The whitepaper highlights how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ PE version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled. (Image source: Berry Global)

A new white paper from Berry Global outlines the solution to finding an alternative to traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cling films for fresh food applications 

PVC has been the material of choice for many years for fresh food applications thanks to its many protective and presentation benefits. However, its complex composition makes it difficult to recycle and if even minute amounts of the material are processed with other polymers, it can render the other recyclates unusable.

The whitepaper titled: 'How Omni Xtra+ Can Drive More Recycling of Cling Films,' details the challenges that users of PVC cling films now face owing to its inability to be widely recycled and how the development work behind Berry’s new Omni Xtra+ polyethylene (PE) version has created a film with a comparable performance to PVC, and which can also be recycled.

While PE films for overwrapped trays would provide a more consistent supply of used film for recycling, the challenge has been to develop a PE film that can match the performance of a PVC version. Key to the development of OminXtra+ therefore was to develop a recyclable PE film via both kerbside and front-of-store PE waste streams that combined strength, stretchability, and excellent clarity and resistance to puncturing.

For more information, visit: https://www.berryglobal.com/ 

In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Global agtech company, Biome Makers recently announced its contribution to the publication of two scientific studies validating the efficacy and reliability of the company’s revolutionary technology

These landmark papers demonstrate a significant leap forward in the field of soil health intelligence and predicting soil functionality. The first study titled 'Physicochemical properties and microbiome of vineyard soils from DOP Ribeiro (NW Spain) are influenced by agricultural management,' evaluated the impact of conventional and sustainable management systems of vineyards from DOP Ribeiro on the soil’s condition. The second study, titled 'Enrichment of putative plant growth promoting microorganisms in biodynamic compared to organic agriculture soils,' investigates regenerative versus organic agricultural soils in three locations in Germany and 21 locations in France.

Both these studies highlight the effectiveness of Biome Makers’ technology, BeCrop, and its proprietary indexes in microbial metabolism, soil bio-sustainability, while also detecting stress, nutrient deficiencies, and correlating with different management practices. The significance of these findings extends beyond Biome Makers’ own technology, by also highlighting the superiority of the soil database and intelligence over others in the market.

In addition to its scientific validation, BeCrop Technology stands out for its accessibility via API connections. This means that BeCrop's powerful soil intelligence solutions can seamlessly integrate into existing agricultural systems, enabling farmers and agricultural professionals to harness the benefits of advanced soil health assessment without disrupting their workflow.

"These papers are a testament to our commitment to transparency and scientific excellence," said Biome Makers’ Chief Science Officer and co-founder, Dr Alberto Acedo. "By opening our technology for peer review and validation, we aim to foster trust and collaboration while pushing the boundaries of soil health data and innovative technology."

For more information, visit: https://biomemakers.com/

By installing wear-resistant coatings, processing equipment will withstand abrasion from the coarse sugar cane. (Image source: Castolin Eutectic)

Castolin Eutectic’s technical lead, Raul Amor explains how excessive wear can be avoided to ensure that critical sugar processing machines will remain in service throughout the harvest

Sugar cane processors face the challenge that cane is extremely tough and can damage processing equipment. Components in harvesters, feed systems, knives and hammers in defibering units and crushers can all wear out quickly and even break down. But there is a solution: wearfacing coatings protect equipment from the damage caused by sugar cane. The benefits are that equipment will extract sugar more efficiently, last longer and need fewer repairs.

Sugar is big business and it is growing bigger. According to Fortune Business Insights, the worldwide sugar market is expected to grow to US$46.56bn by 2029, with operators in Asia Pacific having the biggest share of the market. Typically, mills process between 10,000 to 45,000 tons of sugar cane per day. They need heavy industrial machinery – and a lot of it – to do this. However, excess wear and breakages can stop production. This can be expensive due to repair costs, downtime and lower yields. 

Overcoming abrasion at every processing step

Abrasion from sugar cane, stones and earth can cause excess wear on washing, chopping, defibering and crushing systems. Wearfacing coatings can overcome this to enable operators to extract more sugar cane with less downtime. One particularly vulnerable area is rollers in cane crushers, which experience wear and breakages on their teeth. Being made of cast iron, the rolls need particular care. To prevent cracks forming, specialist welding electrodes for cast iron should be used.

It is important for the electrode material to have high hardness and corrosion resistance, which will provide additional wear resistance and ensure a long service life for the rollers. For rollers that experience a lot of damage from rocks and soil, some wearfacing materials offer better resistance to impact.

Wearfacing coatings can build the teeth sides and tips to their original shape so that the crusher will work more efficiently for higher yield. Several passes can be applied to rebuild the teeth with a serrated teardrop profile. This can even be done with an automated welding system to ensure uniform size and spacing between teardrops. It is also possible to apply a top layer of dots onto the sides of teeth while a roller is turning. This creates a rough surface that maximises juice extraction.

Case study: cost savings in action

Burning bagasse can also cause excess wear on fans, tubes and ducts. At one sugar cane mill, a boiler induced draft fan was suffering severe erosion caused by unburned bagasse and soil. These had begun to wear down important sections of the blades until, gradually, the entire rotor wore down. For an idea of the potential impact on production, the plant had four boilers, and each one with a fan.

In a previous attempt to repair the fan, a wearfacing had been applied by electrode welding in one area of the blade where wear had begun to affect the fan. However, this did not last. As an alternative, a Castolin Eutectic engineer applied an arc spray coating based on a 10 mil Arc 500 wire and 20 mil Arc 595 wire. This doubled the rotor lifespan without increasing the weight of the rotor or affecting its balance. 

The result: a more profitable production line

By installing wear-resistant coatings, processing equipment will withstand abrasion from the coarse sugar cane. By avoiding such wear and tear, equipment can last a whole milling season without downtime for repairs. Uninterrupted, each milling season will be more productive, and ultimately more profitable.

To find out more about wear resistant coatings, visit: https://www.castolin.com/sugar

RevoPortioner Drum Washer 700 and 1000. (Image source: Marel)

Closely aligned with their sustainability goals, Marel's engineers have launched the new RevoPortioner Drum Washer which significantly reduces water and energy consumption, while giving solid cleaning results

In comparison with the previous washing process, the new drum washer has been found to consume 69% less water and up to 53% less energy, thus translating into the lowest water usage in drum washing technology.

The latest softwarre version of the drum washer ensures a high-tech management of the completely automated washing programme, which makes smarter use of water in the washing unit, while achieving the same cleaning results. Once the drum is lifted out of the RevoPortioner and placed into the drum washing unit, the remainder of the cleaning process including the addition of the required dosage of disinfectant, detergent and water, is fully automated.

The cleaning programme spans the entire width of the drum, effectively covering all corners and edges of the molds, thereby ensuring perfect release of the formed products in the next processing round. To efficiently control energy and water consumption, the RevoPortioner Drum Washer is equipped with a new user-friendly HMI screen which enables easy set-up of the washing programme. This new software allows processors to access detailed information on the system’s touchscreen, including the real-time progress of the washing process. 

For more information, visit: https://marel.com/