NEW YORK & CHANGSHA, China–Natural water technology systems have enabled Alcoa (NYSE:AA) to
decrease water usage and to return more clean water to the communities
in which the company operates, said Rajat Ghosh, Ph.D., a senior project
leader in Alcoa’s Environmental Science and Sustainable Technology
Division. Speaking at the China America National Frontiers of
Engineering (CAFOE) symposium held at Changsha University, Hunan
Province, Ghosh explained Alcoa’s water technology strategy during a
poster session of invited speakers.
“The world’s water usage is expected to increase by 40 percent in the
next 20 years, which means that about two thirds of the world’s
population could be under water stress conditions by 2025,” Ghosh said.
“Recognizing this global mega trend, Alcoa has taken proactive steps to
minimize our water usage and implement natural systems for both water
reduction and treatment. We see engineered natural systems as practical,
effective and sustainable solutions to the water problems encountered by
industries and communities.”
For the past six years, Alcoa has focused on the development,
evaluation, and deployment of innovative and low-cost sustainable water
management technologies and approaches. Such approaches focus on
eliminating conventional and more costly end-of-pipe water treatment
technologies.
In addition to looking at production process changes to reduce the need
for water, Alcoa is also focused on the use of significantly lower cost
natural systems for water reduction, beneficial use and treatment. Such
approaches, which can cost up to 75% less than conventional
technologies, include green roofs, rainwater harvesting, water
irrigation onto fields of grass and trees, engineered wetlands, and the
use of various natural media for filtration of water contaminants, known
as enhanced natural media filtration.
Ghosh, who earned his doctorate in civil and environmental engineering
from Carnegie Mellon University of Pittsburgh, was invited to
participate at the CAFOE symposium and to present at the poster session
of invited representatives from industry, academia and consulting. The
event is jointly sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering in the
United States and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in China. Since
1995, the NAE has held an annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium
for outstanding engineers between the ages 30-45 in the United States,
but this is the inaugural year for the CAFOE program. Ghosh served as an
invited speaker at the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium in 2007.
Ghosh joined Alcoa in 2005 and is involved in managing a wide range of
strategic environmental projects. Prior to Alcoa, he was a senior
technical consultant for The RETEC Group and a lecturer at CMU.
Currently an inventor on one patent with four additional patents
pending, he has published 25 external papers and has authored one book.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world leader in the production and management of primary
aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina combined, through its active
and growing participation in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa
serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction,
commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design,
engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa’s businesses to
customers. In addition to aluminum products and components including
flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also
markets Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment
castings, and building systems. The Company has been named one of the
top most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic
Forum in Davos, Switzerland and has been a member of the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index for eight consecutive years. Alcoa employs
approximately 63,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More
information can be found at www.alcoa.com