Environment
Hulamin strives to minimise its impact on the environment based on a philosophy of continuous improvement and requiring every employee to be responsible and accountable for the safekeeping of our natural resources.
A healthy environment, continued access to limited natural resources such as water, and containing the demand placed on the related infrastructure are important concerns for the long-term functioning of a manufacturing business such as Hulamin. For this reason, Hulamin promotes the principle of re-use and reduce, which encourages the sustainable use of natural resources, the recycling of materials, and the reduction of waste in order to minimise the impact on the environment.
Hulamin continues with its approach of carbon footprinting, consumption reduction and emission prevention.
Responsibilities
The Executive Committee team is actively involved in the identification of environmental impacts and setting of targets and objectives for the significant impacts of land, water, air, and energy. These objectives are discussed by the Hulamin Safety, Health and Environment Committee, which is an Executive Committee (EXCO), and communicated via the Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) GAP review meetings.
Further, Hulamin encourages all employees to be environmental custodians. Departmental environmental representatives have recently been nominated. Their role is to identify spillages and waste separation non-conformances.
Approach
Hulamin has focused on climate change in 2010 and commenced developing a carbon footprint database. To complement carbon footprint measurements, the business will focus on waste and water footprints in the near future.
Edendale Hospital's Department of Surgery - computers donated:
Three new computers, including all requisite software, were donated to Edendale Hospital's Department of Surgery for daily use in student teaching sessions and for data collection for research purposes. This Information Technology (IT) equipment will also provide links to the Internet for vital online research, and will also be used to streamline the acquisition of online laboratory results, which will ultimately obviate the current system of obtaining results via a paper-based system.
DUCT
Hulamin has been associated with the Duzi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) River Cleanup Day since its inception five years ago. The river cleanup project has grown in stature and has become a community involvement project with Hulamin as one of its sponsors. The Pietermaritzburg campaign is spread over the city with the emphasis on the areas of Sobantu, Imbali and Edendale, where masses of waste is disposed of into the Kwapata and Slangspruit tributaries of the Msunduzi River. Hulamin employees, local school children and many other volunteers become involved in removing dumped rubbish from these waterways.
Swift half-marathon
The Hulamin Athletics Club, in partnership with the Rotary Club, hosted a successful Swift half-marathon road running event in the Edendale area during October. The route followed by the race takes participants through the local community in which Hulamin operates and is an opportunity for the business and the local community to interact and strengthen relations.
This year's event was sponsored by Hulamin and KFC, and was co-managed by the local Rotary Club and Hulamin Athletics Club.
This year's charity donation went to Thandanani Children's Foundation, a local non-governmental organisation that facilitates community-based care and support for orphans and other vulnerable children.
The business has addressed the new legislative requirements as covered in the Waste Management Act, 2008 and the air quality emission standards for listed activities, 2010. These activities include air quality, waste management, and the
environmental impact assessment process.
The ISO 140001 environmental management system forms the framework for managing environmental issues. Open and constructive interaction with employees, local communities, regulatory agencies, business organisations, and other affected and interested parties is promoted and maintained.
Targets have not been set due to the need for improvement measurements on which to base these targets. Limited improvements and upgrades have been made to the monitoring of key indicators during 2010 and further improvements are planned for 2011.
2010 Results/achievements
There were no fines or sanctions issued in 2010. However, 18LA spills were recorded in the reporting period.
Hulamin spent R3,5 million at the Edendale site and R1,3 million at the Camps Drift site on managing effluent.
Environmental training
A new system including environmental representatives, who conduct formal monthly inspections and submit these to the SHE meeting, was introduced at departmental level. These representatives have undergone training on a formal one-day course on basic environmental awareness and spills training.
The process has added value in terms of the identification of spills and compliance to waste separation.
Energy consumption
The total direct energy consumption (LPG, low sulphur oil, diesel and petrol) for 2010 was: 1 658 371 GJLA.
The total indirect energy consumption (electricity) for 2010 was 1 045 340 GJLA
Energy saved due to efficiency and conservation efforts
Numerous electricity consumption projects were undertaken including work on cooling tower fans at the Campsdrift Hotline, the S6 cold rolling mill and the foil mill. Lighting was improved by installing energy efficient bulbs. All the reciprocating compressors were replaced with the more efficient screw type compressors. This work resulted in a significant saving of 6 069 152 kWh (21 849 GJ).
Additional energy savings projects included a focus on support of the internal oil recovery systems (to reduce rolling oil and hydraulic oils consumption) and resulted in a saving of 31 939 GJ. The optimisation of the recuperator operation at the CD remelt facility (LPG) resulted in a saving of 16 900 GJ against "business as usual".
(Note that the data indicates savings against 203 582 metric tons (MT) of aluminium sold.)
Air quality
A baseline assessment as per the new legislative requirements in terms of listed activities was conducted, the results of which are pending at the time of publication.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organisation, event or product". Hulamin recognised the need to assess its carbon footprint in 2007 and started to build up annual data regarding greenhouse gas emissions for assessment of the Hulamin carbon footprint. This was soon followed by reporting the GHG emission data to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Hulamin considers measuring the carbon footprint as a means of monitoring continuous improvement within the organisation, both from an environmental and a business perspective.
The Hulamin Environmental Manager is responsible for recording the Hulamin carbon footprint. Since the scope of the carbon footprint has grown significantly, an internally appointed environmental specialist has been identified to further support this function.
Progress in developing the Hulamin carbon footprint in 2010 has included demarcating the Hulamin main site in Pietermaritzburg into energy accountable centres to enable specific areas to monitor their contribution to the carbon footprint. Hulamin has further included emission sources not previously monitored, such as emissions from company fleet vehicles and those from product use. Other Hulamin manufacturing sites (four) have started monitoring their carbon footprint this year and should be in a position to report their carbon footprint contribution to Hulamin in 2011.
The carbon footprint database is to be expanded in 2011 to cover the waste and water footprint of the business. In addition, the database will be in a position to inform reporting on significant environmental impacts of transporting products and other goods and materials used for the organisation's operations during the course of the year.
Hulamin has developed an internal monitoring system that records and reports emissions at an energy accountable centre level within the main manufacturing facility on a monthly basis. The information is used for monitoring performance and to respond to fluctuations in emissions.
Emissions as per the 2010 Eskom emission factor 1,03 kg CO2/kWh for electricity sold:
For export customers that require emissions to be reported as per the GHG Protocol 2007 default emission factor for electricity purchase in South Africa (0,869 kg CO2/kWh):
Key:
Scope 1 (GHG Protocol) is based on direct emissions from fuels.
Scope 2 (GHG Protocol) is based on electrical consumption. Scope 3 (GHG Protocol) is based on lubricant consumption.
Note: Hulamin does not measure NOx and SOx by type and weight.
Greenhouse gas emission reduction initiatives
A strategy to minimise the use of fuel and electricity is in place. No specific targets have been set for reducing emissions. Rather, Hulamin approaches minimisation of consumption levels as an ongoing process of continual improvement. Numerous projects as outlined in the section entitled "Energy saved due to efficiency and conservation efforts" on the previous page resulted in a reduction of emissions.
Emissions reduced following project interventions:
Bursary student: Sabelo Ngcobo
"While in Grade 12, I was fortunate to become a member of PROTEC Pietermaritzburg, a programme for technological careers sponsored by Hulamin. Hulamin was looking for students who were interested in pursuing a career in metallurgical or industrial engineering in order to sponsor their tertiary studies. I applied and was successful. In 2010 I completed my fi rst-year studies in Metallurgy at the University of Pretoria with four distinctions.
As a result of wanting to become an engineer, I chose to study Maths and Science at school. I only got to know about metallurgy whilst doing Grade 12 and was naturally and completely drawn to it. I am thoroughly enjoying my current studies and can hardly wait to do modules like Materials Science in 2011. Although most students do not like this module,
I am smitten by it."
Sabelo is from Mafakatini, a rural area outside Pietermaritzburg.
Effluent discharge
Hulamin has in the past focused on the reduction of the discharge of sulphates from our Edendale facility. Recently the focus has shifted to address the flocculent, as this presents more of an immediate issue with the blocking of the sewer pipelines. Sulphates need to be reduced because these create corrosion issues for the downstream sewerage works. The flocculent is used to remove the aluminium from the effluent and can cause sludge in the pipelines, if not correctly dosed or managed within set pH limits.
Substantial progress has been made at the Camps Drift facility regarding sulphate levels with positive results of 75% against the permit limit of 1 000 mg/â„“. This is a result of changing the type of flocculent to a non-sulphate-based product.
Total effluent discharge for 2010 was 193 485 kâ„“.
Waste management
Hulamin's existing agreement with its waste service provider is to manage the hazardous waste streams by ensuring that the waste is disposed of in a responsible manner.
This agreement has recently been extended to include all solid waste streams (including scrap metal, wooden pallets and office paper). This is conducted by controlling all waste leaving the site, obtaining the best possible market related prices, and then using the revenue to increase the sorting and recycling opportunities on site.
Hulamin produced an average of 23,6 kg/MT of solid waste in 2010 versus 41 kg/MT in 2009. This was achieved through a significant reduction in the number of aluminium hydroxide skips generated from the effluent plant.
A total of 85 tonsLA of solid waste (mainly hazardous) was recycled in the course of 2010, while a total of 574 kâ„“ of oil was recycled in the period January to July 2010 (the full year figure will only be made available in March 2011 after processing by the service provider).
Since Hulamin exports over 70% of its products, the business is not engaged in any significant system, apart from a return arrangement with a small number of local South African customers, to reclaim and recycle packaging material.
Storm water contamination
In addition to the four already in place, an additional interceptor pit, to handle the increase in volumes resulting from the two newly commissioned foil mills, has been installed at the Pietermaritzburg site. This will assist in ensuring that there are no environmental incidents involving storm water contamination, and brings the total to five interceptor pits at the Camps Drift and Edendale plants combined.
For this reporting period, Hulamin achieved an average contamination of around 17 mg/â„“ of oil, (similar to that of 2009) at the interceptor pits. An environmental management plan is being drawn up to address the upstream sources of oil leaks.
Water consumption
Water is a scarce resource in South Africa. The need for water conservation is likely to increase in the future in order to ensure sustainable supply.
The total water consumption for 2010 was 3,81 kâ„“/MT of aluminium sold, compared to 4,47 kâ„“/MT for 2009. The total water consumed was 774 930 kâ„“LA.
Water is drawn from the local Msunduzi Municipality, originally supplied by Umgeni Water. Hulamin recognises that the current infrastructure for water metering needs improvement. Steps have been put in place to improve the measuring and monitoring of water consumption in individual areas to encourage ownership for conservation. Progress has been made in 2010, in particular at the cooling towers.
The emphasis in 2010 was on improving, monitoring and measuring rather than on reducing consumption and recycling. Nevertheless, efforts to reduce leaks at the Edendale site have resulted in a reduction in water consumption and in addition, the Hulamin Extrusions operations at the Edendale site initiated a water recycling project in their cooling towers. As this project is in its early stages, the volume of water being recycled cannot be confirmed. (See side story for details of this project.)
Water Conservation Project:
Hulamin Extrusions
Aluminium extrusions require cooling or quenching as they leave the extrusion press in order to control mechanical properties of the aluminium alloy. This is achieved through forced air convection, water spray, water immersion or a combination of these three methods.
In 2006, Hulamin Extrusions started producing aluminium forging bars for an automotive application. It was found that by spray-quenching the bars with water, increased productivity could be achieved. The water was drawn from the municipal ring main for spray quenching, rather than the internal process water, due to the higher pressure and cleanliness. The water drawn for this spray process feeds back into the plant process water. Initially this was not an issue as the consumption of about 200 kâ„“ per month was less than the makeup water required by the process water cooling tower. However, by early 2010, volume on the forging bar project had increased to the extent where water consumption was over 2 000 kâ„“ per month, and costing over R30 000 per month. It was no longer feasible to consume the higher volume of spray water in the cooling towers, resulting in an overflow and wastage.
The installation of a booster pump with filtration system reduced the need to use municipal water. After the commissioning of this project in September 2010, water consumption dropped to below 500 kâ„“ per month.
