Our operations are governed by various Malaysian federal, state and local environmental regulations including those of the Department of Environment (DOE), which is responsible for enforcing pollution control regulations and policies in Malaysia. These regulations impose effluent and emission limitations, and specify requirements regarding management of water resources, air resources, toxic substances, solid waste and emergency planning.

We report the compliance related data on a regular basis to the local regulatory offices, and to date our operations comply with Malaysian environmental laws and regulations. We firmly believe in caring for the environment through efficient utilisation and recycling of energy and resources. While always on the lookout for innovation and progress, environmental protection is one of the important criteria when selecting new technologies and equipment.

Improvement in Energy and Material Conservation and Achievement in Reducing Environmental Impact MSM’s sugar refinery in Prai has achieved strident growth over the years not only in production capacity but also in technological innovation. We have achieved significant progress in the areas of energy efficiency, environmental impact and reduced consumption of utilities and consumable materials.

MSM’s steam consumption rate is among the lowest in the industry. This is attributed to the use of energy-saving process equipment such as a Mechanical Vapour Re-compressor (MVR) evaporator and Vertical Crystallization Tower (VKT), and to good process design and management. The process design does not only save fuel directly, but also reduces the amount of cooling water needed and the amount of heat emitted to the environment.

MSM also generates about half of its own electrical power requirement using back pressure turbines, with the exhaust steam being channelled to the process for heating. This concept of co-generation is a more efficient means of extracting energy from the fuel. It enables MSM to minimise the usage of fossil fuel and hence decrease the amount of heat and carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

In terms of environmental impact, MSM is a fore-runner in having implemented a waste treatment system for effluent discharge generated from the Ion Exchange Resin (IER) towers based on Nano-filtration technology. This waste water treatment system is the first of its kind jointly developed by MSM and the membrane supplier and it allows MSM to recycle the salt collected while discharging the resulting clean filtrate to the river.

When natural gas was made available locally, MSM was one of the first local companies to convert to using natural gas fuel. This has drastically reduced the levels of carbon soot and sulphur emission in the boiler flue gas. The consistent decrease in the usage rate of fuel, electricity, water and basic consumable materials such as lime and salt over the years has been translated to reduced waste and pollution directly and indirectly. Through good refinery management and the constant upgrading of machinery and equipment in the plant, MSM is able to sustain its position as an efficient sugar producer.