Why Procurement is the Hottest New Realm for Tech Investors?

More than ever before, investing in sublime software-company-based valuations is paramount, especially for businesses that have different distribution cycles and those that have also intensified their asset ownership.

The same applies to tech investors who for the past few years have been overreaching in finding the optimal solutions for not only analysis but in transforming operations in the most sensitive areas of their work.

With that in mind, is procurement the next big thing for tech investors? Is procurement the hottest new realm for investors to eye? Let’s take a gander at a few reasons why it indeed is.

Why Procurement Tech Is So Popular

Understanding Procurement

Before you jump on the bandwagon, you must understand what the term procurement means. In layman’s terms, procurement involves the processes included in preparation, processing incoming demands, and the end processes of approving payments.

You can also define it as the process or steps taken when obtaining goods, services, equipment, and everything in between. And in the modern world, what used to be a rather lengthy and sometimes complicated process has been eased by, if you guessed right, procurement technology!

Why Procurement Tech Is So Popular Right Now

From data analytics to cloud-based software, process automation, and self-service portals, a diverse range of technology tools are currently being used to make procurement processes and cycles flawless. Below are some compelling reasons why tech investors should consider giving the procurement industry a try.

1. Analysis and Budgeting

If you are heading a tech department, you must analyze your company’s needs. This allows you to strategically define the key areas that might need more funding in terms of acquiring services/materials as the key components in helping you realize the company’s bottom line.

With this perhaps being one of the key areas considered by procurers and intermediaries, a lot of companies are relying on analytical software to help gather data and make their budgets.

2. Strategic Sourcing

After you’ve clearly defined your goals, you’ll need to identify suppliers who at a considerable cost will provide you with high-quality products. Price and product comparison are crucial elements that shouldn’t be ignored. Many companies rely on various tech tools for this.

3. SRM – Supplier Relationship Management

This is an important stage in procurement as it helps prevent issues to do with delays and quality drops. This stage allows you to closely monitor products and services, communicate with both suppliers and clients, and in evaluating your innovative projects. Various tools exist as well to help individuals and companies in this stage of procurement.

How Trends Impact Procurement

As industries keep evolving, so are the technologies and processes involved. The area for procurement today revolves around data. The systems and methodologies used in yesteryears cannot be termed to be as effective. There were flaws, delays, and not to mention lack of clear-cut strategies.

Thankfully, a great deal of technological advancements has been seen in the procurement industry over the past couple of years. Today, there are tons of tools designed to streamline your procurement processes so you can refocus on other areas of business that scale your revenues and profit.

How Trends Impact Procurement

Data Visibility

The modern systems and tools used in procurement have helped procurement departments in diversified industries to have ease of access to information, bring order to data management, and in extraction and analysis of data.

Risk Management

This is an important aspect in just about any business. In procurement, however, this has been by evaluating the risks involved in data and information exposure. Over the past few years, the cumulative risks involved have been greatly reduced and the rewards exponentially increased.

Sustainability

In a world where almost every process in business seems to be centered on sustainability, you can expect nothing less in procurement processes. There’s more focus on the implications procurement has on social and environmental levels.

Now, even as businesses continue to outsource their procurement activities, one thing remains constant. Most companies want to keep costs down while focusing on strategic growth, and procurement tech tools allow them to do just that.

With the above pointers in mind, it is easy to see why procurement is among the hottest realms right now for those interested in tech investments.

Innovative Technologies to Help a Start-Up in Beverage Industry

For businesses trying to make a name for themselves in the beverage industry, the challenges are vast and varied. Yes, the sector can be a profitable one – it’s predicted that the global market will be worth $1.86 trillion by 2024 – but that does not mean there are any guarantees of success.

There are a wide range of difficulties facing start-ups of all kinds, and being able to make an impression within the drinks industry is certainly no different. Of course, not every enterprise will start out hoping to become the next Coca Cola, Heineken or Starbucks, but having a solid business plan and a clearly defined set of goals is likely to offer a greater chance for success.

Also Read: Step-by-Step Guide to Launch Your Small Business

Part of that planning involves identifying which tools and processes are going to help your organisation compete against its rivals. Advances are being made all the time, but which technologies might be most effective in launching a beverage business. Read on to know more:

tech-in-beverage-industry

1. Flow-through systems

Automated systems can prove invaluable in terms of streamlining the processes of sorting, packaging, labelling and distributing produce. Flow-through systems utilise robots to do the vast majority of this work, using proximity sensors in order to detect the presence of other objects and repeat the same movements. Operating in this way can help to reduce the risk of human error while simultaneously lowering running costs and increasing productivity and efficiency.

2. Industrial Internet of Things

This is where devices in an industrial setting are connected on a network in order to communicate with one another. The IIoT can enable machines involved in the manufacturing process to log data and identify any faults in the production line, which means each drink is turned out to a greater level of consistency.

3. Voice technology

Another development that is assisting beverage businesses – and those in other industries – is the emergence of voice technology. Warehouse operators can now harness this concept to issue voice commands that will be picked up by the relevant pieces of machinery, which subsequently carry out the action. This means tasks can be completed in a safer, more time-efficient manner, while it also makes training of new employees easier in that there are fewer manual skills for them to learn.

4. NFC tags

Moving away from the manufacturing side of the business, near field communication (NFC) tags can help to improve the customer experience once the product has been put to market. NFC technology is what’s used in contactless payment devices, and the concept has been adapted by the beverage industry in order to add another dimension to the product that consumers purchase.

They can be added to the label or packaging and scanned with a smartphone to unlock a range of additional information about the drink.

5. Cloud service

For businesses in any field, the challenge of data storage is one that can be difficult to overcome. Giants of the industry will have the available resources to own and run their own infrastructures, but others may not be in a position to do so or may wish to focus their spending in different areas.

As a solution, there are cloud service providers who offer products such as Virtual Desktop or Azure Virtual Desktop with rented access to certain software at a lower cost, which frees up funds for beverage companies to commit more capital towards the likes of R&D, production and marketing.

4 Tips On How Smart Manufacturing Can Reduce Environmental Impact

Manufacturing accounts for a massive portion of global carbon emissions, almost a quarter of direct global carbon emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency reports a 23 percent contribution from manufacturing companies in the United States. Varying factors drive this output, but there could be a way businesses could lessen their environmental impact.

Smart manufacturing improves many of these problem areas, leading to better environmental results. Here are four ways smart manufacturing could make a splash by lessening its environmental impact.

How Smart Manufacturing Could Lessen Environmental Impact

How Smart Manufacturing Could Lessen Environmental Impact

Global climate change has evolved into one of the most prominent concerns around the world today. The connection between manufacturers and global climate change is undeniable, leading to understandable concern in worldwide industrialization and economic development.

The manufacturing industry isn’t going anywhere, so changes need to be made. Smart manufacturing can repair and improve areas that affect environmental impact, allowing facilities to remain efficient, productive, and cost-effective without sacrificing the environment.

1. Reducing Production Waste

Many facilities produce enormous amounts of waste every year. By reducing waste output, intelligent technologies can minimize the environmental effect. There are a few ways to implement innovative technology toward lessening production waste:

  • Adopt lean manufacturing to reduce waste production with assured quality.
  • Implement an advanced manufacturing process to minimize wasted material used to make a product. 3D printing is an excellent way to reduce production waste.
  • Incorporate automation in certain areas of the process to minimize the dependence of the process on human intervention. Automated devices can reduce the regularity of human error and defection, resulting in less waste.
  • Utilize greener cleaning materials with water- and bio-based cleaners to reduce water waste.

2. Improved Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is another significant piece of the puzzle. A facility can become more energy efficient in varying areas by incorporating greener, high-end equipment designed to reduce energy consumption in specific tasks.

Additionally, internet-connected sensors can improve the performance of energy management systems, allowing facilities to reduce their energy consumption without impacting production. Intelligent scheduling and AI can also help in the efficiency process, whether at the base equipment level or covering the entire supply chain. IoT-consulting services can enable industrial manufacturing systems to be more intelligent.

robotics in sustainable manufacturing

3. Working Toward Sustainability

Sustainability is a critical factor in reducing a facility’s environmental impact. Facilities can incorporate remanufacturing to restore damaged or defective products to full functionality, allowing the product to become useable again and reducing waste.

Reconfigurable manufacturing, although initially designed to improve responsiveness to a fluctuating market, can help facilities improve and manage wastewater and emissions via system reconfiguration.

4. Adjusted Manufacturing Processes

Changing the nature of the beast is one of the most promising ways to lessen environmental impact. Facilities could switch from a chemical to a physical or biological process, reducing emissions. Additionally, facilities can directly use smart technologies to reduce specific emissions from industrial processes, such as GHG emissions.

Greener inputs can replace traditional forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, which are rapidly depleting and produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Alternative renewable energies, such as hydrogen, biobutanol, and bioethanol, could replace fossil fuels.

Bottom Line

Smart manufacturing has the potential to improve manufacturing drastically. It could be the way of the future, increasing sustainability, productivity, and cost-efficacy to reduce environmental impact.

Top 5 IoT Use Cases For Smart Machine Manufacturers

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term that has been thrown around a lot lately, but what does it actually mean? The Internet of Things refers to the interconnectedness of devices and things. This could be anything from your refrigerator telling you when you’re out of milk to your car automatically ordering new tires when they start to wear down. This blog post will discuss 5 different use cases for IoT in the smart machine manufacturing industry. Most IoT consulting services will include the following recommendations and/or use cases for the aforementioned industry:

use cases for IoT in the smart machine manufacturing

1. Remote monitoring of machines

IoT sensors can monitor machines’ performance in real-time, identify issues, and schedule repairs before problems cause downtime. This can help to improve the uptime of machines, as well as reduce the need for manual inspection and maintenance.

Additionally, remote monitoring can also be used to track the usage of machines and predict when they will need to be replaced. As a result, IoT-enabled machine monitoring can help improve manufacturing operations’ efficiency and productivity.

2. Automated inventory management using RFID tags

Smart machines can be equipped with RFID tags to automatically track inventory levels and trigger replenishment orders when stock levels run low. This can help reduce the time needed for manual inventory checks and prevent stockouts that can cause production delays.

Additionally, automated inventory management can help identify opportunities for cost savings by optimizing stock levels and reducing waste. As a result, RFID-based inventory management can be a valuable tool for manufacturers looking to improve their supply chain management.

3. Creation of virtual prototypes for testing

One of the top IoT use cases for smart machine manufacturers is the creation of virtual prototypes. Manufacturers can create accurate models of their machines using sensors and other connected devices. These models can then be used to test various scenarios and compare different designs. This helps to optimize the manufacturing process and ensure that the final product meets all the necessary requirements. Additionally, it can help reduce the need for physical prototyping, saving both time and money.

4. Workforce efficiency

IoT can help smart machine manufacturers to become more efficient in several ways. For example, by connecting machines to the internet, manufacturers can remotely monitor performance and diagnose any issues quickly and easily. In addition, IoT-enabled devices can share data with humans, allowing for more informed decision-making. As a result, IoT can help manufacturers to reduce downtime, increase productivity, and save on costs.

In addition, IoT can also be used to improve safety in the workplace. By connecting devices to each other and to the internet, manufacturers can create a safe environment for their employees by monitoring conditions and responding quickly to any potential hazards.

5. Quality control

In the era of Industry 4.0, more and more manufacturers are looking to adopt smart machines to improve quality control. By using IoT technology and tools, manufacturers can collect data on factors such as material usage, machine utilization, and production line efficiency. This data can then be analyzed to identify areas of improvement.

Additionally, by incorporating IoT-enabled sensors into machines, manufacturers can gain real-time insights into the quality of their products. This allows for quick corrective action to be taken in case of a problem, ensuring that only high-quality products leave the factory floor. As a result, IoT-enabled smart machines can help significantly improve the quality control process for manufacturers.

Waste Management in the Food Processing Industry

Food processing industry around the world is making serious efforts to minimize by-products, compost organic waste, recycle processing and packaging materials, and save energy and water. The three R’s of waste management – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – can help food manufacturers in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and reusing waste.

EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy

EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy is an excellent resource to follow for food processors and beverage producers as it provides the guidance to start a program that will provide the most benefits for the environment, society and the food manufacturer.

Notably, landfill is the least favored disposal option for waste generated in food and beverage producers worldwide. There are sustainable, effective and profitable waste management options including:

  • making animal feed,
  • composting to create nutrient-rich fertilizer,
  • anaerobic digestion to produce energy-rich biogas,
  • recycling/reusing waste for utilization by other industries,
  • feeding surplus food to needy people

Waste Management Options

Food manufacturers has a unique problem – excess product usually has a relatively short shelf life while most of the waste is organic in nature. Food waste created during the production process can be turned into animal feed and sold to goat farms, chicken farms etc. As far as WWTP sludge is concerned, top food manufacturers are recycling/reusing it through land application, anaerobic digestion and composting alternatives.

Organic waste at any food processing plant can be composted in a modern in-vessel composting and the resultant fertilizer can be used for in-house landscaping or sold as organic fertilizer as attractive prices.

Another plausible way of managing organic waste at the food manufacturing plant is to biologically degrade it in an anaerobic digester leading to the formation of energy-rich biogas and digestate. Biogas can be used as a heating fuel in the plant itself or converted into electricity by using a CHP unit while digestate can be used as a soil conditioner. Biogas can also be converted into biomethane or bio-CNG for its use as vehicle fuel.

Items such as cardboard, clean plastic, metal and paper are all commodities that can be sold to recyclers Lots of cardboard boxes are used by food manufacturers for supplies which can be broken down into flat pieces and sold to recyclers.

Cardboard boxes can also be reused to temporarily store chip packages before putting them into retail distribution boxes. Packaging can be separated in-house and recovered using “jet shredder” waste technologies which separate film, carton and foodstuffs, all of which can then be recycled separately.

Organizing a Zero Landfill Program

How do you develop a plan to create a zero landfill program or zero waste program in food and beverage producing company? The best way to begin is to start at a small-level and doing what you can. Perfect those programs and set goals each year to improve. Creation of a core team is an essential step in order to explore different ways to reduce waste, energy and utilities.

Measuring different waste streams and setting a benchmark is the initial step in the zero landfill program. Once the data has been collected, we should break these numbers down into categories, according to the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge and identify the potential opportunities.

For example, inorganic materials can be categorized based on their end lives (reuse, recycle or landfill).  The food and beverage industry should perform a waste sort exercise (or dumpster dive) to identify its key streams.

Nestlé USA – A Case Study

In April 2015, Nestlé USA announced all 23 of its facilities were landfill free. As part of its sustainability effort, Nestlé USA is continually looking for new ways to reuse, recycle and recover energy, such as composting, recycling, energy production and the provision of safe products for animal feed, when disposing of manufacturing by-products.

Employees also work to minimize by-products and engage in recycling programs and partnerships with credible waste vendors that dispose of manufacturing by-products in line with Nestlé’s environmental sustainability guidelines and standards. All Nestlé facilities employ ISO 14001-certified environmental management systems to minimize their environmental impact.

Recommended Reading: Renewable Energy from Food Recycling

The Role of Bioengineering in Sustainable Food Supply Chain

Every year, the production of food around the world accounts for almost a third of all global emissions of greenhouse gases. Deforestation, grazing livestock, and the use of fertilizers all contribute to climate change. Finding ways to minimize the damage that food production causes is becoming a priority in the fight against global warming. In addition, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that every year, the world produces enough food waste to feed 2 billion people.

To address these problems, the field of bioengineering has found ways to recycle scrap food, reduce the amount thrown away, and find alternative ways to produce sufficient food to feed the world more sustainably and with less waste.

sustainability-food-supply-chain

Engineering Sustainable Food

A degree in bioengineering, or a masters in biomedical engineering online, involves the study of a range of scientific fields from computational biology and physiological systems to mechanical engineering and material sciences. This multidisciplinary approach lends itself well to improving the sustainability of food production. For many years, the genetic engineering of plants has created the potential of increasing production in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way, and more recently, progress has been made in creating synthetic meat.

Now, without the use of genetic engineering, biomedical engineers have created the first bioprinted steak from cattle cells. The qualities of real meat are replicated by allowing living cells to grow and interact in the same way as they would in nature. The result is the creation of an authentic-tasting steak produced without the extensive environmental damage caused by farming livestock.

Converting Food Into Fuel

Every year in the US alone, 80 billion pounds of food is thrown away without being eaten. An increasing number of scientific projects are working on harnessing the valuable energy from food waste and converting it into renewable fuel. This can then be used to power a range of vehicles from privately owned cars to planes and trains.

In communities where food waste is collected along with other recyclable materials, anaerobic digestion can also be used to convert the high fat content of food waste into green electricity, which is put back into the grid to power households.

food-waste-behavior

Reducing Food Waste

Some food scraps are unavoidable, but now bioengineering is being applied to reduce some of the waste from over consumerism. Shoppers often buy excess food and leave fresh fruit and vegetables to go mouldy before they are eaten. Using plant derived-technology, the protective peels of fruit and vegetables can now be enhanced, allowing them to stay fresh for triple the amount of time of regularly grown produce. As the freshness of the products is protected for longer, the logistical costs of a strictly controlled refrigerated supply chain are reduced, and in the long-term, food waste is minimized.

As it exists at the moment, the food supply chain is environmentally damaging. From growing meat in a lab to extending the lifespan of fresh food, bioengineers are now finding ways to improve sustainability in food production.

Why Choose Online Manufacturing?

There are many reasons why you would choose to go with online manufacturing rather than a brick and mortar or even a local domestic one. Here we will talk about the value of going with an online manufacturer and the many advantages that it can have over the others. But before that, let’s discuss why choosing online manufacturing is beneficial in 2022.

future of manufacturing

Online Manufacturing is the Future of Manufacturing

The global market is presently confronted with an acute shortage of resources, especially metals. The coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant decrease in demand for these products, resulting in a scarcity of supplies.

The Russian war against Ukraine further strained the fragile global supply chain. Ukraine became a major supplier of raw materials over the last decade, while Russia is one of the largest producers of copper and nickel.

The conflicts between the two countries have caused problems for the global economy, and they have worsened the situation because of the instability in the geopolitical environment.

Technology has also improved over the years. Now it’s easy to contact any manufacturer from any country, so you need to be smart about sourcing online.

Why Choose Online Manufacturing?

In today’s world, online manufacturing is becoming increasingly popular. Even a decade ago, there was no such concept.

CNC Machines, 3D Printers, EDM, Plasma Cutters, and other computer numerical controlled machines are some of the most technically impressive machines of the twenty-first century. Still, the idea of connecting them – and the machinists behind them – via the internet to anything outside their shop is new.

But the situation has changed now. Now, you can find an online manufacturer easily. Many suppliers are using online manufacturing for various reasons. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of online manufacturing in depth here.

Pros of Online Manufacturing

1. Easily Skip the Request for a Quote

With the advent of online quoting tools, RFQs are no longer needed . An online quote is just a few clicks away. They can be replaced with a simple request for information, which allows you to get a price estimate without having to go through the hassle of sourcing quotes from multiple vendors.

Because a true internet CNC machining source is driven by advanced digital technology, the data used in pricing ensures the price you pay is fair. Instead of sending out RFQs via fax or e-mail and sometimes waiting weeks or months for them to return, you can simply upload a part to the net and get an instant price. This advantage of a fast, fair cost is one of the best benefits of modern-day internet and cloud computing. And it removes any need to spend time searching for quotes at all.

2. An Ecosystem Is Born Out of Your Supply Chain

Another benefit of choosing online manufacturing is the ability to work with a wide range of vendors across the country. When a strike, natural disaster, or bad case of flu disrupts your supply and threatens the timeliness of your shipments, you can simply switch to another vendor who hasn’t been affected by the disruption.

3. Time Savings

When you choose online manufacturing, you can often get your project made much faster than if you were to go with a traditional brick-and-mortar manufacturer. This is because online manufacturers often have no MOQ requirements, and rely on their fast turn-around capability to make their services outstanding. Also, Right now many online manufacturers are integrating various manufacturing services to keep customers. For example, you may notice that one-stop manufacturing solutions from rapid prototype manufacturing to mass production are easily accessible online.

ecofriendly-manufacturing

4. Collecting data is more straightforward than ever

What if you could capture all the information about any component ever produced in one secure and easily accessed location? Not just the specific data files associated with a particular part, but every variation you’ve ever manufactured or considered, every material it was built with, every test it went through, every assembly it was part of, every production line it ran on? Cloud-based manufacturers use AI to capture all the data and supply you to choose the best option.

5. Cost savings

When you choose online manufacturing, you can often get your project made for less money than if you were to go with a traditional brick-and-mortar manufacturer. This is because online manufacturers often have lower overhead costs, which they can pass on to you with lower prices.

Cons of Online Manufacturing

But pls note that not all online manufacturing is reliable, we can mention some that many suppliers talk about. For example, there can be production delays, issues with quality control, and communication difficulties. You need to learn how to choose the correct online manufacturing.

How to choose the right manufacturer online?

It would be best to consider a few things when you want to find a manufacturer online. First, you must ensure that the manufacturer you choose is good at quality and communication. You can learn about them from their website and learn about their communication status simply by sending a message.

There are a lot of factories out there, but how do you know which ones are good and which ones are bad? Ask your friends, ask around in forums, or look at what other people say on the web. If there are a lot of unhappy customers around, avoid the factory. A good factory will have a lot of happy customers, so check out the customer reviews before you choose a manufacturer.

Conclusion

If you are in business, there are few options except online manufacturing. We hope this article has helped you to learn about this wonderful experience of online manufacturing. Now it’s time for you to embrace it and make your business more profitable.

Waste Management in Olive Oil Industry

The olive oil industry offers valuable opportunities to farmers in terms of seasonal employment as well as significant employment to the off-farm milling and processing industry.  While this industry has significant economic benefits in regards to profit and jobs; the downside is it leads to severe environmental harm and degradation. In 2012, an estimated 2,903,676 tons of olive oil was produced worldwide, the largest olive oil producers being Spain, Italy, and Greece followed by Turkey and Tunisia and to a lesser extent Portugal, Morocco and Algeria. Within the European Union’s olive sector alone, there are roughly 2.5 million producers, who make up roughly one-third of all EU farmers.

olive-oil-wastes

Types of Wastes

Currently, there are two processes that are used for the extraction of olive oil, the three-phase and the two-phase. Both systems generate large amounts of byproducts.  The two byproducts  produced by the three-phase system are a solid residue known as olive press cake (OPC) and large amounts of aqueous liquid known as olive-mill wastewater (OMW).  The three-phase process usually yields 20% olive oil, 30% OPC waste, and 50% OMW.  This equates to 80% more waste being produced than actual product.

Regardless of system used, the effluents produced from olive oil production exhibit highly phytotoxic and antimicrobial properties, mainly due to phenols.  Phenols are a poisonous caustic crystalline compound.  These effluents unless disposed of properly can result in serious environmental damage.  There is no general policy for waste management in the olive oil producing nations around the world.  This results in inconsistent monitoring and non-uniform application of guidelines across these regions.

State of Affairs

Around 30 million m3 of olive mill wastewater is produced annually in the Mediterranean area.  This wastewater cannot be sent to ordinary wastewater treatment systems, thus, safe disposal of this waste is of serious environmental concern.  Moreover, due to its complex compounds, olive processing waste (OPW) is not easily biodegradable and needs to be detoxified before it can properly be used in agricultural and other industrial processes.

This poses a serious problem when the sophisticated treatment and detoxification solutions needed are too expensive for developing countries in North Africa, such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, where it is common for OMW to be dumped into rivers and lakes or used for farming irrigation.  This results in the contamination of ground water and eutrophication of lakes, rivers and canals.  Eutrophication results in reductions in aquatic plants, fish and other animal populations as it promotes excessive growth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, high levels of organic matter and the decomposing organisms deplete the water of oxygen, causing aquatic populations to plummet.

Another common tactic for disposal of olive mill wastewater is to collect and retain it in large evaporation basins or ponds.  It is then dried to a semi-solid fraction. In less developed countries where olive processing wastes is disposed of, this waste, as well as olive processing cake and SOR waste is commonly unloaded and spread across the surrounding lands where it sits building up throughout the olive oil production season.  Over time these toxic compounds accumulate in the soil, saturating it, and are often transported by rain water to other nearby areas, causing serious hazardous runoff. Because these effluents are generally untreated it leads to land degradation, soil contamination as well as contamination of groundwater and of the water table itself.

Even a small quantity of olive wastewater in contact with groundwater has the potential to cause significant pollution to drinking water sources. The problem is more serious where chlorine is used to disinfect drinking water. Chlorine in contact with phenol reacts to form chlorophenol which is even more dangerous to human health than phenol alone.

Remedial Measures

The problems associated with olive processing wastes have been extensively studied for the past 50 years.  Unfortunately, research has continued to fall short on discovering a technologically feasible, economically viable, and socially acceptable solution to OPW.  The most common solutions to date have been strategies of detoxification, production system modification, and recycling and recovery of valuable components.  Because the latter results in reductions in the pollution and transformation of OPW into valuable products, it has gained popularity over the past decade. Weed control is a common example of reusing OPW; due to its plant inhibiting characteristics OPW once properly treated can be used as an alternative to chemical weed control.

Research has also been done on using the semisolid waste generated from olive oil production to absorb oil from hazardous oil spills.  Finally, in terms of health, studies are suggesting that due to OPW containing high amounts of phenolic compounds, which have high in antioxidant rates, OPW may be an affordable source of natural antioxidants. Still, none of these techniques on an individual basis solve the problem of disposal of OMW to a complete and exhaustive extent.

At the present state of olive mill wastewater treatment technology, industry has shown little interest in supporting any traditional process (physical, chemical, thermal or biological) on a wide scale.This is because of the high investment and operational costs, the short duration of the production period (3-5 months) and the small size of the olive mills.

Conclusion

Overall, the problems associated with olive processing wastes are further exemplified by lack of common policy among the olive oil producing regions, funding and infrastructure for proper treatment and disposal, and a general lack of education on the environmental and health effects caused by olive processing wastes.

While some progress has been made with regards to methods of treatment and detoxification of OPW there is still significant scope for further research.  Given the severity of environmental impact of olive processing wastes, it is imperative on policy-makers and industry leaders to undertake more concrete initiatives to develop a sustainable framework to tackle the problem of olive oil waste disposal.

5 Common Soil Contaminants in Urban Areas

Soil is a very important part of the preservation and continuation of life. Healthy soil is essential for growing healthy crops and plants for human and animal nutrition. Soil is usually uncontaminated, but due to human activities, toxic substances get into the soil, harming plants and animals.

Many people live in urban areas; hence more human activities affect the soil in these urban areas. Soil can get contaminated through illegal waste disposal, wastewater discharge, and acid rain, among others.

Here are some of the common contaminants that are present in contaminated soils in urban areas.

Common Soil Contaminants in Urban Areas

1. Pesticides

Pesticides are among the top soil contaminants in urban areas. When people try to control pests using chemical pesticides, most of the pesticide ends up in the soil. Contaminated soils can be harmful to animals that live underground. When it rains, the rainwater can be contaminated with the toxic pesticide and reach the groundwater, making it unfit for consumption.

2. Petroleum Products

Petroleum products such as oil and gas are among urban areas’ most common soil contaminants. Oil or gasoline can leak from cars and other moving machines and reach the soil. Contaminated soils usually contain harmful chemicals such as lead, which is present in some oil and gasoline products.

disposal of contaminated soil

3. Radon

Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that is harmful to human beings. Radon gas can cause lung cancer if you breathe it for an extended period. Most industries opt to build underground ventilation systems to prevent radon from escaping contaminated soils and reaching the surface.

4. Creosote

Another contaminated present in urban contaminated soils is Creosote, a chemical derived from Tar and is used for wood preservations. Creosote usually contaminates the soil when poles preserved by creosote are placed into the soil.

Even though Creosote is important in preventing termites and other pests from damaging timber, it can also cause harm to human beings and other animals.

5. Asbestos

Asbestos is a harmful substance that was used in the insulation of houses before it was phased out in the 1980s due to its potential danger to human life. Asbestos usually finds its way to the soil through poor demolition of houses and illegal dumping.

Call experts immediately if you suspect you are living close to asbestos-contaminated soil.

Protect the Soil from Contamination

Soil plays an important role in providing nutrition to humans and other animals and cleaning water. If the soil gets contaminated, the toxins can kill plants and animals and make groundwater unfit for consumption.

The Environmental Benefits of Using Titanium

When titanium was first brought into widespread usage, it was lauded for its strong and weathering-resistant properties. Due to energy costs, production declined over the past 10 years; however, a new process established by the UK’s Dstl has reduced titanium processing time by 50%. The result –  Cheap, low-energy titanium production.

Titanium is used in a startlingly diverse array of applications, too. From paint, to bikes, to eco friendly party glitter, you will likely encounter titanium in your day-to-day life more frequently than you’d notice. It’s good news, then, that titanium is being used to support positive environmental change in numerous ways.

environmental-benefits-titanium

Titanium taking over plastic

One of the foremost ways in which titanium is helping to improve our natural environment is through offering alternatives to polluting items. A great example of this is plastic replacement.

According to clean ocean advocates The Ocean Cleanup, there’s over 80m tonnes of plastic in the oceans. A large contributor to this is the plastic straw, which features at 11th in the list of Get Green’s most commonly littered plastics. Many manufacturers, by utilizing the non-rusting and sturdy quality of titanium tubes, have opted to replace drinking straws with titanium. Given the possibility of cheap, low energy tubes, this means ocean cleanliness can be improved and carbon emissions mitigated.

Taking titanium to the next level

The material properties of titanium are being taken to the next level by modern science. Another huge cause of carbon emissions and pollution is the plastic bottle. A key target for environmental plans, the reusable bottle industry grew to $7.6bn last year, according to Nielson.

Titanium has entered the market through a  clever flexible bottle, with titanium a key component. The metal has again been chosen due to its resistant quality and the improving environmental impact of producing it.

Tackling the oxides

Oxides have been the main use of titanium for a while. Paint, ink, sunscreen, medicines, paper – there are countless products that use titanium oxide. Historically, the process for oxide extraction has been environmentally damaging, as has the product itself; for example, the USA’s National Park Service states that various sunscreens with Ti oxide will damage coral.

Many manufacturers are replacing plastic drinking straws with titanium.

Now, Titanium Oxide is likely to be brought into the green sphere, too. A novel new study published in the Journal for Pharmaceutical Sciences found that titanium oxide can be synthesized using bacteria, and that this could spell a much brighter future for the historically damaging extraction.

Conclusion

Titanium is a versatile and well renowned metal used in a huge range of applications. As such it’s not an easy proposition to remove it from the market on the grounds of environmentalism. However, through determined scientific study and consumer action, it’s becoming a figurehead in helping the public to use its quality and simultaneously protect the planet.