November 29, 2006—Alcoa, reportedly named one of the most sustainable corporations by the World Economic Forum and one of the top “green” companies in the world by Business Week and The Climate Group, says it is actively developing, evaluating, and implementing natural sustainable technologies to reduce the environmental footprint at its aluminum smelting, refining, and production facilities.
The technologies, called Engineered Natural Systems, use a variety of plants, soils, and microbes to reduce the volume of discharged stormwater and process water as well as the concentrations of pollutants in the discharged water. These passive “green” technologies are helping Alcoa to achieve environmental goals stated in its “2020 Strategic Framework for Sustainability,” which calls for the company to reduce process water usage by 70% from 2000 to 2010 and achieve zero water discharge by 2020.
Alcoa retained the Engineered Natural Systems Group of ENR 200 environmental management and consulting firm, Roux Associates Inc., to provide professional expertise during the research, development, design, and installation of these natural systems at three of Alcoa’s facilities—in Mt. Holly, Lafayette, and Iceland.
For highlights of project successes and more information on the initiatives, visit Alcoa or Roux.
To view a “Quick Facts” prepared by Roux Associates about Engineered Natural Systems, Constructed Treatment Wetlands, Phytoremediation, and Natural Media Filtration, visit Roux.
