractions with different boiling point ranges which are then further processed.

2.       Liquid processing: Distilled water is commonly used in most parts of the world for drinking purposes, as well as for use in the manufacturing other beverages. Hence, it plays a big role in wastewater treatment. Alcoholic beverage production also uses distillation to increase the concentration of ethyl alcohol, giving greater potency and flavour.

3.       Healthcare: Drug manufactures desire an extremely high consistency in quality, which can be manufactured in industrial quantities economically. Distillation gives pharmaceutical companies a comprehensive control over purity and consistency, and enables them to produce large amounts of the desired substances.

4.       Bio-fuels: Distillation is also used in Bioethanol production. Unlike fossil fuels, bio-fuel is made from organic substances like starch and sugarcane, which contain water. Distillation helps in extracting the biofuels from the organic solids and purify them further.

5.       Food Processing: Steam distillation is typically used in the food industry for the preparation of some volatile oils. It is also used in the removal of some taints and flavours from edible fats and oils.

Praj industries is a major manufacturer of distillation columns, and one of the most prominent Corn Ethanol Producers in India with over 30 years of industry expertise.

From pioneering Bioethanol production technology to mastering Zero Liquid Discharge systems, Praj industries offers a plethora of high-tech engineering solutions. like scrubbing, Ultrafiltration Equipment and evaporation systems, that are highly customized and match international standards of quality and output. To learn more about Praj’s complete offerings, kindly visit www.praj.net 

Future of wastewater treatment with membrane bioreactors

2020 is here and industries are gearing up for a truly sustainable future.  Green initiatives have become a strong part of the consensus and various new technologies have emerged to replace the conventional ones in every aspect… especially in wastewater treatment.

Wastewater treatment is a major influencer of the environmental changes that we are witnessing today.  The amount of water retained is itself a big topic of discussion when it comes to conserving earth’s resources. Apart from that, there are various factors like energy consumption and effluent quality, that decide the wastewater treatment plant’s eco-friendliness and future dependability.

Membrane Bioreactor

When we think of the future, we need to think long ahead. Something that can prove to be truly viable for this decade and decades to come. Membrane Bioreactors have proven to be a suitable choice to build the wastewater treatment plants of the new world.  MBRs have been in use for quite some time and have become extremely popular over the last couple of years.

Membrane bioreactor is the combination of a membrane process like microfiltration or ultrafiltration and a biological wastewater treatment process. It is now widely used for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. When used with domestic wastewater, MBR processes can produce effluent of high quality enough to be discharged to a coastal surface or into waterways. They offer a plethora of benefits and show very promising results in terms of water retention and future dependability

Here are 5 advantages of Membrane Bioreactors

1.       Independent SRT Control:

A significant advantage of the membrane bioreactor process is that the biological solids (mixed liquor or sludge) are completely retained in the bioreactor. This means the solids retention time (SRT) in the bioreactor can be controlled independently from the hydraulic retention time (HRT).

2.       Smaller Footprint:

Along with the environmental challenges linked with wastewater treatment, a big underlying challenge is the area of land required.  A typical wastewater treatment plant consumes a lot of space, due to which it is becoming more and more difficult to build one in metro areas. That’s where MBRs help us the most as they can be erected in small spaces. The increased concentrations of the biomass solids allow the plant to operate with small footprints.

3.       High Effluent Quality:

MBRs consist of filtration membranes of small pore size (<0.5 µm). This means that the treated effluent is of very high clarity and contains significantly reduced pathogen concentration compared with the classic activated sludge (CAS) process. Due to this, MBR processes can generate a substantially purer effluent which can be reclaimed and reused for applications such as urban irrigation, utilities or toilet flushing.

4.       Proper biological treatment

The anaerobic process in MBR works as a secondary treatment for wastewater. This process uses bacteria and other microorganisms to break down waste solid into finer particles. This allows for easy collection and management of decomposed waste.

5.       Lower oxygen demand

The presence of membrane ensures certain macromolecular metabolites are screened out and gradually degraded. This generates a final chemical oxygen demand that is lower than that achieved with classic activated sludge.

Membrane Bioreactors are definitely on the path to becoming the top alternative CAS plants. The global market share of MBR is expected to go up to 3.8 Billion USD by the year 2023. With the ongoing industrializations and rapid development schemes, India will too witness a staggering rise in the demand for MBRs in various cities.

Praj Industries is a prominent name in wastewater treatment landscape and a major manufacturer of MBR systems. It also one of the leading Heat exchanger suppliers in India. It offers highly advanced and reliable solutions for bioenergy, high-purity systems, Distillation Columns and more. To learn more about their products, visit their websiteà www.praj.net 

Averting the wastewater treatment crisis with Zero Liquid Discharge Systems

As India sets sail towards becoming a 5 trillion-dollar economy, we are about to witness some massive-scale developments across all industries. There is going to be a major shift in the market mentality, both in rural and urban areas, that will drive the country’s economy. A change like this can be great for the nation’s goal of becoming a super-power. But a change for the better, needs to be rooted in every facet of our societal problems.

The wastewater treatment problem:

Population is on a steady rise; And as a nation, we are doing everything to eradicate problems like poverty and housing.  But in our mission to emerge as a world leader, we are neglecting one of the most troubling problems of our times… wastewater treatment! 

India generates a staggering 1.7 million tonnes of faecal waste a day. Being the biggest consumer of freshwater in the world today, we have a serious lack of concern for our water resources. India has always been projected as a country with abundant water resources. But that’s not the case anymore! Water scarcity is going to be the biggest threat we will face in our race to the top.

Wastewater- Our biggest un-tapped resource

In India, only 30% of the wastewater is treated.  Today, we have an opportunity to take that remaining 70% and transform it into a useful resource.  But the challenges to creating viable wastewater treatment plants are numerous.

Here are some of the challenges we face:

1.       Land-  Any conventional wastewater treatment plant requires a lot of land. As developments up rise from every industrial sector, land is becoming more and more expensive.

2.       Costs: The Centre for Science and Environment estimates that Rs.1 crore per million litres is the cost incurred to build a wastewater plant. Due to these exorbitant costs, civic bodies have no option but to discharge the waste into river bodies.

3.       Population: We have a major population control problem.  And as population increases, living areas are becoming more and more dense, increasing water intake and wastewater discharge volumes. 

4.       General Apathy:  In general, we have a serious apathy towards our wastewater problem.  Most of urban India’s sewage systems lead directly to rivers or lakes.

5.       Existing drainage systems. The design of most Indian urban drainage systems is such that wastewater flows directly into a river or lake without treatment. This makes it even more difficult for authorities to manage wastewater.

How can Zero Liquid Discharge Systems help?

A zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system is a facility where no wastewater is discharged into the environment, and all of it is available for immediate reuse. ZLD plants use specialized wastewater treatment technologies that transform all of the effluent into reusable clean water. Whether it’s for landscape irrigation or for replacing conventional water supplies in an industrial process, reusing wastewater reduces demand for fresh water.

The technologies used in ZLD facilities include sedimentation, dissolved air flotation, media filtration, activated carbon filtration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis. These technologies help the ZLD plant to filter out all the waste from the water, and reduce it to solid waste blocks. Almost 98% of the water is available for immediate reuse. With this, ZLD becomes as effective alternative over conventional systems. 

Here some benefits of ZLD systems with respect to Indian wastewater problems;

1.       Immediate clean water access:  ZLD plants produce clean, usable water at the site itself. So the water can be routed back to various usage sites such residential or industrial

2.       Reduced costs: With advanced filtration, crystallization and sedimentation techniques, the process proves to be highly cost-effective than regular systems

3.       Reduced dependency on municipal water supply:  If ZLD systems are implemented on a local or a hyper-local scale, this can eliminate the dependency on acquiring water from centralized water authorities, as water can be made available on demand, wherever needed.

4.       Compliance with regulations:  Government regulations regarding industrial wastewater discharge have gotten highly stringent. ZLD systems make sure that no waste products go outside the bounds of manufacturing faculties, making it very easy to comply with the regulations

5.       Consistent water supply and consistent quality:  As ZLD systems make water readily available, our dependency on freshwater streams will reduce drastically and therefore, creating an opportunity to establish a consistent water supply across the nation.

Praj industries is a major manufacturer of wastewater treatment solutions, and one of the most prominent Corn Ethanol Producers in India with over 30 years of industry expertise.

From pioneering Bioethanol production technology to mastering Zero Liquid Discharge systems, Praj industries offers a plethora of high-tech engineering solutions. Apart from ZLD systems, they offer a wide range of Industrial wastewater treatment solutions like scrubbing, evaporation and crystallization, that are highly customized and match international standards of quality and output.

Enfinity Technology - The Latest Headway in Biofuel Technology Solutions

It's no secret that the world today is yearning for renewable energy sources that can combat issues like harmful emissions, depleting fossil resources and spiraling fuel prices. Ethanol Industry is being viewed as a viable alternative which is expected to play a critical role in meeting the growing demand for renewable energies and cleaner fuels.

While initiatives are being taken at different levels, the introduction of one of the latest technologies Enfinity is the breakthrough that is likely to take the bio-refinery sector by storm.  Enfinity is the brainchild of Praj Industries which is one of the most trusted names in the bioenergy spectrum, known for delivering the best ethanol plant solutions.

Enfinity Ethanol Technology

Ethanol production process

It is the 2G or second-generation cellulosic ethanol technology that utilizes the available renewable sources for bio-fuel solutions that successfully meet the environmental and energy challenges. The smart Bio-Refinery system based on Enfinity technology is equipped with multi-feed capability and improved biological processing ability.

Unlike the first-generation ethanol production process that depends on food crops, typically corn and sugar cane as raw material, Enfinity uses agricultural wastes like rice husk, palm residue, wheat stalks, corn cobs, and other ligno cellulosic biomass. It utilizes different kinds of enzymes to break these organic wastes into glucose or carbon sugars from which ethanol is extracted. The complete production process encompasses enzymatic hydrolysis, co-fermentation, and distillation and is a thermally integrated system that facilitates optimum energy consumption.

Features of 2G Ethanol Technology

Enzyme Flexibility

●       Proven technology on multiple enzymes

●       High yields with different enzyme strains

Co-Fermentation

Yeast strain for efficient utilization of C5 (pentose) and C6 (hexose) sugars 

●       Higher yield

●       Lower reaction time

●       Higher tolerance to solids

Other HIghlights of the Technology

1.      Optimum Capacity – 1 million liter  per annum

2.      Capability to process multiple feedstock - corn cobs & stover, rice & wheat straw, cane trash, cane bagasse, cotton stalk, empty fruit bunches (EFB)

3.      A holistic approach with an end to end offering; from feedstock processing till end product and wastewater treatment.

4.      Process integration facilitating optimization of energy & water consumption.

5.      Efficient wastewater management with Zero Liquid Discharge system

6.      Operating cost at par with global competition.

7.      The technology is designed to produce Bio-ethanol, Bio-gas with provision for the set-up of Bio-CNG unit

Another Milestone Achieved

Praj Industries has spread its wings far and wide and is a name to reckon with in the global biofuel technology solutions. Its 2G ethanol technology will now be used for USA’s bagasse-based biorefinery. ‘Enfinity’ will be deployed to produce ethanol and other co-products using sugarcane bagasse in the bagasse-based bio-refinery. The bio-refinery will be jointly promoted by Florida based Omega Energy USA, a developer of renewable energy projects, while Louisiana based Lasuca Sugar, a producer of cane sugar, will supply bagasse feedstock. With Enfinity gaining global recognition and acceptance from developed markets like that of USA, it reinforces the position of Praj industries as a global leader in the advanced bio-economy.

A Comprehensive Guide to Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers

Heat exchangers are parts of industrial equipment that are deftly designed for facilitating the process of exchanging heat from one fluid(liquid or gas) to another fluid(liquid or gas). The purpose or the objective of heat transfer could be either for heating or cooling the elements of the fluids. The essential feature of the heat exchanger is that heat transfer occurs without the need of bringing the two fluids together. In industrial plants and factories, heat exchangers are widely used to keep the machinery, chemicals, gas, and other substances within a safe operating temperature.

There are different types of heat exchangers available in the market that employ different setups, equipment, and design features. While all the heat exchangers operate on the same principle, they work in different ways. Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers is one of the most commonly used heat exchanger widely used in industrial process applications like in refineries and chemical industries. Consisting of a sealed shell and a number of metal tubes, these heat exchangers are specifically designed to exchange heat flow between two fluids in enormous quantities.

How does it Work?

The two fluids of different temperatures are made to pass through the heat exchanger, where

one fluid flows through a set of metal tubes, the other fluid passes through a sealed shell that surrounds them. The heat transfer takes place between the fluids through the tube walls. The fluids can be either liquids or gases.

Shell and tube heat exchangers are used in various industrial applications due to their expertise in performing tasks such as:

• Cooling of hydraulic and lube oil
• Condensing process vapor or steam
• Cooling of turbine, compressor, and engine
• Evaporating process liquid or steam

What are the Advantages of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers?

 The equipment is highly preferable by the industrial units due to its robust structure and its ability to transfer a huge amount of heat at a relatively lower cost. Moreover, the shell and tube heat exchangers provide sufficient and effective tube surface that minimizes the requirements of floor space and liquid volume.

1. Suitable for systems with higher operating temperatures and pressures.
2. Any leaks in the tubes can be easily detected and fixed.
3. Tubular coolers in the refrigeration system can also serve as a receiver.
4. Sacrificial anodes can be used to protect the entire cooling system against corrosion

There are many Heat Exchanger Suppliers in the market that are offering different types of heat exchangers-varying in capacities and functioning. Praj Industries is one of the leading  Heat Exchanger Suppliers offering Critical process systems and equipment to several processing industries. Over the years they have successfully catered to the demands of numerous companies and have made their mark in the industry.

Grain Based Ethanol and its Growth in India !

Grain based ethanol or Grain alcohol is a purified form of ethanol made from the distillation of fermented grain. The ethanol is produced by fermenting sugars in the grain by yeast prior to repeated distillation or rectification. It is also used to refer to any ethanol produced from grain or other agricultural origin.

Grain based ethanol is used for the production of white spirits such as gin and vodka but also as a base for a wide range of flavoured alcoholic beverages. It is a colorless liquid addressed as a ‘neutral spirit’ i.e. bereft of added flavor. The chemical composition of C2H5OH makes it a flammable liquid.

Grain alcohols are known to act as depressants and a neurotoxin to the central nervous system. They find their application in alcoholic beverages, recreational drugs, solvents, antiseptics, fuels, and various industrial purposes.

The Growing Demand for Grain Based Ethanols

One of the factors responsible for the growing acceptance of grain-based alcohol in india is the inconsistency in Molasses’ prices. Until now, Molasses have been traditionally dominant in the production of alcohol in the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) market. Now, however, the trend of using grain-based alcohol is exponentially growing. According to Praj industries - one of the leading Ethanol plant manufacturers in Asia, the grain-based variety of all potable alcohol produced in India has grown to 10% from a meager 2% to 3%. It is expected to further reach 22% in the next 5 years. (1)

Is Grain Alcohol 100% Pure?

Grain alcohol is commonly bottled in two versions, 75.5 percent ABV and 95 percent ABV. There is no 100 percent ABV grain alcohol for human consumption because of azeotropic effects during the distillation process. Such concentration is considered too easy for people to get alcohol poisoning.

Abundant Availability of Grains in India Makes it A Popular Choice

Alcohol from grains is found to be better in quality, but more expensive than the ones made from molasses. However, grain-based ethanol plants can find additional income source in one of the byproducts of grain-based distilleries - the animal feed. This has prompted more companies to set grain ethanol plants. This will also mean that we can get better quality alcohol.

As oil companies increase the use of ethanol for blending with petrol, prices of molasses-based ethanol have increased. As a result, the IMFL manufacturers frequently switch between grain-based and molasses-based alcohol depending upon its prices.

The government plans to allow food grains during surplus production years to be used for the production of ethanol that can be blended with petrol, in an attempt to broaden the availability of raw materials needed for Bioethanol production.

Pune-based Praj Industries, leaders in Industrial production of ethanol, have covered 80% of the dryer market in the past few years. The dryer technology, used for drying the wet waste generated by the grain-based distilleries has made it possible for the distilleries to cross-subsidize the production cost of grain alcohol.