Sustainability Vacuum Solutions for a better future
Part of the transformation to a low-carbon society
As part of the Atlas Copco Group, we are fully committed to being part of the solution for a better tomorrow. Sustainability is integrated in our strategy and guides our priorities, targets and long-term commitments. The Group environmental, social and governance targets include our science-based targets to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in our own operations and along the value chain in line with the Paris Agreement.
Read more at Atlas Copco Group site
Inclusion and diversity
We know that everyone has different experiences and perspectives. We want to work together to leverage these to create a safe, productive, and inclusive environment for everyone.
Celebrating diversity
At Leybold, diversity is a fundamental pillar of our identity and a key driver of our success. We believe that a diverse workforce brings a multitude of perspectives, experiences, and talents to the table. As a result, diversity makes us more resilient, innovative, and better prepared for the challenges of our ever-evolving world.
Innovations for a sustainable future
Vacuum technology is a vital component in numerous technologies used for transforming our industries and societies in support of sustainability:
- Many processes in renewable energy production depend on vacuum technology. Whether for coating solar cells, laminating photovoltaic solar panels or producing wind-mill composite blades used in harvesting wind energy, many production processes are impossible without vacuum.
- The conversion of the automotive industry to electric vehicles requires, for example, lithium ion batteries that are produced through various vacuum processes.
- The upcoming hydrogen transformation requires vacuum-insulated tanks and pipes, and hydrogen-powered fuel cells cannot be produced without vacuum.
- Furthermore, quality requirements are becoming more and more stringent, making quality testing such as leak detection increasingly important in many production steps.
- Modern CCUS (carbon capture) processes are more efficient through the use of vacuum.
We at Leybold strive to optimize our products in support of these technologies. Pumps are optimized to boost productivity while reducing energy demand. Consumption of cooling water and oil is minimized. Our accessories allow for the capture of excess heat from products or for switching pumps to energy-saving idle modes during downtimes. All of these efforts help reduce the environmental footprint for our products.
Case studies
Electrifying steel degassing
The steel industry accounts for 7% of all global CO2 emissions. It's energy and water intensive, and much of the liquid steel degassing process relies on high-intensity, low-efficiency steam ejector systems as part of a blast furnace infrastructure. A rapid decarbonization of the global steel industry, including switching from blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces, is therefore a key component in moving toward a low carbon economy. Leybold’s mechanical vacuum systems (MVS) for steel degassers replace traditional gas-powered steam ejector pump systems with an electrified vacuum solution. We estimate that over a 25-year lifecycle for a typical 100-ton vacuum degassing solution in Germany, it delivers approximately 170,000 metric tons of CO2e savings and avoids nearly 1.1 million m3 of water use, potentially reducing carbon taxes and energy and water costs for the customer. The CO2e emissions saved over a lifecycle correspond to the emissions of approximately 37,800 gasoline powered passenger vehicles driven for a year. Additionally, an MVS delivers higher process efficiencies and improves workplace safety by removing steam and gas from these processes.
Vacuum Solutions for tomorrow's industry
We provide services and solutions for increasing efficiencies in terms of resource consumption. Our products and systems help you reduce your energy consumption, CO2 emissions and water usage while maintaining or even improving your product quality.
Benefits of our sustainability achievements:
Energy efficiency: Our pumps are designed to reduce energy consumption whilst maintaining productivity, so reducing running costs. Our pumps are powered by electrical energy, which enables customers to run our solutions on renewable electricity sources.
Resource conservation: Our dry pumps work without the use of oil in the pump chamber. This minimizes fossil fuel consumption, reduces waste and ensures a clean working environment that's free of oil mist. Plus, you’ll benefit from significant cost savings.
Our products and services are designed with circularity principles in mind: Our service division ensure the repair and reuse of products, extending their useful life and minimizing waste. They also provide support on how to optimally use the products, which enables energy-efficiency gains. Many of our products are also designed so they can be returned, refurbished and resold as used equipment. This contributes to increased circularity and such used equipment meet the same high standards as when they were new in terms of performance and energy efficiency. Many products also have a modular design, which supports circularity, as it enables easy disassembly so that parts can be replaced. This contributes to prolonging the life of the tool and reduced waste. Some of the units also collect contaminated products from customers, which otherwise would be disposed of as hazardous waste, and return them to full operation.
Safety: Both people and machines benefit from the use of advanced technologies. Our vacuum pumps produce less waste heat and last longer through innovative standby operation. They also run quieter and feature low vibration, creating a safer and more comfortable work environment.
Our latest generation products can support the achievement of environmental goals:
- Replacement of old installations: Old vacuum installations are often built around outdated technologies and consume more resources than necessary. Through our energy-efficient vacuum solutions, you’ll notice energy savings immediately. We’ll support you in designing efficient replacements that’ll also improve your processes and product quality.
- Liquid ring pump replacements: Liquid ring pumps consume high amounts of water and energy. In many processes, these can be replaced by cleaner and more energy- and water-efficient pump technologies while maintaining or even increasing product quality.
- Process consulting: We can help you identify process inefficiencies as well as other manufacturing issues and solve them through the use of vacuum products. Our intelligent pump controls allow to you to achieve valuable energy savings throughout your entire production process. Avoid underuse, overuse and even the misuse of your vacuum installation to improve your entire production process.
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