Industrial waste management is a major challenge as well as an emerging area of opportunities considering the huge volume of industrial waste generated during the manufacturing process. Milind Soni with his company Maa Alpa Metal and Alloys is addressing this issue, helping industries become environment-friendly and cost-efficient.
With the manifold increase in industrial output in the last few decades, the problem to deal with industrial wastes has become a new concern for the industries and also for the governments. Industrial recycling came to the forefront with companies committed to the cause of effective and eco-friendly disposal of industrial wastes. With industrial waste management in their minds, most big companies have set up their waste management facilities, while a new segment has come to the fore comprising of entities and startups termed as ‘industrial waste management and recycling service’ companies who provide waste management solutions to the industry at large.
Maa Alpa Metal & Alloys based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is one such company working in the industrial recycling sector since 2016. Speaking to Machine Maker, the company’s owner Milind Soni speaks about industrial recycling and Maa Alpa Metal & Alloys, as a recycling service provider.
After finishing his diploma in international business management from H. L. College of Commerce, Ahmedabad and with a dream to start his own business, Milind had to travel extensively to identify prospects of future ventures by visiting manufacturing facilities. He came across the problem of industrial waste management and zeroed in on the recycling sector. “Recycling of industrial wastes is not only a concern for the industries in terms of disposal, but it also has a direct detrimental impact on the environment.
We understood the two-fold crisis and wanted to develop a system to purchase the industrial waste which the companies had to dispose of with much effort,” says Milind. “The landfilling disposal of wastes was never economically viable and environment-friendly. So, the companies would financially gain by selling the waste to companies like us as well as the concern of environmental safety is also mitigated. Our company primarily focuses on the waste generated in the machine shops.”
From Waste to Wealth
Maa Alpa Metal & Alloys purchases the industrial wastes followed by handling and treatment processes in compliance with the industry standards and uses the wastes as a raw material to manufacture Fe Carbon in the company’s ISO-registered facility. Milind says that emission and waste, being two critical sources of environmental crisis, companies can create an opportunity for business in recycling and simultaneously work for the care and preservation of nature. “These two factors were the prime mover for me while starting the company”.
After the recycling treatment is done the output is used sold as raw material for other industries. The companies which purchase the raw materials from Maa Alpa Metal & Alloys are the longtime players in this field. Milind continues, “What we have done is by replacing a particular entity in the final product we have been able to reduce the cost to a considerable extent. For example, the counter-weight assembly used in elevators would earlier cost eighty rupees per kilogram. But with our innovation and treatment, the same unit now costs approximately fifteen rupees per kilogram. This cost reduction has thus altered the base of the entire material costing.”
Teething Troubles
The initial days for Milind Soni was not easy at all, more so because back then the industry’s awareness and understanding about waste recycling were very limited. There was a huge suspicion about the commercial viability and quality of recycled products. Milind recollects, “It was difficult to make the companies understand that the waste material can be reutilized after proper processing and they should simply stop disposing of them causing harm to the environment and also losing the scope to make money out of them. Our first facility was right in the foundry hub of Kathwada, GIDC in Ahmedabad.
He further adds, “I had to visit each and every company, speak to the owner or the environment safety personnel, educate them about recycling, and convince them not to resort to landfills. This was followed up by providing the companies with bags for waste collection and handling. Gradually a system got developed for the companies to follow from the point of waste generation to the point where we would take over.”
During his previous stint in the export-import sector, Milind had prepared himself through fieldwork. Working closely with the manufacturers and exporters he identified the industrial wastes that were reusable and the ones for which research on recycling had not yet been done.
“We noticed that the wastes contained particles of iron. Deeper research revealed the presence of a considerable percentage of cast iron. After treatment, the cast iron dust was used in the production of chemicals and as floor hardeners, and this was met with success. Since then, the company is still researching to find the new utility of recycled wastes either as a complete replacement of a particular material or as a mode of cost reduction,” spoke Millind on deriving cost-effectiveness from waste management.
Today, Maa Alpa Metal & Alloys is also a manufacturer of Fe Carbon in powder form, which is used in the chemical reduction process and as a lining in furnaces to maintain a fixed temperature.
Growing Need for Recycling
As society and commerce will grow, in the coming years, the need for industrial waste management and recycling will gain a more significant dimension. Milind mentions, “One may specifically focus on one singular material to recycle and meet its business returns because the type and category of industrial wastes will manifold. The demand to recycle industrial waste is going to increase more than ever. The opportunities of this sector are ample and the people involved have specific skills.”
The Greater Good
Business apart, Milind Soni has a deep concern for the impact of industrialization on nature. He believes as an individual, society and nation the responsibility rest squarely on the citizens to ensure cleaner and greener earth for the future. “I appeal to my fellow citizens and the industry and manufacturing sectors to reduce waste in any form. It may sound contrary to the business interests of the recycling sector, but waste reduction always is for the greater good.”
