LARGEST PRODUCERS OF ROUGH DIAMONDS

Notable producers of rough diamonds include:

• Russia
• Botswana
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Australia
• Canada
• Angola
DIAMOND COMPANIES
The largest diamond companies are:
• De Beers
• Al-Rosa
• Rio-Tinto
• Debswana
• Dominion
INDIA is the largest rough diamond processing center in the world.
SHAIRU GEMS
• The company was started in Surat, Gujarat, in 1976. By 1982, it had expanded to
Mumbai.
• The company has associates all over the world, in Belgium, Dubai, South Africa,
New York, Hong Kong and China. It has over 1600 employees.
• It was founded by Shailesh and Kumar Mehta.
• The Surat factory is the first factory in the diamond industry of the world to
receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold
certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
SUSTAINABLE SITE
• Sedimentation basin.
• After the water level has reached 51.2 cubic meters, the excess water drains out.
• Also, soil is deposited in the basin before runoff.
• This prevents soil erosion.
WATER EFFICENCY
• Storm water management.
• There is a 35% decrease in runoff water due to the plant which makes use of
multistage compressors, screw type chiller plants and high voltage AC plants.
• The sewage treatment program utilizes drip irrigation.
• There is a 50% reduction in water consumption.
• Rainwater harvesting is also practiced.
• A tank with a capacity of 90,000 liters is used for the in-house fire-fighting
system.
ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE
• Reduction in greenhouse gases.
• There is a 2.64% reduction in overall annual power consumption due to the use
of solar panels and Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems
installed in the building.
• This also means that there is a 20.59% reduction in energy consumption.
• The factory makes use of water-jet-cooled plants.
• The roof of the factory has a Solar Reflective Index of more than 100, which
prevents a heat overload.
• The building is designed in such a way that there is a minimal exposure to
sunlight.
• The east side is covered in creepers while the west side has double insulation.
• A lighting system of low intensity is used in the factory.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
• Reduce waste – 95% of construction waste is saved.
• Reuse – 5.91% of virgin materials are saved and used elsewhere.
• 10% of content is also recycled.
• 50% of materials are locally sourced within 800 kilometers of the factory.
• This reduces the cost of transportation as well as carbon emissions by vehicles.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENT

• Better ventilation.
• Sensors monitor carbon dioxide levels and optimize the volume of fresh air.
• More than 90% occupants have an outdoor view from their workplace
• Machines used to cut and polish diamonds are equipped with auto carbon dust
collectors.
• The cleaning chemicals used in the factory are all eco-friendly.
• The entire building is a no-smoking zone and the garage is equipped with specialized
automated exhaust fans and carbon monoxide sensors.
• All gates have security checks and electronic ID scanners.
• Fire alarms and extinguishers can be found all over the building.
• Hence, the safety of all workers is ensured.
SOLAR PANELS
• Capacity of solar plants – 50 Kw
• Units produced per annum (in kWh) – 91,250 (250 per day)
• Amount saved per annum due to solar panels – Rupees 7.75 lakh (approx.
$12060)
• Cost of solar equipment (per kW) – Rupees 68,000 (approx. $1060)
• Cost of maintenance of solar equipment – Negligible
• This data is received from JJ Solar, based in Rajkot.
• The electricity produced by solar panels is connected by inverters to the third-
party monitoring company, which is offered as an internet service to the company.
WATER MANAGEMENT
• Volume of sewage water treated monthly – 900,000 liters (30,000 per day)
• Output of treated water is almost equal to input of sewage water
• This water is used for processes such as cleaning, flushing and gardening in the
factory.
• The factory has built three Ground Recharging wells, each with a capacity of
30,000 liters and a depth of 300 feet.
• The waste water is collected and filtered so that clean water goes into the
underground water table, where it gets retained in the earth and raises the water
table.
STEPS IN THE TREATMENT OF SEWAGE WATER

• The waste water is transferred to the Equalization tank from the sewage plant.
• The water then goes to the Reaction tank, where the raw water is treated by
bacteria.
• The water is collected in the Intermediate tank.
• The water is put through a sand filter, where all suspended particles are removes,
• It is then put through the activated carbon filter, where the odor and color gets
removed.
• Finally, the water is passed through the Softener, where the hardness of water is
treated.
• The treated water is collected in the Water Collection tank.
INDOOR LIGHT AND AIR QUALITY
• A total of 21 carbon dioxide sensors have been installed in different wings of the
factory.
• These monitor the carbon dioxide levels in the area and relay the information to the
Building Management System (BMS).
• If the carbon dioxide level is above the permissible limit of 2500 particles per million
(ppm), the BMS immediately releases fresh air into that area by opening the oxygen
ducts.
• The factory has prioritized the exposure of their workers to natural light.
• The World Green Building Council has found that workplaces with good daylight had up
to a 40% increase in productivity of the workers.
• Natural light has been proven to improve moods and reduce stress.
• Employees with windows in their workplace also slept an average of 46 minutes more
per night than those who were not exposed to natural light in their workplace,
according to research by the University of Illinois.
MATERIALS
• All furniture that was used in the old office of the company has been reworked
and is used in the new factory.
• The company has purchased their partition aluminum frames from a factory
which only uses recycled aluminum.
• The bricks that make up the entire new building are made of flyash, which is also
recycled material.
• All the artwork featured in the building has been made out of waste materials.
DESIGN
• Three sides of the new factory building are open to sunlight.
• The building also features an open lighting system and uses all compact
fluorescent lamps (CFLs) instead of LED lights, which saves 20-25% of light.
• The gas used as refrigerant in the AC plant is a green gas called R407.
• The AC plant also has low power consumption.
• This design costs up to 15% more to install than a regular building but in the long
run it is a better investment.
• Due to the low power consumption of the appliances, the 15% is projected to be
made back in the next 5-7 years, and the building is predicted to be used for 50
years.
• Hence, the low-maintenance building will easily save the company 320 lakh
rupees in the long run ($480,000 approx.).
AIR CONDITIONING
• The company uses a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) plant in its
factory.
• It is also known as a chiller plant and it is cooled by water.
• This helps the factory save 25-30% of electrical power as compared to a regular
AC plant.
• The usage and functioning of the HVAC plant is monitored by the Building
Management System.