Restoring the Environment

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Netel India Limited is part of the Neterwala Group of Companies, headquartered in Mumbai. Since the 1950s, the mission of the group has been "import substitution", now called "Make in India".

The vision of Netel's Chairman, Mr. Feroze D Neterwala, has always been to provide high technology application-oriented solutions along with a high degree of customer support. Netel was one of the
first to indigenise the Gas Chromatograph (a sophisticated analytical: instrument used in quality-control of chemicals) and various air pollution monitoring instrumentation. Till date it is one of the leading manufacturers of vehicular emission analysers for petrol and diesel engines, popularly called PUC machines.

Early in the life of the company, the need for environmental protection was a core area and hence the company established a division - Environment Management Services (EMS). EMS has maintained its accreditation from the Ministry of Environment & Forests as well as various State Pollution Control Board since inception. EMS provides services and consultancy for monitoring and control of air, soil, water and noise pollution to industries across the board on a pan-India basis. Netel has a full-fledged environmental monitoring laboratory based in Rabale, Navi Mumbai, and satellite laboratories in other parts of India.

With the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Act 2016, a new focus area was created and named Netel Eco in 2017. Netel Eco provides ecofriendly solutions pertaining to organic waste to
compost and bioenergy solutions. Netel manufactures a wide range of waste converters starting from 10 Kg per day right upto 3 tons per day.

Netel specialises in scientific processing of organic waste by providing Automatic Organic Waste Converters (AOWC) as well as Biogas plants. The Organic waste which essentially comprises food/ kitchen waste contains about 70 % water. The converter has a built-in shredder which shreds the waste material into smaller particles. The waste is processed for about 24 hours at an elevated temperature (50-60 ⁰C) using a unique heating technology which provides uniform heating to the waste material. Aerobic digestion process along with Netel' s proprietary microbial enzymes accelerates the conversion of organic waste into soil emicher in 24 hours and during the process the weight of organic waste is reduced to nearly 30 % . The discharged output of soil emicher is then kept in the open in aerated crates where the biological process continues and converts it into a stabilized compost. ln addition to AOWCs, Netel also manufactures sanitary napkin dispensers and disposal machines for menstrual hygiene.

Netel bas r cently acquired a technology license from BARC to mak Biogas plants based on a variety of organic waste. These plants come in various sizes ranging from 50 to 5000 Kgs per day. They convert organic waste to biogas which can be used for cooking or eIectricity reneration.

The focus is mainly to provide a technologically superior product so that waste can be converted in an ecofriendly and economic way into good quality output which could be compost or gas. A key differentiator between Netel's and other AOWCs is the way the waste is scientifically processed. Netel believes in biomechanical composting and hence processes the organic waste in an environmental condition (temp and aeration) which microbes like to function. Most suppliers use cartridge heaters which provides unregulated and uneven heating of different zones in the vessel, causing the waste to burn and at times even catches fire. This results in char or ash material and the output has no value for gardening or farming activities. Netel uses thermal oil in a double-jacked structure which provides uniform, consistent and regulated heating. This not only reduces electrical consumption but also creates the suitable environment for the decomposition. Netel is one of the few companies that does research in the biotechnology of waste treatment and develops its own proprietary enzymes to aid in waste processing. The specially developed thermophilic microbial culture called thermoBACT  accelerates the bioconversion of organic waste into compost.

CHALLENGES IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Swachh Bharat Mission has made a very big impact on the way waste processing has been done in India. Coupled with the stringent laws of the SWM Act 2016, a very active NGT and significant government budget allocated we see a big change at the grass root levels. Municipal councils and corporations compete to improve their ranking in the Swachh Sarvekshan every year. The ban on single use plastics will reduce the load of plastics going to the dump yard, an initiative yet to be taken by developed countries.

However, the government alone cannot solve this problem. Garbage disposal is a global issue that needs education and involvement by the citizens. It must be taught in schools so that the future generations will act responsibly by habit and not by coercion.

Any industry that is compliance driven has its ups and downs depending upon the implementation of the laws. Hence predictability is low, and risks are high. Tendering process by the government does not encourage new technologies as they may not meet with tender compliance criteria.

Fundamental research in solid waste management is still in a nascent stage in India. The technology used has matured with many years of implementation. The concept of zero waste discharge requires new technologies and major investments in upgrading existing treatment plants. One of the ways to introduce new technology in create joint ventures with foreign suppliers.
lnlroduction of new technology is also a time and money consuming exercise. It often takes years to do a proof on concept which SME companies can hardly afford.

Netel be!ieves in providing technologically advanced solutions rather than being one of the pack. It has a full-fledged and well-equipped R&D department that is working constantly to improve product performance and deliver customer value. Solid waste management requires a thorough understanding of biotechnology. Netel' s Bio tech lab is headed by a PhD and has a biotech lab that does research in developing enzymes and recipes to improve the composting and biogas processes.

CONTRIBUTIONS BY NETEL INDIA

Netel has established itself as one of the most efficient waste management companies in the industry.

Some of the achievements to its name are:

• One of the first to indigenize the Gas Chromatograph, air pollution monitoring instruments and vehicular emission analysers
• Providing the latest technology called Automatic Organic Waste Converters with IoT
• Well-equipped biotechnology set up for development of integrated waste management solutions headed by highly qualified and expertise staff

Not just the environment, Netel is doing its part in making society a better place, too. At a Group level, they have a township called "Manek Nagar" in Tumsar, Bhandara District near Nagpur where they run a charitable school and hospital for the local population providing the best education and medical care.

The company has plans to enter niche areas of water and wastewater treatment with sustainable and effective technologies for treatment. Water resource rejuvenation will be a major thrust area for the company.

Netel India suggests the following four basic ways to make the earth healthier and green

• Teach your children to reduce waste
• Segregate dry and wet waste & conserve water
• Say no to single use plastics
• Reuse as much as possible

Mr. Feroze R Katila, CEO of Netel believes that:

"The earth has finite resources. In the last 50 years we have used more resources than in the last 500 million years. If we do not respect nature, we really have no future. Let's make this a slightly better place than what we inherited:'