Mölnlycke, a Swedish medical device company, has invested $50 million in a plant that will sustainably produce surgical gloves in Kulim, Malaysia.

The plant will rely on Veolia Water Technologies for wastewater treatment and ENGIE for the provision of energy. The aim is to manufacture the gloves in an environmentally friendly way through the use of energy- and water-efficient processes.

Zlatko Rihter, CEO of Mölnlycke, said: “The new plant is a key part of our future plans for sustainable growth within the surgical gloves business. It will enable us to expand production to meet projected demand. But the best part is that we will achieve this in a less resource-intensive way, while creating a state-of-the-art working environment for our colleagues in Malaysia.”

Currently Mölnlycke has four plants that operate entirely using renewable energy, with another three potentially making the swap in the future. The company is working to fully rely on renewable energy in the future as it works towards reducing its operational carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2030.

It also plans to produce zero waste by 2050, utilising a circular economy for waste reduction, and recycling and reusing process water on-site or via third parties.

Katriina Öberg, EVP Gloves, Mölnlycke, said: “The surgical gloves manufacturing process is resource-intensive. By partnering with experts in the fields of energy management and water management, we are ensuring we act to realise our ambition to become a global leader in sustainable health care.

“I am very pleased with the partnerships with ENGIE and Veolia — they are important in bringing ‘WeCare’, Mölnlycke’s sustainability transformation agenda for the Gloves business area, to life.”

ENGIE will support the glove production through providing a long-term power-purchase agreement over 15 years.

Thomas Baudlot, ENGIE’s CEO of Energy Solutions APAC and Country Head for Southeast Asia, said: “ENGIE is proud to be the chosen long-term sustainability partner to Mölnlycke in accelerating their low-carbon journey in Malaysia.

“This will be an important milestone for our partnership, helping the Kulim plant use as little energy as possible. More broadly, the project exemplifies how industry players can reap economic benefits by accelerating their energy transition with low-carbon solutions.”

Veolia will be providing its wastewater treatment services to enable water recovery and reuse, while minimising discharge quantity in the manufacturing process. It will also be delivering digital monitoring services and a chemical conditioning program.

Olivier Estienne, Country Director, Malaysia for Veolia Water Technologies, said: “Veolia is firmly committed to championing ecological transformation. We are excited to partner with companies like Mölnlycke, who seek to establish sustainable practices and integrate a green mindset into their business. Our team is proud to be part of Mölnlycke’s expansion plans in Malaysia and we look forward to more avenues to support their endeavour for greater sustainability and improved performance.”

The site will begin production in September and reach full capacity, employing 800 people and producing 400 million gloves a year, by 2026.

Image credit: iStock.com/Charday Penn

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/news/sustainable-surgical-glove-plant-opens-in-malaysia-1557247728

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced funding for Intellihub; $871,000 will be used to install 50 electric vehicle chargers on street-side power poles in New South Wales as a trial that could potentially result in wider adoption of EVs.

The chargers will be installed across nine local government areas to cater for EV owners who live in apartments, townhouses or units that do not have access to EV charging on-site.

The $2.04 million project is supported by Schneider Electric, which is providing the infrastructure, and EVSE, which will manage the service.

Origin Energy will supply 100% GreenPower, meaning all of the energy required to charge the vehicles will be matched with the equivalent amount of certified renewable energy added to the grid.

The nine local councils taking part in the project include Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick, Lake Macquarie, Ryde, Singleton, Parramatta, Northern Beaches and Inner West.

One of the aims of the trial is to highlight that there are no regulatory barriers to using existing infrastructure for charging electric vehicles. It also seeks to understand the impact of these chargers on the wider electricity network.

If the trial proves to be a success, Intellihub will provide the service in a wider rollout on a commercial basis.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said power pole charging could be an ideal way to increase access to public EV charging.

“Not all electric vehicle owners have the ability to charge their vehicle at home, which is why we’re excited to partner with Intellihub on this trial that utilises street side power poles, providing a great opportunity to pair with EV charging,” Miller said.

“We look forward to seeing the results of the trial from Intellihub and hope to see it rolled out right across Australia.”

Intellihub CEO Wes Ballantine said: “It’s expected that as many as 10% of new car sales in Australia will be electric vehicles by 2025. That equates to an extra 120,000 new EVs on our local streets each year. It’s likely that many of these car owners may be unable to charge their EVs from home.

“Power poles line most of our public streets and that presents an opportunity for the EV charging market. They’re an accessible, safe and practical option for EV charging.”

Image credit: Intellihub

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/news/arena-funds-pole-position-for-ev-charging-1302381743

The upcoming Waste Expo Australia has announced its conference schedule.

The event, which will take place alongside All-Energy Australia from 26 to 27 October, is free for industry members and is hosted in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. It will provide insights into waste management and recycling, and there will be product showcases and demonstrations, and networking opportunities.

Speakers at the conference will include legislators, local council members and recycling and waste management experts.

The circular economy will be of particular focus of the event this year, in addition to topics like municipal waste initiatives for waste and recycling, and commercial and industrial (C&I) and commercial and demolition (C&D) resource recovery and waste management. Updates will also be provided regarding energy-from-waste innovation.

Lily D’Ambrosio, the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, will lead the first day of the conference speaking about how Victoria is approaching recycling and waste management.

Other speakers include Matt Genever, the interim CEO of Sustainability Victoria; Tony Circelli, the head of Recycling Victoria; and Veronique Bensadou, Senior Environmental Consultant at the MRA Consulting Group.

Robby Clark, Portfolio Director for the Energy & Waste Portfolio at RX Global, said: “We are proud to deliver the most comprehensive Waste Expo agenda to date in 2022. With a stellar line-up of speakers from all across recycling and waste management, all coming together to share their successes, lessons learnt and what the future holds.

“Waste Expo gives attendees the opportunity to hear from some of the biggest names in the industry at the conference and do business with leading suppliers for free on the expo floor.”

The full schedule is available online. Register for the event online.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/news/waste-expo-australia-announces-conference-agenda-845787210

The Interface Load Button Load Cells are one of the smallest load cells in both diameter and height.

The specialised ‘miniature’ stainless steel load cells are small in design size but have a large range of measuring capacities, from 5 to 50,000 lbf. The spherical radius design of the compression load button load cells is frequently used in confined spaces providing good precision force measurement solutions.

They are also suitable for use in OEM applications, like medical devices, drones, industrial automation, packaging and robotics. The engineered product designs of these smaller applications require high-performing load cells, like the LowProfile pancake-style load cells, in a much smaller construction. Load button load cells are also commonly used in test and measurement projects.

The Interface Load Button Load Cells are available in LBM and LBS models, with diameters ranging from 25 to 96 mm and heights from 10 to 38 mm.

The range includes: LBM Compression Load Button Load Cell with capacities from 25 to 50k lbf, environmentally sealed and temperature compensated; LBS Miniature Compression Load Button Load Cell with capacities ranging from 5 lbf to 1K lbf and as small as 3 mm in height; LBMP Overload Protected Compression Load Button Load Cell is overload protected, temperature compensated, has a small diameter and its capacities range from 0.01 to 100 kN; LBMU Ultra Precision Compression Load Button Load Cell has good accuracy with enhanced eccentric load rejection with capacities from 100 to 1K lbf; and MSC Miniature Column Compression Load Button Load Cell uses Interface’s proprietary temperature-compensated strain gages — it has a small compact design with low deflect.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/hot-product/interface-load-button-load-cells-699192227

The South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) has selected ABB Australia for a conversion project of some of the state’s train fleet — it has ordered 44 sets of ABB’s BORDLINE Energy Storage Systems (ESS), traction integration module, and energy management systems, in what is claimed to be an Australian-first diesel-hybrid train set.

For its enclosed stations, DIT sought to remove diesel engine noise and exhaust fumes on its trains and to upgrade its rolling stock fleet to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.   

ABB’s BORDLINE ESS was selected to be used to upgrade the propulsion system for Adelaide Metro’s 44 train sets.

The lithium-ion-based onboard ESS is suitable for use in a range of traction applications and is designed to deliver high power for vehicles in harsh environments like mining vehicles, electric buses, marine, on/off-road vehicles, special purpose vehicles or industrial applications.

The ESS converts the kinetic energy of the train to electrical energy during braking and then stores this in an onboard battery. The recovery of braking energy can improve the efficiency and reduce fuel consumption and overall carbon footprint. The solution is expected to result in energy savings of 16%. Thanks to high-efficiency, flexible and modular traction systems, the ESS integration is enabled without any need for major changes in the existing system.

The upgrade is designed to reduce mechanical braking and thus will see a reduction in brake dust emissions and maintenance costs. Slow speed operation can be achieved with the train’s engine turned off and it can be turned off completely while docked at the station.

As a result of this diesel engine and converter upgrade to implement an ESS, each train will deliver a C0₂ reduction in emissions of 54 tonnes per year — that’s 2400 tonnes annually for all 44 train sets combined.

Pradip Savaliya, Product Manager for Traction Converters for ABB in Australia and New Zealand said: “The diesel-hybrid solution we’ve developed for DIT will see the energy from regenerative braking used to charge the train’s battery which can be used in parallel with the diesel engine as a booster to save fuel and help the environment.

“The additional capability of the battery means it can be used in replacement of the diesel engine when supplying auxiliary loads at the train platform to reduce noise output and air pollution.”

The upgrade also consists of new traction converters and energy management systems which will optimise the trains’ traction performance.

Ali Parvizi, Traction Sales Manager for ABB in Australia and New Zealand, said: “This upgrade maintains the current safety standards, improves passenger comfort and dramatically improves DIT’s sustainable mobility. ABB Australia is proud to be supporting this project in such a major way.”

Mike Briggs, Head of the Motion Business for ABB in Australia said: “This is a milestone project for the ABB Motion Traction business. Facilitating enhanced train performance with our battery technology is just one example of how we can contribute to addressing the climate crisis in a significant way, in keeping with our commitment to reduce CO₂ emissions for ourselves, our customers, and society.

“The introduction of our Energy Storage and Management Systems within Australia will ensure opportunities for employment in these emerging technology sectors.

“ABB is equally committed to the whole-of-life support for these designs, and we will be setting up a new service facility in Australia to support this project and all those ensuing.”

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Image supplied.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/news/abb-selected-for-sa-diesel-hybrid-train-fleet-conversion-1326774158

Victorian households will soon gain access to a fourth bin to make recycling more efficient and divert tonnes of waste from landfill.

The purple-lidded bins are specifically for glass recycling, and were rolled out by the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio to the Whittlesea council area.

“We’re getting on with rolling out the game-changing new four-stream recycling system, keeping glass and other valuable resources out of landfill and recycling them into new products,” D’Ambrosio said.

“Our new household recycling services will maximise our recycling capacity, create new jobs and divert 80% of waste from landfill by 2030, reducing emissions by 50% by the same year.”

Separate glass recycling services will be rolled out to all local government areas by 2027, with universal food and garden organics (FOGO) collection by 2030. The separation of glass from other recycling streams means the material will be able to dealt with more efficiently, and turned into more products.

The Recycling Victoria Household Education and Behaviour Change Fund will see 15 councils share a pool of $1 million to be used to implement local campaigns or to improve existing four-stream household recycling services.

Such four-stream systems (garbage, mixed recycling, FOGO and glass) exist currently in six local government areas: Moyne, Central Goldfields, Warrnambool, Hobson’s Bay, Surf Coast and Macedon Ranges shires. A seventh area, Frankston, will adopt the service by 2023.

All councils and alpine resort management boards are eligible for funding under the $6.03 million Circular Economy Household Education Fund.

Using the four bins will see 80% of material diverted from landfill, including 20,000 tonnes of glass.

Over $515 million has been invested by the Victorian Government into the transformation and reform of the state’s waste and recycling industry. The investment has included $380 million to deliver Recycling Victoria to implement circular economy systems.

For more information, visit sustainability.vic.gov.au/grants-funding-and-investment/funded-projects-2

Image credit: iStock.com/netrun78

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/waste/news/glass-recycling-bins-roll-out-in-victorian-council-areas-991922735

Gorman Rupp Super T self-priming pumps are designed for efficient operation and can handle solids-laden liquids and slurries. The large volute design of the pumps allows automatic re-priming in an open system without the need for suction or discharge check valves. The pumps can be mounted above the wet well and have safety features to protect their operators.

Additionally, the Eradicator Plus is available for the 3″, 4″ and 6″ self-priming pumps. It has been designed for installations where nuisance clogging is increasing downtime and maintenance costs.

For heavy-duty applications where municipal waste, wipes, industrial by-products, agricultural wastes and other organic solids are present, this product shreds the solids, allowing them to pass through the pump uninterrupted. This pump offers reduced maintenance periods and lower energy costs.

For more information: https://www.hydroinnovations.com.au/pumps/super-t-series-with-eradicator-superior-solids-handling-capability.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/wastewater/hot-product/gorman-rupp-super-t-self-priming-pumps-770206209

A mere 1.6% last year. This is well below the global average of 9%. This isn’t too surprising, considering there are only about 1800 charging stations — and only 291 fast charging stations — available around 7.7 million square kilometres of country. Couple that to the fact that most electric variants are often twice the price of already existing petrol models.

So, what can be done to encourage EV uptake in Australia?

Manufacturer support

Though we have seen Tesla, Nissan, and Toyota coming to Australia to peddle EVs, Australia’s lax environmental standards still mean that petrol driven cars are more affordable than EVs. Unlike Europe, we do not tax or fine car importers for missing CO₂ emissions targets. As outlined here, Volkswagen does not ship EVs to Australia precisely for this reason. The stick is non-existent; and the carrot is much to be desired.

Government incentives and investment

Some state governments such as the NSW State Government do have a Net Zero plan and electric vehicle strategy: waiving stamp duty for EVs priced $78,000; a $3000 rebate for the first 25,000 EVs sold after September 2021, priced under $68,750. The ACT is offering interest-free loans up to $15,000 to buy EVs; the Victorian Government is also taking the NSW lead and offering a similar rebate and an exemption from Victorian luxury car duty.

Though there is a comprehensive list of discounts and incentives here, more can be done to incentivise purchase of EVs on the part of governments.

Fast charging stations

Australia only has 1800 charging stations — with plans for about 700 more proposed in Australia in the near future. However, this is nowhere near enough — nor are they fast enough. Most of the 291 fast charging stations max out at 50 kW — that means adding 50 km to your car every 10 minutes, meaning you’ll be waiting half an hour or more to fill up your battery to at least 80% or so. Australia needs to invest in “ultra-rapid” charging stations of 350 kW+ — which mean a battery could have a full charge in 15 minutes, allowing them to drive halfway from Sydney to Melbourne at the very least.

Green car loans

People who choose green vehicles are now receiving cheaper borrowing rates from lenders, credit unions, and other brokers. However, the incentives may not go far enough.

The Green Vehicle Guide published by the Australian Government details how environmentally friendly new vehicles are. It uses a five-star rating system. The greener the automobile is, the higher the star rating. This is determined by evaluating a car’s fuel efficiency, its Greenhouse Rating (10 being the best), and its Air Pollution Rating (out of 10). Unsurprisingly, EVs get a perfect score all around.

You can get a sense of how much you could save with a green car loan by doing a review of the average car loan interest rates in Australia and comparing what’s available from specialist green car loan brokers.

Image credit: iStock.com/jonathanfilskov-photography

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/sustainability/sponsored/encouraging-ev-uptake-in-australia-1255233759

A new class of emergency response equipment has just been introduced by Hydro Innovations. Called the Lampo, the units are trailer mounted multi-purpose machines designed to simplify the deployment of emergency response equipment for municipalities, emergency services and contractors.

At the heart of the unit is a diesel driven generator complete with variable frequency drive [VFD], which powers a lighting tower and a Gorman-Rupp pump unit. The units also come standard with an air compressor, discharge hose reel and suction hoses.

The generator, VFD, and lighting system is manufactured by quality equipment manufacturer, Euromacchine in Italy. This is housed in an acoustically rated enclosure, which is then mounted on an Australian-built heavy duty galvanised trailer and fitted with a self-priming Gorman-Rupp trash pump.

The aim of the Lampo is to enable asset owners to deploy multiple pieces of machinery, using only one vehicle. Night work like emergency sewage bypass, emergency valve repair or attending burst mains now does not require the deployment of a separate lighting tower, and only requires one operator to set up any of the equipment items.

The cleverly designed unit can light up a work area while operator/s set up the pump or operate numerous electric tools the generator can drive. The VFD allows for soft starting electrical equipment, including the pump, and can vary the speeds of these machines to suit the duty at hand. While all this is happening, the compressor can be driving air nibblers, air operated nail guns, wrenches or tyre inflators.

Gorman-Rupp “Super T Series” trash pumps are standard with the Lampo systems. These pumps are at the cutting edge of self-priming wastewater pumping technology. They are the pump of choice for many Water Authorities and Councils around Australia because of their solids handling capacity, their rugged reliability and their ability to prime and re-prime on high suction lifts. Operators find these pumps very easy to operate as internal clearances can be adjusted externally in minutes, oil levels and clarity can be monitored at a glance and pump blockages are rare.

The “Super T Series” pumps feature a lightweight inspection cover-plate, replaceable wear plates, oil lubricated hard faced mechanical seals, and pusher-bolt capabilities on both the cover plate and bearing housing to make it super easy for operators to service. Pumps are also available in different materials of construction to suit abrasive, corrosive or abrasive and corrosive applications.

To make pumps easy to set up, suction hoses are quickly accessed from conveniently located racks on the side of the Lampo units, and the lay-flat discharge hose is easily “peeled” from the rear mounted hose reel.

Depending on the Lampo model selected, a customer can choose a 3″ [75 mm], 4″ [100 mm], 6″ [150 mm], or 8″ [200 mm] pump, all capable of handling the toughest wastewater pumping applications. These pumps can also be provided with Gorman-Rupp’s patented “eradicator” solids management system to minimise blockages by stringy materials such as rags and wet wipes. They are supplied as standard with “autostart” controls to stop and start on liquid level, making them ideal for sewage pump station bypass or for controlling water levels on construction sites.

Having a VFD built into the generator adds a level of flexibility to the generator that operators can make good use of. It enables them to make use of electrical equipment with larger motors because the VFD reduces the required starting current. The VFD also allows operators to fine tune their pump to suit each and every application. Pumps can be run slowly for low pressure application, run at maximum speed for higher pressure ones, or meet duties anywhere in between.

The lighting tower can be raised to a height of six metres using compressed air from the on-board compressor, and it can be rotated through 360 degrees to enable the lighting up of any work area.

Besides being used to raise the lighting tower, the on-board compressor can be used to power pneumatic tools by plugging air hoses into the conveniently placed air sockets on the outside of the acoustic enclosure. Tools with air consumption up to 4 cfm can be accommodated.

The units are available in eleven sizes. The smallest unit [our ERU11-T3] has an 11 kVa generator, a 5.5 kW VFD, a 6 L compressor and a Gorman-Rupp T3A60S-B self-priming pump. The largest unit has a 100 kVa generator, 55 kW VFD, 24 L compressor and Gorman-Rupp T6A60S-B or T8A60S-B self-priming pump. All units have a 61,000 lumens lighting system.

Units will come with a standard specification, inclusive of a six-metre-high lighting tower and robust tool box, but they are also able to be custom configured to suit individual needs/applications. High pressure pumps can be substituted for wastewater pumps, multiple pumps can be utilised instead of one big one, or staged pumps can be used to fight fires. Higher powered lighting is also an available option, as is different size compressors, and different sorts of optional equipment.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkfxcKaLE1E.

More information on Lampo units is available through Hydro Innovations on info@hydroinnovations.com.au.

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/wastewater/sponsored/new-lampo-emergency-response-unit-941382076

EXAIR’s High Lift Reversible Drum Vac is suitable for the safe recovery of fluids like coolant, hydraulic oils, sludge and chips, wastewater, tramp oil and liquid spills. The product’s high-powered vacuum is able to lift thick liquids up to 1400 cP to a height of 4.6 m, filling a 205 L drum in less than 85 s. With the turn of a knob, the same stainless steel pump can quickly empty the drum. The flow rate in and out of the drum can be controlled with the knob, making it suitable for dispensing liquids.

Electrically operated all-purpose vacuums aren’t designed for use in industrial environments and as a result, motors wear out quickly and impellers clog. Powered by compressed air, this vacuum has no moving parts, no electric motor to wear out and has no impellers to clog, assuring maintenance-free operation. It is designed for continuous and heavy-duty applications where electric vacuums fail due to motor wear or clogged impellers. It can also be used for lighter-duty applications.

It is CE compliant, has built-in pressure/vacuum relief and attaches quickly to closed head 205 L drums. An automatic safety shut off valve prevents spills or overfilling.

For more information: https://www.caasafety.com.au/products/high-lift-reversible-drum-vac/

source http://sustainabilitymatters.net.au/content/wastewater/hot-product/exair-high-lift-reversible-drum-vac-826335972