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Best practices

This section compiles a database of more than 200 resource efficiency measures that were identified using the TEST methodology and successfully implemented within several industries across many sectors. The measures are classified by sector and subsector, type (good housekeeping, process control/modification, technology change, etc.), category of resource savings (water, energy and/or materials), scope and applicability (process or utilities). The database enables the use of predefined filters including the possibility to use keywords for an advanced search.

Each measure in the database includes a description of the problem, a technical description of the solution, the economic and environmental benefits quantified for the specific company case, the costs and the expected return on investment, suppliers of equipment as well as other aspects related to safety, maintenance, productivity and technical implementation.

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Efficient wrapping of the final products

A detergent producing company used an old stretch wrapping machine to protect their products over pallets before storage. As the machine was of an outdated technology, the loss from stretch films was high, adding that a thickness of 23 microns was only suitable to use. The company purchased and installed new machines equipped with a pre-stretching mechanism. This enabled better stretching before the film was applied on the products and reduced the losses of packaging material by using a 17 microns thickness film. The company managed to reduce the weight of film per pallet by 40%, from 550g/pallet to 337 g/pallet.

Sector: Manufacture of soap and detergents
Subsector: Technology upgrade/Eco-innovation
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: Material
Tags: Manufacture of soap and detergents packaging stretch
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Electrical system and compressor optimisation

In a textile company, the electricity bill was reduced through adopting good maintenance practices to adjust the power factor, optimise the light fixtures, as well as maintaining the compressor station. These low cost measures decreased the energy bill by 19%.

Sector: Finishing of textiles
Subsector: Good Housekeeping
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: Energy
Tags: Finishing of textiles washing
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Elimination of reverse osmosis in the preparation of process water

Some companies have redundant or oversized equipment with no real need for them. In a pasta production company, water was treated through a softening process, followed by reverse osmosis. Investigations revealed that the reverse osmosis was not needed, as the quality of the softened water satisfy the standards.

Sector: Bakery and farinaceous products
Subsector: Process control or modification
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: EnergyWater
Tags: Bakery and farinaceous products Benchmarking International practices
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Energy Recovery at the Chimney Level

This measure illustrates the wasteheat recovery from the chimney, where the exhaust gases were vented without any utilization. Installation of a heat exchanger at the chimney, together with adequate filteration system facilitated to benefit from the waste heat to preheat the combustion air, and save on energy.

Sector: Manufacture of basic chemicals
Subsector: Process control or modification
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: Energy
Tags: boiler feedwater Chimney flue gas Manufacture of basic chemicals
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Energy recovery of fumes for preheating combustion air

Hot gases released from drying stations as well as all other heat sources are released to the environment. Utilizing the heat content from these gases to preheat combustion air and hot air for drying benefits from the wasteheat, and reduces the energy consumption.

Sector: Manufacture of other textiles
Subsector: Process control or modification
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: Energy
Tags: Manufacture of other textiles recovery wasteheat
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Enhanced product precooling

The production process of frozen semi-cooked vegetables includes a pre cooling step were vegetables are cooled down from 90 degrees to 20 before they enter the freezing tunnel. Pre-cooling is conducted through merely heat transfer between the product and cold water supplied through a closed cycle water sprayers. Installing atomizing nozzles to spray water droplets with small diameters will enhance the cooling effect, as a portion of water will evaporate, leading to more heat release from the product and reduced cost of electricity as a result to the reduced load on chiller.

Sector: Processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables
Subsector: Technology upgrade/Eco-innovation
Applicability: Process
Resource savings: EnergyWater
Tags: Nozzles Processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables Spray
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Enhancing the process for date syrup production

A company producing a range of date products recently introduced the production of date syrup, however benchmarking the yield versus the common practices revealed that more syrup can be produced from the same input quantities. This was achieved through improvement of grinding and extraction steps.

Sector: Processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables
Subsector: Process control or modification
Applicability: Process
Resource savings: Material
Tags: Benchmarking Processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables
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Equip variable load motors with electronic speed controllers

Energy mapping in a basic chemicals production company indicated that the motors are not operating at their maximum load due to low production capacity. Equipping the motors with electronic speed controllers facilitate optimising the motors performance, and save on energy.

Sector: Manufacture of basic chemicals
Subsector: Technology upgrade/Eco-innovation
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: Energy
Tags: equipment upgrade Manufacture of basic chemicals Variable speed
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Evaporator upgrade

Evaporators under vacuum conditions are used to process raw salt from a soda ash solution. The current evaporator is a single effect evaporator which removes water content in form of vapor which is then sent to drain. The improvement measure consists in the installation of a multi-effect evaporator which utilizes the vapor heat content in improving the efficiency of evaporation, saving on total energy consumed by the evaporator.

Sector: Manufacture of other food products
Subsector: Technology upgrade/Eco-innovation
Applicability: Process
Resource savings: Energy
Tags: Evaporator Manufacture of other food products Salt
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Final rinsing water recovery from the CIP station

Analysis of water use in a company revealed that the water used in the CIP process is totally drained. Mapping the quantities, and frequence of CIP highlighted huge saving potential should the final rinse water be reused for first rinse.

Sector: Manufacture of dairy products
Subsector: Process control or modification
Applicability: Utilities
Resource savings: Water
Tags: Manufacture of dairy products Product Push reuse
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