Conveyor Systems for Waste Management

Conveyor systems are an integral component of waste management and recycling operations. It works for various types of materials and transports them to different locations.  They play a vital role in the process of sorting waste material and their movements.  Mixed wastes are arranged for inspection over a conveyor, which then moves it from one end to another. While on its way items are sorted and unwanted materials are removed.

Conveyors are also used for carrying recycling materials such as wood or paper wastes to their respective grinding and process centers. Waste conveyors are manufactured with materials that do not get damaged by constant exposure to abrasives. They are also not affected by sticky or greasy liquids and dirt. Belt conveyors and chain conveyors are the most commonly used conveyors in recycling plants.

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Mostly non-powered conveyors are used in the industry. However, powered belt and roller conveyors are sometimes used for handling small products. They are typically used for pallet handling.

Conveyors are also used for moving waste materials in long streams so that they can be separated. Vibrating belts are attached which separate materials that require inspection. Waste materials and recycling industry is mostly about dealing with contaminated products and trash. Thus additional cautions are considered for the safety and environmental standards of the workers.

Types of Conveyors

Conveyors vary in shapes and dimensions according to their utility. From being installed in biomass plants, waste sorting plants, material recovery facilities, waste-to-energy plants, to being a prime component at food processing facilities, paper industry, mining, and pharmaceutics, conveyors are used everywhere.

Even at tough job-sites where transfer of materials is required across steep inclinations or large distances conveyors can ease the process. Generally, they are classified as belt conveyors and screw conveyors.

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Screw Conveyors

Screw conveyors were invented by Archimedes and its core design hasn’t changed from its original design over these years. They can be vertical or horizontal with an entirely contained, metered space. Screw conveyors are generally used for moving dust-free movement of grains or flakes, powders, sludge, etc. They are made of galvanized metal, carbon steel, stainless steel, tapered screws, discharge chute, or in-feed hoppers.

Belt Conveyors

Belt conveyors have a wide-open frame which enables them to contain and move high loads of material over long distances. This is why they are commonly used in the mining industry and other places where heavy materials are required to be transported.  Structurally they are rugged loops that run over two or more pulleys. Additional rolls are also added in between to provide support in long belts.

Materials ranging from garbage to fine grains and powders and be carried over belt conveyors. They are also used for the movement of commercial waste including paper, plastic, or aluminum cans.

Belt material, configuration, and dimension differ according to its application. Various designs of belts are used nowadays, for example, magnetic belts, flat belts, trough belts, rubber belts, etc. Moreover, conveyors are also designed in shapes such as to carry fluids including sludge and water. Key manufacturing materials for these belts are cotton, canvas, leather, nylon, polyester, silicone, and steel. Dimension, design and materials can be easily customized depending on its application and to meet customer requirements.

4 Benefits of Studying Supply Chain and Logistics Management

The business world is quite dynamic. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of how it operates. It’s essential to learn the process within and between an organization. Its where supply chain and logistics management comes in. It’s an exciting course that you can take online. Here are the top fascinating benefits of studying supply chain and logistics management.

1. Improve the organization’s profitability

There’re numerous job opportunities within supply chain management. Supply chain management recruitment organizations are searching for individuals who can contribute to their financial success. They need someone who can analyze cost efficiencies, maintain proper inventory levels as well as decrease operating expenses

Working as a supply chain manager is beneficial as you get to do what you enjoy. You contribute to the company’s goal of increasing sales, infiltrating new markers as well as making a difference. It’s a chance to make the company gain a competitive advantage as well as increase shareholder value. Engaging in online management courses is the ideal way to prepare you for the responsibilities that lie ahead.

2. Logistics as well as decision making

Businesses continue to experience significant changes, and the global supply chain continues to become dated. Its causing businesses to keep struggling when they have to adapt to manufacturing location changes and using cost-effective techniques

Companies keep looking for individuals who have logistic management training. Its because these individuals can spot a complication. They then proceed to provide the best possible solution. It’s nice to study a course that is quite relevant to business dynamics.

3. Proper system implementation

Studying supply chain and logistics management is a suitable career investment. It enables you to work around the technology. You stand to benefit from implementing new technology into a company’s current operations. It is because these technological advancements minimize cost as well as streamline the processes.

Being a supply chain manager means you will be at the forefront of applying the best possible technology. You must undertake a course that will enable you to be part of the movers and shakers of the organization. That being said, if options are what you need, you can try the Kanban supply chain.

4. Keep up with challenges and trends

When you choose to study supply chain and logistics management, you get to know how to handle trends in the industry. It’s an excellent opportunity to deal with what clients want and calculating the company’s books.

It’s time to embrace new technology and spearhead it within an organization. You get to keep a close eye on each further advancement and offer excellent communication to clients, vendors, and the company. In the current world, you need to take a thrilling course that will enable you to stay relevant in the ever-changing business environment

The beauty of studying supply chain and logistics management is that there are plenty of job opportunities, especially in transporting goods. You get to possess an educational background to work as an enterprise process engineer, an analyst as well as a scheduling manager. You can take up various online management courses to further your career. It’s a convenient time to enhance a company’s responsiveness, offer value to clients, develop networking resilience, and so much more.

Sustainable Innovations in Train Stations

The growing urgency around climate change and energy consumption has prompted a significant response from the rail industry over the past decade. It has responded with major initiatives around the globe. For example, in Germany, national rail company Deutsche Bahn has replaced tens of thousands of incandescent lights with LEDs. In the United Kingdom, rail managers have upgraded existing lines, like the HS1, to run entirely on renewable energy.

Another major change is that train stations themselves are becoming more eco-friendly and energy-efficient. These are some of the most significant changes transit authorities have made to reduce the environmental impact of train stations and cut down on emissions caused by rail travel and freight.

Green Innovations at a New Bay Area Rapid Transit Station

In 2017, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officially opened a new station in Fremont, in California’s East Bay. The new Warm Springs/South Fremont Station was billed as BART’s most sustainable station yet, built with several eco-friendly features “baked in” to the station design.

Among other features, the new Fremont station includes solar panels on the station’s roof, charging stations for electric vehicles and biological water filtration systems called “bioswales.”

Bioswales are stormwater runoff management systems made out of native grasses, pebbles, shrubs, swan hill oak trees and similar landscaping elements. These systems pull in and filter rainwater that would typically run off roofs and paved surfaces, carrying pollutants with them to local waterways.

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At the new station, rainwater is captured in an underground surge basin after being filtered through the bioswale system. The water there can then be used in the station itself or slowly released in a way that won’t overwhelm local drainage areas.

The station isn’t the only BART initiative that aims to improve the eco-friendliness of Bay Area transit. In 2013, the system announced that it would use more than 1,300 tons of recycled waste tires to reduce vibration on an extension project near Fremont.

The project, which used shredded tires in place of gravel, is one recent example of how used car parts can be recycled and put to use.

Hong Kong Rail Station Features Garden Roof

Other, more recent projects have also used landscaping and natural design elements to improve sustainability.

For example, the new Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station, which opened in September 2018, features a curved “green roof” dotted with more than 700 trees.

Built to function as both a public space and transit hub, the station is also remarkably sustainable. The green roofscape, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, also captures and filters rainwater, much like the Fremont station in California.

Deutsche Bahn’s “Green Station” Initiative

Germany has been a world leader in the adoption of green tech and transportation practices. One of the best examples of this has been the “Green Station” initiative led by Deutsche Bahn, the private railway company owned by the German federal government.

The project made headlines in the mid-2010s when the company produced the world’s first zero-carbon train station in Kerpen-Horrem, in western Germany.

This was an early example of how modern stations are compatible with eco-friendly design decisions. For example, the station in Kerpen-Horrem has an energy-efficient lighting system that uses a combination of LEDs, natural light and light-reflecting architecture to provide consistent illumination to the station with minimal energy consumption.

deutsche-bahn-energy-efficiencyEntlang eines Solarparks in Baiersdorf – ein Zug der Baureihe ET 442 unterwegs als S-Bahn

Since then, Deutsche Bahn has continued to make major strides in sustainable railway management and design, powering 33 of the company’s stations with entirely renewable energy and aiming for a companywide target of 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.

Reinventing Train Stations to Improve Sustainability

These new train stations show how transit providers are rethinking design to improve sustainability. Innovations like solar power arrays, electric charging stations and biofilters can all make a structure significantly more sustainable — and they’re becoming more common in station design.