Driving Industrial Innovation With Next-Gen Solutions

*This is in partnership with BloombergQuint Brand Studio

Figure this. By 2030, the global middle-class population is estimated to grow by almost 80 per cent – from three billion to more than five billion people worldwide. Developing nations like India and China will be at the core of this growth, with both estimated to house one billion middle-class nationals each.

Projections also suggest that global GDP will double within this period, and India’s per capita GDP is expected to triple, even though it will remain at less than half of China’s. Such rapid growth will accompany a corresponding increase in purchasing power and a changing economic landscape: several small towns and cities will likely transform into industrial hubs and business centers to cater to the increased demand for consumables.

Quite naturally, an increased amount of energy will be required to fuel this urbanization. Ever more homes will turn air-conditioned and an even larger number will get electrified, creating added demand for consumer goods like appliances and automobiles like never before. This expanding access to modern energy is expected to improve living standards, increase life expectancy, reduce poverty and support higher levels of education.

It is estimated that by 2040, global energy demand will increase by a whopping 25 per cent. A large part of this demand will be generated in India and China where energy use is estimated to increase by 40 per cent to meet the changing requirements of people and support widespread development.

This development, however, will come at a significant cost to the environment, which is already struggling to support the burgeoning population and rampant expansion of cities, especially in developing nations. The soaring energy demands will cause an exponential increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thereby raising the environmental risks of development steeply while also adversely impacting our collective health and well-being.

Can Industries Lead the Change?

Developing nations such as India need to strike a balance between providing affordable energy to its citizens and reducing its consequent ill-effects on the environment. The power sector is the largest source of GHG emissions globally, which is why energy-efficiency models and energy-conservation technologies are gaining widespread currency.

This growing awareness has resulted in a worldwide callout for conscious actions to save energy. Individuals around the globe are attempting to do their bit by making simple alterations in their everyday activities, like containing energy use, switching to energy-efficient vehicles, saving power, and so on.

However, the reality is that industrial use accounts for over 30 per cent of the world’s energy and about 50 per cent of global electricity demand. The industrial sector, therefore, has a key role to play in reducing the overall carbon footprint through innovations in materials and systems used in production. The processes and choices need to be changed for more energy-efficient and low-emission options.

For industries, a shift to low-carbon energy sources and more resource-efficient industrial operations are key to bringing down CO2 emissions. To achieve this, every drop in the ocean counts. Therefore, it is equally important to focus on small business decisions such as the right choice of lubricants that can go a long way in maximizing productivity while reducing energy bills.

Low-Carbon Solutions to Drive Responsible Growth

Lubricants meet a wide range of needs in industrial processes. They are used for reducing friction and heat and to increase machine life by reducing wear and tear and the impact of extreme temperatures. The right choice of lubricant can help industrial units lower their carbon footprint and reduce CO2 emissions with the additional benefits of increasing machine life and boosting productivity.

For industries looking for low-carbon solutions, choosing the right lubricant that fits their machinery’s requirements is critical. It is important to compare the costs of operation between different lubricants keeping in view their length of use, because synthetic lubricants offer longer oil life with improved equipment protection.

Energy efficiency varies from one lubricant to another, and every variant would offer different savings on the overall energy bill. It is important to assess the savings both in terms of energy consumption and reduction in carbon footprint in a controlled environment to get accurate results.

Additionally, making the switch from one lubricant to another involves a cost. This could include a one-time price of disposing the used lubricant, cost of the lubricant in operation which has already been delivered and labour costs. All these costs must be factored in while calculating the overall savings.

Energy-efficient lubricants offer many other benefits too, including economy in energy bills. When a machine consumes less energy due to better lubrication, it leads to big savings on the operating costs and increases equipment availability.

Future-Ready Energy-Efficient Lubricants

An innovative study conducted by ExxonMobil, EVCO plastics and Focus on Energy showed how a lubricant can provide significant energy and financial savings.

A case in point is an Oklahoma-based natural gas pipeline provider that operates natural gas engines using 75 million cubic feet of natural gas annually. The company wanted to reduce its energy bill and switched to Mobil SHC Pegasus 30 synthetic natural gas engine oil to lubricate its engines. The switch led to annual savings of US$ 3,938 per engine in natural gas fuel costs, which translates to a 1.5 per cent increase in fuel efficiency for the entire plant. This savings had a green side too – the annual CO2 emissions also came down by about 50 tons per engine.

A similar saving was reported by Apollo Tyres which recorded higher efficiency for their Cracker Mill gearbox lubrication systems after switching from conventional mineral gear to Mobil SHC 634.

The change in lubricant, supported by the ExxonMobil Engineering Support team, brought down oil drain intervals and improved machine reliability, increasing energy efficiency by 2.6 per cent and a resultant cost savings of US$ 4,160. In fact, the entire Mobil SHC Elite series of synthetic lubricants has been scientifically engineered using the revolutionary PAO molecule to improve machine performance, reduce energy wastage and lower carbon footprint.

Such new-age technological solutions enable human development and economic progress by offering low-emission solutions to help counter environmental challenges.

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