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Bhubaneswar, Odisha; 21st June, 2021 ( Odisha Samachar ): Employees of Vedanta, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, has leveraged inhouse engineering and innovation capabilities to convert an old petrol-fuelled motorbike that was beyond economic repair, into an electric bike (e-bike) at its Jharsuguda (Odisha) plant. A symbol of the company’s commitment to reducing carbon footprint and the engineering prowess of its employees, the e-bike is powered by a Lithium-ion battery and is completely pollution free.
Vedanta’s Vehicle Maintenance team substituted the engine and gearbox with a brushless DC 750-watt motor equipped with a freewheel and chain sprocket. The motor, which is powered by a 48V – 29Ah Lithium-ion battery, drives the rear wheel chain sprocket through a roller chain. This innovative salvage of the defunct petrol bike is in line with Vedanta’s focus to reduce carbon footprint by promoting the 3Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle – of waste management. The new eco-friendly e-bike carries with it the benefits of low maintenance, no fossil fuel consumption and zero pollution.
Speaking on the company’s waste-to-wealth initiatives, Mr. CN Singh, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said, “At Vedanta, we have adopted best-in-class green manufacturing practices in collaboration with global technology experts with the vision to make our operations Zero Harm, Zero Waste and Zero Discharge. Alongside cutting-edge technology deployments, we have vibrant Innovation Cafes and Waste-to-Wealth Projects, which see employees collaborate, brainstorm and tinker with technology to indigenously develop sustainable solutions and processes. As a business, we combine our purpose-driven worldview with our employees and business partners by encouraging them to bring in green innovations and solutions forjudicious utilization of resources.True to their engineering and creative abilities, our employees have converted an old petrol bike that would have otherwise been discarded into a value alternative.”
Mr. Pragyan Raj Das, Site In-Charge ofUnilift Cargo Systems Pvt Ltd., Vedanta’s partner in logistics, said, “I appreciate Vedanta for sincerely pursuing and promoting green initiatives through a holistic approach at its operations, which includes a wide range of technology adoptions, projects, innovations and process upgrades. This is in line with the company’s commitment to work towards a better and sustainable future for all.”
Waste-to-Wealth is a key focus area of Vedanta’s waste management principles. The company has partnered with Runaya LLC for recovery of residual aluminium from dross and using the remnant dross to make briquettes for usage in steel industry, resulting in 100% utilization of dross. The company is also ensuring more than 100% fly-ash utilization for various purposes, including cement manufacturing, backfilling of depleted mines, etc.
Beyond operations, Vedanta Aluminium is fostering local micro-enterprises for fly-ash brick making. The company supports over a hundred brick manufacturing MSMEs situated around and beyond its areas of operations with fly ash free of cost to their doorsteps, amounting to nearly 5 lakh metric tonnes per annum. In addition, the company also provides know-how and training on manufacturing these bricks in partnership with technical institutes, thus creating employment avenues as well as promoting circular economy. The beneficiaries from this project are underprivileged villagers who would otherwise depend on cattle rearing, subsistence agriculture or would migrate to other states to work as construction labourers for their livelihood.
Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the green metal, aluminium, operating a world-class 1.6 MTPA aluminium smelter and 3615 MW thermal power generation facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The only Indian smelter in the global ‘1 Million Tonne’ production and export club, Vedanta Jharsuguda is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications across core industries. With one of the largest technically qualified and diverse workforces in the country, the company is working towards a sustainable and greener future for all by spurring emerging applications of aluminium, the ‘Metal of the Future’.
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