This technology is not only more efficient, but is also cleaner, releasing fewer emissions. Hotter furnaces have spurred the development of new materials that withstand hotter temperatures. These materials, called composites, are strong, light, and corrosion-resistant, so they are quite durable. Motors to power pumps, fans and blowers, air compressors and dozens of other mechanical devices find use in nearly all types of industrial production. The most energy-efficient motors are equipped with controllers and variable speed drives to help the motors match output with the energy necessary for the task.
Some motors have motor coils made of superconducting materials, which greatly reduce energy loss.
The most energy-intensive industries are the aluminum industry, the agricultural industry, the chemical industry, the forest products industry, the glass industry, and the steel industry. In the aluminum industry, in addition to employing improved technology to increase the efficiency of production, the focus is on increasing the recycling of scrap and waste products. The chemical industry is also increasing the recovery and reuse of liquid and solid wastes, which reduces the use of raw materials, minimizes water use, and cuts down on waste disposal. Catalysts that lower the energy requirements for chemical reactions, and computer programs that model chemical behavior have increased efficiency in the chemical industry as well. Both the chemical and agriculture industries are not only using more efficient industrial processes to cut down on their energy use, but the purpose of these industries has begun shifting toward creating products from renewable forms of energy, such as crops, that can replace products traditionally made from petroleum.