Increasing waste in landfills, on the streets and none in recycling plants: this is how India manages its waste during a pandemic.

”Recycling is not recognized as an essential service [in India],” said Archit Jhingon of Trendene India. The low prioritization of recycling as a waste management strategy in India has knocked the imports of scrap metals off the essentials list during this pandemic.

With a global halt in shipping and freight transportation, recycling firms in India which rely on imported materials to operate are facing a shortage in revenue. According to Jhingon, this heavy reliance on imports is ”ultimately because of poverty.”

The low production of scrap metal waste can be attributed to few end-of-life regulations for vehicles which have its roots in low consumption.

The reduction in demand has also disturbed the fiscal equilibrium in waste management, leading to a severely reduced selling price, which has driven buying prices up.

Combined with the rise in disposable waste and disposable goods consumption, particularly medical waste, this has resulted in overburdened landfills and ”a complete halt” of reuse and recycling.

According to Jhingon, most of the recycling industry in India employs manual labor. In addition to sealed state borders, the nearly 25% drop in demand has forced this workforce to return to their homes. As a result, livelihoods have been uprooted, especially for contractual workers.

Therefore, a loss in staffing, lockdown-induced closure of factories and recycling plants, a loss of global demand and the worldwide shutdown of non-essential shipping has put a roadblock in India’s shift to a circular economy.

But this is only applicable to solid, tangible waste. The situation is quite different for Desiccant Rotors International’s (DRI) environmentally sound air control facilities.

According to HuffPost, there is evidence that volatile organic compounds can cause allergies and breathing difficulties over extended periods of time. Stagnant air inside a room can thus increase the likelihood of contracting viruses in general, not only COVID-19.

There is a need to ”dilute the indoor pollution,”said Varun Pahwa, President of DRI. His company works to provide ”fresh air in a highly energy efficient manner.”

But waste in the form of gaseous pollutants is not limited only to air conditioners. Vehicular emissions also play a significant role in air pollution, and the nationwide lockdown in India has seen a drastic reduction in pollution levels. According to NASA, these levels are at a 20-year low.

According to Akshay Kashyap, founder of GreenFuel Energy Solutions, the cleaner air will catalyze the shift towards a green transport sector. ”Cheaper mobility” will form the basis of this, in the form of low-speed electrified 2-wheelers.

This change will be driven by ”those buyers who have already shifted their mindset towards electric vehicles,”Kashyap said.

The pandemic has incentivized changes in energy everywhere, and has made evident the need for nations to become independent and step away from ”very strong globalization,” he said.

He added that governmental policy to regulate vehicular waste is a ”carrot and stick” situation, wherein a mandate to make delivery fleets 50% electrified will form the ”stick” of policy, whereas the long term cost efficiency of clean transport will make the ”carrot.” For delivery companies and all those who choose to switch to electric vehicles or clean transport, the ”more they run, more they’ll save.”

Not only is there fiscal incentive but the switch to green vehicles might reduce the likelihood of contracting COVID-19, based on the World Economic Forum’s report indicating a correlation between air pollution and deaths caused by the virus.

Kashyap underscored that the methods required to effectively managing the increasing waste are present, but the need of the hour is a ”well to wheel” approach to waste management, wherein there is zero waste from the extraction to the generation and supply of energy and its sources.

For this purpose, there needs to be a holistic approach to handling and processing waste. Alas, ”we have too many stakeholders thinking in isolation…nobody wants to grab the bull by the horns,”thus letting go of an opportunity not only to have a clean economy but also a healthier environment for all Indians.

Pahwa said the air conditioning industry is ”quite mature,” in that companies tend to follow environmental regulations set down by the Central government and remain in sync with international environmental covenants India is a signatory to.

But Kashyap said ”cleanness has to be followed to clear policy to the last leg – you can’t have policy in isolation.”

Managing waste is a complex issue, even though the methodology appears simple. The pandemic has shown nations that self-sufficiency in energy generation is something to keep at the forefront going forward from here. At the same time, this self-reliance will also cause”changes in geopolitical relations,” according to Kashyap.

Finally, the recycling sector plays a major role in the reduction of vehicular waste, wherein an end-of-life policy by Central mandate will bolster the energy sector, recycling and the automotive industry. This will result in fiscal growth for all and a clean environment.

A redressing of the waste management in India to promote organic waste-to-energy would be ”a real good use of resources,”Kashyap said.

According to you, what would be the changes that can take place post this pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the whole world like a tornado. It is going to be a long battle, the world is changing, and all of us have to get out of our comfort zones. We have to learn to work under stressed conditions and be innovative and aggressive, using this time to plan and be ready to execute from Day 1. As each day unfolds, we have to be ready to deal with almost continuously changing scenarios.

We are sure the government is also working on various parameters to have a more in-depth policy. We are just hoping that things ease out soon and we can resume our operations. We have a lot to catch up on; the whole country has lost this time and we may possibly lose more time as the country tries its best to combat this virus. We have to be pragmatic with our plans and be prepared to hit the ground running.

DRI products and how can they help in the fight against COVID-19?

DRI provides advanced environmental control solutions. DRI has always been at the forefront of desiccant based technologies for energy recovery, IAQ, fresh air treatment, evaporative cooling, humidification, RH control and clean air to provide innovative air solutions. One of our product portfolios caters to the hospitals and we often do special air handling units that are required in hospitals. We are getting many requests to produce special air handling units for various temporary hospitals that are coming up in different parts of the world; however, due to the lockdown, we are unable to support our customers. Even ready goods can’t be shipped.

We also produce Desiccant rotors which are the heart of dehumidification systems. Dehumidification equipment is a necessity for producing medicine. These are all part of the supply chain of essential products.

As a leader in the organization, what role are you playing for keeping employees positive and hopeful?

It is important to foster a culture of openness and trust within an organization. We have always worked to ensure that our employees feel they are able to reach out for help as and when needed. It is also equally important to promote open dialogue within the organization and encourage a culture of trust and support. In this time of lockdown, we are ensuring everyone is paid on time so that our employees do not have to worry about this. The need of the hour is to keep the morale high of our workforce. The Leadership team as well as the HODs are leading from the front and are in touch with employees ensuring each employee is gainfully occupied with work. A lot of training is being organized. Fortunately, all our employees are positive in their attitude and striving to be fully productive in these times.

Environment-friendly solutions are integral for sustainability, how are you contributing to this?

DRI provides innovative air solutions for Indoor Air Quality and environmental control services. Centralized systems introduce fresh air and throw out stale exhaust air, therefore the chances of bacteria and other germs spreading or multiplying are greatly reduced. DRI’s green products help to optimize the energy performance of the air conditioning systems. This result is a reduction of installed tonnage, reduction in utility bills for the product’s entire lifecycle, enhanced IAQ and productivity and reduced health risks.

What are the effects of the worldwide pandemic on exports and imports?

COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis. The virus has shaken the global economy, disrupting almost every industry and sector. In India, one of the hardest-hit segments is the manufacturing sector, and the MSMEs are likely to be worst-hit during this period. This is a situation that not only India is facing, but the whole world.

The Indian supply chain has also suffered due to the logjam during the lockdown as suppliers to the manufacturers of the essential goods are under lockdown and the linkage between them to essential goods is not understood. Therefore it is a chain reaction. Both the domestic and export sector is stymied. There are finished goods which cannot be supplied due to want of transportation as well the buyer’s inability to take delivery. With the supply chains being affected, production, whenever, it starts is bound to be impacted severely.

We should draw encouragement from the restarting of Wuhan economy and work towards restoring a semblance of normalcy as soon as possible while taking the correct precautions.

Do you think loving what you do is crucial? How much do you love doing your role?

Passion is an integral part of a job. If you enjoy what you do, you will be motivated to do it better. Especially in uncertain times like this, it is important to keep spirits up. It is important to be passionate about one’s job. It fuels one’s energy and hones the focus. However, only passion does not drive success, there are many elements necessary to be successful. I have been very closely associated with business from a young age being the founder’s son. I have learned the ropes being hands-on in every aspect. I enjoy what I do with many other things, learning every day. In our business, we have been pioneers by introducing many technologies. As an organization innovation is in our DNA. In these times the mind and all efforts are focused to come out of this quagmire effectively. We look at everything as what next.

Can you walk us through your company’s profile?

Pahwa Group is comprised of four companies that are the pillars, Bry-Air, DRI, TDS, Delair and Bry-Air Prokon. These companies mainly deal with the industrial air treatment solutions and commercial building air conditioning products. Our products are predominantly manufactured in India, but we do have a great presence in the international market also. We offer industrial product solutions targeting humidity control for the pharmaceutical and food industries, but the applications are not restricted to these industries. We also offer applications like electronics leather, packaging, cold stores among the other range of applications complying with the dehumidification capabilities or reducing the humidity. We also provide gas filtration system for gases like SO2, SO3, NoX, that can create corrosion related issues in data centers and control rooms where we do air cleaning.

We also have a division where we do plastic auxiliary equipment; which is to dry the plastic pellets which are used for extrusion, blow molding. Also, we have a company which does compressed air drying systems, called Delair. On the commercial side, at DRI where we provide indoor air quality solutions for commercial buildings like hotels, hospitals, malls, airports, office premises with entire focus on providing healthy environment for the occupants. We also do shop floor of factory cooling systems. In India, industries emphasis more on providing work floor comfort at the shop floor level and this consciousness is trending across the industry, and we provide the same in an economical way.

We have a strong hold in India with active presence in seven cities. However, almost half of our businesses are based outside India and we are proud of the fact that we are India exporters for the world right from South Korea to South America. We aim to be best in the world, especially in terms of product quality, performance, and innovation; so, we invest more in R&D. We have eight state-of-the-art test labs in Gurgaon, and in our field that we are really investing a lot in innovative materials, concepts testing laboratories to test and verify the product innovation.

What are the products you showcased at ACREX 2020?

ACREX 2020 was mainly focused on air conditioning. The Indian Air Conditioning market is growing, particularly more on the residential side. However, we see a traction in the commercial segment also especially in office buildings, commercial complexes, institutional buildings, hospitals, airports, malls; where requirement of centralized HVAC system is high. Heating, Ventilation, Air-conditioning systems is drastically increasing in India, because of which we witness a downfall in certain products in this segment, but overall, the India remains intact.

We launched new products at ACREX, complying with industrial demands. We are trying to invent innovative products for evaporative cooling systems, especially indirect evaporative cooling systems in which we can use power of water and evaporation. We have special dedicated outdoor air systems that are highly energy efficient for commercial buildings. We are also doing a lot, for school children’s health, offices, residences, we also have central air purification systems that goes a long way in maintaining the IAQ. We also have a lot of focus on energy recovery and energy efficient systems, green buildings, especially certified buildings, humidity control systems or the air that focuses on energy, reducing energy consumption. We also do absorption chiller, which is something new in Indian and in the Asian market as it uses waste heat to produce chilled water which goes a long way to make any process plant or a building highly energy efficient.

How are smart technologies equipping the HVAC&R market?

All our traditional and mechanical equipment are becoming smarter with controls sensors, electrical panels on board; moreover, they can communicate with a building management system. You can increase the efficiency of your products by using these controls and sensors; it also helps you in conducting predictive maintenance in the HVAC unit and you can avoid any downtime of shutdowns.

How can HVAC systems contribute in reducing environmental impacts?

There was a general perception that air-conditioning is expensive to install and operate. However, evaporative air-cooling systems, especially for shop-floor cooling and providing comfort conditions to production workers can now be availed in India at economical cost. So large scale economic cooling on factory shop floors could be less than 1/10th the cost of installation and running of a traditional air conditioning system.

There are initial signs of recovery in the Indian market. However, its key is optimism. However, we expect an uptake in the last quarter of 2020. With the credit availability and increase in the utilisation capacity we look forward for a positive outlook in the coming years.

Ahmedabad, 29th January 2020:- Delivering the keynote address at the 13th Confluence International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Deepak Pahwa, Chairman Pahwa Group, shared with the attendees that the increased challenges maintaining IAQ ( Indoor Air Quality) in conditioned spaces with the increased outdoor air pollution. He expressed that today modern climate controlled interiors-offices, homes, malls, hospitals as well as bus stations, airports-was a given , where people spend more than 80 percent of their time.

In his keynote, Mr Pahwa traced the journey introduction of IAQ as a concept in India from the time the concept was introduced to the Indian HVAR&R industry by DRI, a Pahwa group company way back in 1991.

Enclosed conditioned spaces such as office complexes, malls, hotels, restaurants, auditoriums, heaters and various other buildings are dealing with not only contaminants/pollutants generated indors but also has to ensure outdoor pollution like like PM 2.5, PM10, VOCs as well other gaseous contaminants is not brought inside conditioned spaces through conditioning systems.

‘Now, more than ever, the need to monitor and improve indoor air quality is crucial,’ Pahwa said. ‘It’s also become easier given the focus on reducing outdoor air pollution as well as the emergence of cutting edge technologies to manage air quality indoors’.

According to Mr Pahwa, the growing awareness of air pollution and its deleterious impact on human health also focused attention on the need for monitoring and handling indoor air quality. With outdoor air as input, indoor air handling systems design needed to do more than merely cooling to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Often known by its acronym, HVAC is goes beyond providing thermal comfort to ensuring acceptable indoor air quality.

Elaborating on the latest technology in HVAC systems, Pahwa said they use desiccant technology that uses hygroscopic substances that suck moisture from the air and cool indoor spaces. One of the major benefits of the technology is the reduction in tonnage required for a given space with associated reduction in the use of energy and utility costs.

As such, it fits the bill as ‘a sustainable green technology that incorporates a concern of climate change, a crucial new awareness that seeks to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, that are responsible for the phenomenon known as global warming,’ he added.

He lauded ‘the welcome tendency’ to deploy renewable energy solutions to the problem of poor indoor air quality. ‘Renewables’ provide a way to manage the costs of increasingly expensive and finite sources of fossil fuels. With growing awareness of the long term conundrums in the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels, urban planners have begun to look at options such as solar energy, natural building materials, and ecologically effective heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Referring to Pahwa Group’s experience with the deployment of HVAC systems globally, Mr Pahwa spoke of the company’s experience with the Beijing Olympics, where its flagship company, Dessicant Rotors International, installed air quality control systems at various sites including the Beijing Airport.

‘Working to very clear and stringent specifications, our indoor air handling systems helped save about 80 percent of the energy that is lost with outgoing air and facilitated an increase in the quantity of fresh air,’ Pahwa elaborated.

Mr Pahwa was honored at the conference for his pioneering work and tremendous contribution to the Indian HVAC and R Industry.

About Pahwa Group:

‘With Desiccant at its core, in relation to air’, the Pahwa Group is a group of knowledge based and technology driven companies offering advanced environmental control solutions to a wide array of companies. The Group is headed by Mr. Deepak Pahwa as the Group Chairman and employs a strong team of over 1400+ persons in 6 continents and has 10 manufacturing units. The core strength of all the group companies is concentrated in desiccant and desiccant-based technologies. Operating within a broad framework of ‘environment and energy’, the group companies are involved in manufacturing products like dehumidifiers, resin dryers, product dryers, gas phase filtration systems, energy recovery and fresh air treatment systems. Desiccant Rotors International (DRI) is a global provider of components, products and systems for Energy Recovery, Indoor Air Quality, Fresh Air Treatment, and Green Buildings. Desiccant Rotors International, Inc. (DRI Inc.) markets and sells energy recovery wheels and desiccant dehumidification rotors and cassettes in North America. The current installation base of DRI wheels in North America runs in the thousands. Our parent company, DRI, is the largest global provider of enthalpy wheels for air-to-air energy recovery. The DRI worldwide group has a global sales network extending to Brazil, China, Malaysia, Europe, South Africa, Philippines, Australia, Korea and India. DRI has a fully integrated ISO certified manufacturing facility with in-house coating, synthesizing, winding, metal working and surface finishing and world class test facilities for performance evaluation of enthalpy wheels and desiccant dehumidification wheels.