STRATEGIES
IMPLEMENTED
NHUMO’s
Environmental Management System (EMS) identified operations,
activities, or products that were causing pollution, then
determined which were the most significant so that the company
could control them operationally.
The
next step was to set annual environmental objectives, goals,
and programs for each department. The primary goal was to
avoid and/or eliminate the most significant environmental
issues. Projects were incorporated into these environmental
objectives and goals to enable a reduction of fossil fuels
and wastewater effluents, such as the project for reducing
consumption of electrical power and the project for "zero
discharge to the ocean." Parallel to this effort, the
company began to recover green areas and plant trees to
pick up carbon dioxide emissions. To optimize the process,
NHUMO also took into account legal requirements, environmental
issues, technological operations, and operational requirements.
Projects
put in place for each of the above strategies are described
below.
Reduction
of Fossil Fuel Consumption
NHUMO
set up a strategic plan to avoid the use of fossil fuels
(natural gas, settled oil, and electrical power) through
the use of technology from a Cabot partner. The purpose
of this plan is to minimize and prevent atmospheric pollution
due to CO2 emissions.
Natural
Gas
Each
production unit had three Ashland technology reactors for
the reaction process. The reactors at units I and II were
replaced by Cabot reactors—specifically, an XF-70 reactor
for each unit. This technology enabled each production unit
to reduce natural gas consumption by 30%, by bringing in
the heating potential of the high-temperature oil-air mixture.
This is one of the few technologies that enables such levels.
It is then injected into the reactors, thus optimizing natural
gas use.
Another
measure that optimized the use of this fossil fuel was enhanced
service to the plant. This produced reductions in gas consumption
of almost 47 million cubic meters. The strategy was implemented
in 1993, and its results were clearly obvious after it was
included in the EMS.
Settled
Oil
Similar
to the preceding case, consumption of settled oil decreased
by 3% after the changeover to Cabot technology, resulting
in a savings of more than 31 million kilograms from 1993
to 1997. Other strategies for increasing performance included
negotiations with the Francisco I. Madero Refinery for improving
the quality of settled oil (the main raw material), improving
operating conditions on a continuous basis, and preheating
the oil.
Electrical
Power
NHUMO
believes that efficient use of electrical power contributes
significantly to reducing pollution. For this reason, the
company undertook to incorporate high-efficiency motors
into its operations, which increased the maintenance service
factor from 72.7 to 86.6%. By replacing six Ashland reactors
with two more efficient ones, NHUMO maximized production,
decreased unit down time, and reduced process equipment.
After this strategy was implemented, from 1993 through 1997,
the decrease in energy consumption amounted to approximately
20 million kW/h.
Replacement
of Fossil Fuel Consumption by Process Energy
Recovery
of Waste Gas for the Carbon Black Drying Process
Until
1993, all the waste gas from the carbon black process was
released through stacks. Not only was the gas polluting
the air, but the high residual heating potential that made
the gas eligible as an alternative fuel was being wasted.
In the drying process, 246 cubic meters of natural gas per
ton of carbon black were consumed. Therefore, NHUMO made
the effort to recover residual gas to re-use it as an energy
source in the company's six dryers. This operation eliminated
the use of natural gas and, as a result, almost completely
eliminated emissions to the atmosphere. The result is that
the company is reducing environmental pollution and contributing
to the preservation of ecosystems.
Recovery
of Residual Gas for the Steam Generation Process
Despite
the fact that residual gas was being recovered during the
carbon black drying process, combustion was still occurring
in overhead burners. Then, in July of 1999, the company
began using residual gas to generate steam—110,000 lb/h—both
for its own use and in two neighboring plants. This project
not only enables the utilization of residual gas, which
used to be flared off, but eliminates the boilers in neighboring
plants that formerly used natural gas. These measures contribute
to the preservation of ecosystems.
CO2
Sequestration by Green Areas
Until
1990, most of the open areas at the plant were used for
out-of-spec product storage or as dumping sites for trash,
scrap metal, oil residue and sludge. In an intensive cleanup
program, the company disposed of both hazardous and non-hazardous
wastes properly. Most of the out-of-spec products, and waste
in general, were recycled and re-used internally in the
process, and were also sold outside as waste. Additionally,
NHUMO removed all trash from nearby land and ponds, and
sent oil residue and sludge to a confinement area. For restoration
of damaged areas, a green area recovery program was implemented
that involves preparing the soil in all appropriate areas,
in order to plant ornamental foliage, fruit trees, and grass
of all kinds. The result is remediation of these areas and
sequestration of CO2. Currently 1,655 trees have
been planted, in addition to green areas that include 40%
of the total plant area.
ENVIRONMENTAL
INDICATORS
To
ensure environmental performance and the results of these
ecoefficient strategies, NHUMO is using environmental performance
indicators for water, air, and land. The status of each
of these is monitored according to the requirements of the
Norma Oficial Mexicana (Official Mexican Standard,
or NOM) for the environment, and in some cases the company
is more demanding:
Water. A monthly account is kept of the discharge
conditions of wastewater under NOM-ECOL-001-1996; trend
graphs are kept and analyses are made of potential situations
for improvement.
Air. Stack-generated emissions are monitored
every six months according to NOM-ECOL-043-1993 and NOM-ECOL-085-1993,
and trends in emissions are analyzed for taking appropriate
measures if the need arises to improve environmental performance
in this area.
Land. Hazardous and non-hazardous wastes are evaluated
and controlled to avoid any spills; final disposal is made
in accordance with the NOM. Further monitoring of wastes
with recycling potential is also occurring.
Results
are communicated to staff on a monthly basis and included
in the environmental performance report that is governed
by the company's EMS procedures. For each indicator, there
is a specified operational control for procedures in each
area.
THE
RESULTS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE MITIGATION OF CO2
With
respect to the environment, global ecoefficiency results
have translated into a decrease of almost 450,000 tons in
CO2 emissions during the 1993—97 period:
|
Variable
/ Element
|
Reduction
|
Avoided
CO2 Emissions
|
|
Reduction
|
|
|
|
Natural
Gas
|
112,080,000
m3
|
181,400
t
|
|
Settled
Oil
|
82,300,000
kg
|
29,700 t
|
|
Electric
Power
|
38,600,000
kW/h
|
6,300 t
|
|
Substitution
|
|
|
|
Natural Gas in Driers
|
103,000,000 m3
|
186,000
t
|
|
Natural Gas in Steam Generation*
|
38,825,196 m3
|
48,000
t
|
* Project
in operation since July, 1999. The amounts represent one
normal year of operation.
Pickup
of 9.7 tons per year of CO2 should be added to
the preceding, as a result of the green area program.
Projects
for avoidance and replacement of fossil fuels have reduced
CO2 emissions while at the same time achieving
financial savings and making NHUMO a competitive company.
CONCLUSION
Before
it achieved ISO 14001 certification, NHUMO had been working
on a very aggressive process of change, with a focus on
environmental conservation. The EMS implementation process
confirmed this work in the area of conservation by systemizing
the processes involved, providing stricter operational control
of environmental issues and thus ensuring not only compliance
with legal issues but maintenance of the environmental performance
indicators that had been established by the system itself.
The
company´s environmental performance since certification
has been quite satisfactory. In May of 1999, the fourth
follow-up audit was made, which showed zero recorded non-conformities.
This is due in no small measure to operational controls
and the visible results they have provided in three environmental
areas—water, air, and land—for which NHUMO has a 100% legal
compliance rate.
The
actions begun in 1991 are the basis of the EMS, and they
were already being implemented before certification was
obtained. Among the goals is the need for ongoing work to
develop projects that improve the company’s environmental
performance.
Without
a doubt, the fact that NHUMO has attained ISO 14001 certification
has greatly impacted the carbon black market and also demonstrated
the company’s strong commitment to the environment. For
these reasons, it has become a competitiveness strategy
for the company.
CONTACT
Ing.
Mario A. Suro Rodríguez
General Director
Ing. Francisco MacSwiney S.
Operations Manager
NHUMO, S.A. de C.V.
Km 139.2 Carretera Mante-Tampico
Col. Laguna de la Puerta
89600 Altamira
Tamaulipas, Mexico
Tel. (52-12) 29 0500
Fax (52-12) 29 0565
