Innovative technologies and solutions
Our innovative technologies and solutions focus on energy efficiency, clean energy, food, and water, and it all starts with a circular mindset, the foundation of sustainability. By continuously optimizing our own operations and our customers’ processes for greater efficiency, resilience and lower emissions we contribute to a positive movement of the areas that society depends on, like food, pharma, water, energy and marine transportation.
Bringing the solutions - for today and tomorrow
Recovering excess heat from data centers
The data center industry is predicted to grow at a very high pace the coming years due to AI and digitalization. The industry is a big consumer of electricity, where 90% of the energy ends up as waste heat. The reuse of excess heat can significantly impact carbon emissions, energy security and energy affordability.
Read more about heat recovery in data centers
Read more about WHR – Waste heat recovery
In action: Major data center, Odense, Denmark
Recovering excess heat from industries
Industrial energy consumption accounts for 40% of the world’s total energy consumption. The waste heat generated amounts to over 2,800 TWh/y in EU alone, almost corresponding to EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water in the residential and service sectors. Integrating industrial heat into district energy systems through sector coupling offers significant benefits, e.g. higher energy security, lower energy costs, and reduced carbon emissions.
Read more about waste heat recovery
In action: Kemira Kemi, Helsingborg, Sweden
In action: Aurubis Group, Hamburg, Germany
Control of usage data reduces energy consumption
At Alfa Laval, improving energy efficiency is an ongoing commitment across all our sites. Our target is to improve energy efficiency by 4%* yearly, measured as energy consumption per net sales.
Every 15 minutes, advanced energy meters track the usage of electricity, gas, district heating and water at Alfa Laval sites. With the Alfa Laval Energy Management (ALEM) system, real-time data is analyzed to uncover patterns and identify cost-saving opportunities.
2025, around 80 % of the electricity used in our factories, service centers, and offices are measured.
*Revised target Nov 2025
Driving plant-based protein processing
Growing public awareness of the health and environmental benefits of plant protein is causing a major shift in the protein market. The industry can play a vital part in bridging the protein gap, which is being put under increasing pressure by a growing world population heading for 9.8 billion by 2050 (UN, 2024).
Read more about how Lantmännen launches an exciting new yellow-pea-processing initiative
Read more about Plant-based protein processing
Driving advances in food production
Feeding a growing world population with a minimized environmental and social impact will require a systematic transformation of the global food system. The United Nations estimates we'll need 70% more food by 2050, yet our current food systems are responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and impact ecosystems, land, and water resources.
Read more about how we can feed in the future and food production
Providing wings for a shipping revolution
Wind propulsion technology has received growing attention as new GHG regulations come into place. Oceanbird is supplier to the world's first primary wind-powered vessel Orcelle Wind with a 50-60 % reduced fuel consumption. Ocenbird is a joint venture between Alfa Laval and Wallenius.
Recovering excess heat from light industries
Light industry often describes as a sector with lower absolute energy use than heavy industries, but this wide-ranging sector accounts for 8% of all industrial emissions. Waste heat recovery captures excess heat from processes and repurposes it for preheating materials, space heating, or even electricity generation, thereby reducing energy needs. High-efficiency heat pumps offer an alternative that provides both heating and cooling using less energy.
Read more about industrial heat pumps
In action: Alfa Laval, Lund, Sweden
Affordable heating made easy by heat pumps
Heat pumps powered by low-emission electricity are a central technology in the global transition to secure sustainable heating. Heat pumps meet around 10% of global space heating needs, but the pace of installation is growing rapidly. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that heat pumps have the potential to reduce global CO2 emissions by at least 500 million tonnes by 2030 – equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from all cars in Europe today.
Read more about industrial heat pumps
Enabling recycling of water
Alfa Laval recognizes water as a finite and increasingly vulnerable resource, especially for areas suffering from water stress and we have set a yearly target to improve water efficiency in its own operations by 5 percent* compared to previous year (m3/net sales).
In our Jubail and Yanbu service centres, Saudi Arabia
90 percent of the water used for hydrostatic pressure tests at the service centres is recycled - amounting to over one million litres annually - thanks to water recirculation systems.
At our site in São Paulo site, Brazil
Near 100 percent of the water used operationally is being reused and zero water is drawn from the public supply due to a series of water-capture and recycling initiatives, like rainwater harvesting from the factory’s 6,000 square-metre roof.
*Revised target Nov 2025
Recovering biofuels from food waste
Advances in technology have opened up a new market, turning waste oils and fats into high-quality feedstock for the biofuel industry. UK-based BioteCH4 uses cutting-edge decanter separation technology to tap into a brand-new revenue stream – turning waste oils and fats into high-quality feedstock for the biofuel industry.
Read more about how BioteCH4 recovers oil from food waste
Read more about how Prodec Oil Plus decanter can help
Voyage Intelligence for sustainable shipping
Shipping companies today face unprecedented complexity: disrupted trade routes, intensifying climate risks, volatile fuel markets, and tightening regulatory pressures. Voyage Intelligence by StormGeo is already in use across 12,000+ vessels and 75,000+ voyages annually, and enables operators to optimize routes, improve safety margins, and ensure regulatory compliance in an increasingly complex maritime environment.
Why Voyage Intelligence is the digital backbone of the fuel transition
District cooling offloading grids with free cooling
Cities across the globe are expanding to accommodate growing populations, requiring energy services to be extended to new consumers. Increasing global temperatures due to climate change are leading to more frequent and intense heat waves, increasing the demand for cooling. District cooling offers a solution, providing efficient cooling with lower environmental impact compared to traditional air- conditioning systems by eg using free cooling from the sea or rivers.
Read more about district cooling
In action: City of Toronto, Canada
In action: City of Paris, France
Extracting high quality proteins from waste
The supply of high-quality protein is essential in meeting the ever-increasing global demand for healthy, affordable, and nutritious food. Spent grain accounts for up to 85% of leftovers from the brewing process and can be extracted and converted into human food. Alfa Laval’s expertise in protein makes it an ideal technology and solutions partner in this field.
Read more about how to upcycle sustainable protein in a brewery
Enabling treatment and reuse of water in industry
Industries account for approximately 20% of global freshwater withdrawals (UNESCO), making efficient water management crucial.
Alfa Laval recognizes water as a finite and increasingly vulnerable resource, especially in regions facing water stress. That is why we have set an ambitious yearly target to improve water efficiency in our operations by 5%* compared to the previous year (measured as m³/net sales).
At the Pune site, India, Alfa Laval’s own decanters and membrane bioreactor treat all the recyclable wastewater at the site leaving minimal liquid discharge. The treated water is reused for various purposes, including manufacturing process, restrooms, and the Alfa Laval Garden.
*Revised target Nov 2025
Energy efficiency to decarbonize industry
50% of today’s potential for energy savings comes from the industrial sector according to IEA, and increased energy efficiency could account for more than ⅓ of emission reduction in the next 25 years. Alfa Laval and ABB has founded Energy Efficiency Movement, a non-profit association with the aim to accelerate energy efficiency in the broad industry.
Read more about energy efficiency
Read more about Energy Efficiency Movement (EEM)
In action: Discover our sustainable impact across industries
2.5% CO2 emission reduction through services
Today, the industry sector accounts for about one-third of the global energy consumption. Since 2000, the industrial sector’s energy consumption has risen by almost 70%. Studies have shown that as much as 11% of the world’s total emissions could be saved through energy efficiency measures, with maintenance of heat exchangers being one of the main recommendations.
Read more about service to optimize energy efficiency
In action: Boliden, Sweden
A strong demand for fossil-free steel
On average, every tonne of steel produced leads to the emission of 1.89 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Under the IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario, total direct emissions from the iron and steel sector must be reduced by more than 50% by 2050. In 2021, Swedish steel company SSAB produced the world’s first fossil-free steel as a proof of concept using the HYBRIT® technology. This revolutionary steelmaking technology, which uses hydrogen- reduced sponge iron, eliminates the primary source of CO2 emissions by producing water as a byproduct instead of CO2.
Accelerating competitiveness through ambitious targets
Business has a critical role to play in driving down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and building the resilient, thriving zero- emissions economy we urgently need.
Alfa Laval is committed to be net zero by 2050 and other SBTi validated targets are: Net zero scope 1 & 2 by 2030, 50 percent reduction of scope 3, 2030. The company’s emissions are calculated and reported across all scopes in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
In 2024, Alfa Laval strengthened its ambition to reach net zero in scope 1 & 2, three years ahead of schedule.
Decarbonizing heavy industry
The chemical sector is the largest industrial energy consumer and the third largest industry subsector in terms of direct CO2 emissions. This is largely because around half of the chemical subsector’s energy input is consumed as feedstock – fuel used as a raw material input rather than as a source of energy.
Collaboration between Alfa Laval and Dow has delivered reduced emissions, improved reliability and lower CAPEX.
In Action: Dow Dow Chemical, Netherlands - A collection for performance and sustainability
Read more about Energy Hunter - technology to accelerate hunting for waste heat and energy
Defossilization with renewable fuels and chemicals
Global plastic use is expected to double from 550 to 1,150 million tons per year by 2050, with most plastics still fossil-based. Currently, only about 8% are bio-based and 4% recycled, while waste sorting and recycling remain difficult. Plastic pollution is widespread, entering food chains and posing serious risks. By 2050, all plastics must be non-fossil, requiring biobased plastics to grow more than fivefold. PHA, a biodegradable, circular polymer, can replace conventional plastics like PE and PP across many applications.
Read more about Defossilization with renewable fuels and chemicals - Committed to circular carbon
Enabling efficient data center cooling
Liquid cooling efficiently manages heat in data centers, supporting higher server density, lower energy consumption, and improved system reliability compared to air cooling. Switching to liquid cooling can cut cooling-related energy use nearly in half, especially in high-density environments like AI and HPC workloads.
Enabling reliable transmission of offshore wind power
Offshore wind has vast potential to drive global decarbonization. According to the IEA, offshore wind capacity is expected to quadruple by 2030, becoming a key pillar of the net zero Emissions pathway.
The conversion station at Three Gorges Rudong Offshore Wind Farm is the largest in the world. To deliver the generated electricity to shore with minimal loss, it is converted to direct current under high voltage. The voltage is first increased in the AC booster station and then at the High Volage Direct Current (HVDC) converter station. AC is converted into DC which is then transmitted to shore where it is converted back to AC and injected into the electricity grid.
Delivering technology for the next-gen revolution
Next-generation food is set to play a key role in the battle to sustainably produce the 70% extra food needed to feed the world by 2050 (UN). New ways of applying biomass and precision fermentation processes are key to radically changing the environmental impact of food production.
In action: Nurturing innovation for the next food revolution in Singapore
Fuel pathways supporting decarbonization in shipping
The future of shipping is not a choice between conventional and alternative fuels. It is about navigating a multi-fuel future as alternative fuels become more widely available. Currently, 85 percent of newly ordered vessels operate on conventional fuels. However, the number of vessels operating on alternative fuels continues to grow (DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform).
New fuel pathways can help reduce CO₂ emissions and support the maritime industry’s progress towards net-zero targets. These pathways are reshaping vessel design, onboard systems and fuel infrastructure.
Read more about Fuel conditioning technology
Read more about Clean energy for sustainable marine solutions
Air lubrication for improved vessel efficiency
As the shipping industry works to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in line with IMO requirements, the role of energy-saving technologies is becoming increasingly important. Air lubrication has the potential to provide benefits beyond fuel and emissions reduction. Research indicates that the bubble layer generated beneath the hull can significantly attenuate the transmission of ship-generated noise into the marine environment.
In action: OceanGlide- Air lubrication system