Evolution of the Olive Oil Industry along the Entire Production Chain and Related Waste Management

The production of olive oil involves the sustainable management of the waste produced along the entire production chain. This review examines the developments regarding cultivation techniques, production technologies, and waste management, highlighting the goals to be achieved and the most reasonable prospects. The results show that cultivation and production technology have evolved to an almost final solution to meet economic feasibility, keeping the oil’s high quality. Continuous horizontal decanters will coexist with traditional mills in many countries with old olive oil production and consumption traditions. High-quality products have conquered markets, especially in the wealthiest countries. At the same time, the exploitation of dried pomace by solvent extraction is increasingly an obsolete practice. However, waste management is still looking for one or a few reasonable solutions that meet modern society’s constraints. The enhancement of some experienced technologies and the full-scale application of emerging technologies and strategies should solve this problem in the short–medium term. A short discussion is reported on the possibility of unifying the nature and the quality of the waste, whatever the olive oil production method is. Furthermore, modern thermochemical treatment for solid wet organic waste disposal is examined and discussed.

Mycelium Composites and their Biodegradability: An Exploration on the Disintegration of Mycelium-Based Materials in Soil

In the search for environmentally friendly materials, mycelium composites have been labelled as high potential bio-based alternatives to fossil-based and synthetic materials in various fields. Mycelium-based materials are praised for their biodegradability, however no scientific research nor standard protocols exist to substantiate this claim. This research therefore aims to develop an appropriate experimental methodology as well as to deliver a novel proof of concept of the material’s biodegradability. The applied methodology was adapted from a soil burial test under predefined laboratory conditions and hands-on preliminary experiments. The mycelium composite samples were placed in a nylon netting and then buried in potting soil with a grain size of 2 mm for different time-intervals ranging between one and sixteen weeks. Results showed that mycelium, which acted as the binder, had the tendency to decompose first. A weight loss of 43% was witnessed for inert samples made of the fungal strain Ganoderma resinaceum and hemp fibres after sixteen weeks. The disintegration rate in this method however depended on various parameters which were related to the material’s composition, its production method and the degradation process which involved the used equipment, materials and environmental properties.

Fermented milk cream and its properties

Milk fat has an important role in the formation of fla-vour, aroma, texture proper-ties and quality in milk and dairy products, and milk fat is encapsulated in the glob-ule membrane. Milk fat contains triglycerides, phospholipids, free sterols, β-carotene (provitamin A), fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), sphingomyelins and fatty acids. In addition to its nutritional value, specific short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids found in milk fat are important for health as an energy source for muscle, heart, liver, kid-ney, blood platelets and nervous system. In addition, these fatty acids do not pose a risk of obesity; they also prevent ulcerative colitis, cancer, atherosclerosis and hypertension, and increase natural immunity with their anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. Fermented cream, which has a high fat content, is becoming more and more popular in many countries with its nutritional value and its use for many purposes in culinary culture. The classification of fer-mented creams, fat content, production method and used starter cultures vary by country. In this study, fer-mented cream produced in Turkey and in the world classification, production stages, the parameters af-fecting the sensory and tex-tural properties was investi-gated.

An overview of potential production of bio-lubricant in Indonesia

The European Union’s embargo on Indonesian crude palm oil (CPO) has resulted in excess of domestic palm oil reserves. The embargo has resulted in a build-up of domestic CPO due to the fact that the majority of Indonesia’s CPO production is exported overseas. The CPO price has dropped in recent months as a result of CPO overstock. On the other hand, as a by-product of rice production, Indonesia produces millions of tons of rice bran. The bran is treated more as waste than a resource for raw material to produce valuable products, such as bran oil. The need for lubricants in Indonesia is expected to rise as the number of cars and industries grows. As a result, some lubricant requirements must be met through importation because domestic manufacturing is insufficient. Palm oil and bran oil are both excellent candidates for conversion into biolubricants. This paper looks at the possibility of biolubricant production in Indonesia using alternate raw materials rather than petroleum-based sources. The paper begins by detailing the country’s lubricant demand, then moves on to the probable availability of biolubricant raw materials in Indonesia, and finally to the biolubricant process production method.

Design of thermoformable three dimensional-printed PLA cast for fractured wrist

Patient specific plastic cast for broken limbs has been developed recently in pharmaceutical field through three-dimensional (3D) printing method. However, the production of a 3D printed cast through normal 3D printing method is time consuming compared to conventional plaster casting. In this study, a design of ventilated structured thermoformable 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) cast was produced as an alternative for the 3D printed cast production method. This design was initially printed in a flat shape and then transformed into a cast which can be fitted to the user’s arm by using heat and external force. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) method was used to assess the mechanical properties of the proposed cast. In this analysis, thethermoformable design was exerted with a distributed force of 400 N, which is larger than the loading conditions encountered by human in their daily life. The mechanical properties of the thermoformable PLA cast such as local displacement under a specific load, maximum load, and stress were evaluated. Results were compared with the mechanical properties of Plaster of Paris cast. The results obtained from the FEA indicates that at the same layer thickness, the thermoformable 3D-printed PLA cast is stronger than the Plaster of Paris cast.