Is -End of Wast- Plastic Fuel the Solution to Coal?Smoke billows from chimneys at coal-fired power plantsin Europe, killing more than two people an hour according to the Silent Killers report A study carried out by the university in Stuttgart, based on research done, highlights the health impacts of pollution from the use of coal as a fuel for europe' electricity generation, showing a number of 22,300 premature deaths, on an annual basis, which corresponds to the loss of 240,000 years of life. In addition, air pollution-related diseases from coal-fired power plantsresult in a loss of 5 million working days. According to this study, which also analysed plans for the construction of 52 new coal-fired power stations, projects that are being implemented or approved, the health impact if these new power stations came into operation would result in the loss of an additional 32,000 years of life each year. Taking into account that the average life of a coal-fired power station is normally 40 years, in view these new projects would lead to the loss of 1.3 million years of life. The university, through this study, reaffirmed that clean coal does not exist,and that this type of fuel is one of the main causes of air poisoning. There are around 300 functioning coal-fired power stationsin Europe, producing a quarter of the electricity consumed in the union, but at the same time producing 70 of the sulphur oxides and more than 40 of the nitrogen oxides from the electricity sector. These European power stations are the source of about half of all industrial emissions of mercury and a third of arsenic emissions, and finally emit almost a quarter of the total CO2 emissions in Europe. In health terms, the countries most affected by polluting coal emissions are Poland (more than 5000 deaths per year), Germany, Romania and Bulgaria. But how could this doubly negative phenomenon be mitigated, both in the aspect of the health impact and in the aspect of the destruction of environmental resources? An alternative that is taken into account, but perhaps not with due attention, is the fuel that comes from the processing waste of plastic and urban waste, called "End of wast" ?. This stems precisely from the processing of non-dangerous civil waste and non-dangerous special waste and comes in the form of bulk mince or in pressed bales. The processing process includes: Material shredding Removal of metal parts through electromagnetic separators and also non-ferrous metal parts Dehumidification Inert fractions removals Palletization according to the needs of the plants The high content of the plastic component inside the recipe allows the achievement of a calorific power, very important. End of weste fuel is normally used: Cement mills Incinerators Thermal power plants Gasification plants Thermal power stations for heating This fuel can be used in dedicated plants or in plants that normally use other types of fuels, but, in both cases, the industrial structure must be equipped with combustion and fume purification technologies capable of reducing the pollutants emitted. One particular case, which we will see later, concerns the use of End of West fuelin cements as there is a current of thought that claims that traditional clinker-producing furnaces are not able to avoid harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
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A system that no longer meets the stringent needs of the circular economy.Ever since the world realized that plastic was recycled in a completely marginal quantity compared to how much was produced and, that the non-recycled part, about 90% ended up in the environment and in the oceans, we have wondered about the available technologies and on the future of recycling. The data are completely alarming, despite the willingness to set up recycling flows in the various countries according to the principles of the circular economy, at least starting from the urban ones that have a significant share of plastic, however, we remain concerned about the amount of plastic waste that can be recycled and reused. It is no longer sufficient to understand that the ham tray or the bottle of water or the tray of polystyrene tomatoes must be collected, separated, collected by the operators and sent to the recycling plants, but it is now necessary to understand, how and how much and at what price you can recycle all the domestic waste we produce. Why in this period we must ask ourselves, more insistently, why should we analyze the problem so carefully? Until a couple of years ago, recycling urban waste, the so-called post-consumption , was an industrial operation where the numbers and the quality of the product mattered most , therefore it was produced to get rid of the waste stocks from the warehouses . Naturally, the waste was separated by type, milled, washed and extruded according to a tested cycle of mechanical recycling. But each operation was aimed at the speed of the plants, the volume produced Ton / hour, with the aim of minimizing the waste, as the landfill costs were very high, so we tried not to throw anything away. But all this had a value until China imported any type of granule, ground and waste, so there was room for everyone at the party . The post-consumer granule producers had become accustomed to composing each type of granule, managing to collect and transform medium-low quality and “garbage” quality granules. Everything was fine, as long as China said enough. Today we find ourselves considering that the enormous quantity of waste that we have to manage in our countries, does not allow us to give answers to the market neither in technical terms, neither in environmental terms nor in economic terms. We find ourselves with the recycling infrastructures lacking in quantitative terms, technologically not adequate to manage the poly-coupled flows sent to China, we do not know how to manage the waste of the fraction of the non-recyclable plastics, there is a widespread adversity of opinion publishes towards waste-to-energy plants and landfills. In the meantime, our consumption trend , which generates even complex plastic packaging, does not decrease, the companies that produce the packaging have not yet taken a decisive step to have completely recyclable packaging and the national governments are still a little on the run in making radical changes (except for the European Community). The situation may have a solution if some situations arise: Increase of the chemical recycling of complex post-consumer plastics and reduction of the mechanical one, which generates poor and difficult to use products.Change of the parameters on the aesthetic quality expected on the products, using recycled granules. Improvement of the separation of waste, starting from the home, to use only those plastics that do not contaminate themselves with other materials (the PET bottle for example). Increase in the availability of waste-to-energy plants to use the plastic fraction, which should not be recycled, as fuel. Increase in plants for the creation of biogas and electricity from domestic food waste. Impositions to the industry to produce more recyclable packaging possibly with single plastics. Increase in the culture of the durability of plastic against the concept of single use. Increase in the use of renewable energy for production processes. Listen more to the young people and women who are most involved in environmental protection both with new ideas and behaviors and in purchasing choices.
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Work, in the period of Covid-19, has changed our habits, both for those looking for a job for those who need to hire. Social distancing must be married to the need to continue producing, in all sectors, an economy that is safer for health but at the same time equally efficient. This Jobsora article analyzes the characteristic aspects of the world of work in the pandemic era. It's a new world order and the way we live is changing faster than we ever could have imagined. Who could have predicted that the businesses that survive in the first quarter of 2020 will only be those with activities that can be carried out remotely? This is a change that we have never seen coming and for which many companies were not prepared. But the change is here and it is right for companies to learn to adapt to the new trend. The tides have changed rapidly in the job market and while some opportunities are disappearing, others are emerging. Now, it's all about the question of value. Those who are less valuable to their companies are losing their jobs. Some roles are vacant and need competent people to fill them. These, among other trends, are what we will look at in this article, as the world is working hard to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Europe in the last month has become the epicenter of the CoronaVirus pandemic, with countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain, among others suffering high death rates. This led to a lockdown that changed the job market as we know it. There is a reduction in the need for physical work and more for intellectual work. This simply says one thing: the future we have been waiting for is here. Effect of the blockade on the European labor market In a recent report, several million jobs are at risk if the lockdown continues for months. In fact, the study was specific in reporting that about one fifth of all workers are threatened. And this can only be curbed if the blockade in Great Britain and other European countries is phased out in some very important areas. This indicates that some sectors of the economy that are not considered essential elements may hit rock bottom. The good news, however, is that many people are adapting their skills to take on new roles. While there is a drastic job loss across multiple wholesale, retail, hotel, restaurant and pub businesses, the world's digital infrastructure is promoting remote jobs. However, despite these changes in the way people work, the economy is still taking a hit. This is simply telling the importance of the job market. Your work is important for the growth and sustenance of the country. The collapse of the labor market is synonymous with the collapse of the economy and this requires a real-time evolution of the functioning of the labor market. For countries that are primarily labor market driven, the blockade has led the state to intervene to ease the pressure on families. But there is only a limit to how long it can persist. The effect is currently detrimental to the job market, which places an emphasis on drastic change in the future of work. It cannot be said that the section of the labor market that is performing efficiently in this period is the remote section of the jobs. The world has changed, a new way of living and business is emerging, start-ups are popping up and companies are working remotely. The labor market is rapidly changing and many do not seem to recognize this fact. This is a change and you, as a job seeker, need to be ready. Reality of the works during the COVID-19 pandemic The way we work has changed forever. Those who are not ready for this change will be left behind, except they will learn to adapt to the change. This change is happening in real time and very few are noticing it. Remote working is what holds different companies together. While this change hasn't been easy so far, we continue to learn how to make things better. People remake their plans to adjust to the new conditions they have to work with. At first it was a difficult thing to overcome. However, time has helped the workers to adapt. The truth is that the skill required to get a job right now is different from what was expected. Now to be on the side of the income you need the basics of a computer, an internet connection, smart devices, etc. You need soft skills, programming knowledge, writing knowledge. Most of these factors were unnecessary in the pre-Covid world. One thing, however, is certain, the Covid world and the post-Covid world require these skills. The workflow of companies has been facilitated by the presence of e-mails, video conferencing platforms, chat rooms, among others. Several companies are resigning themselves to the fact that they will not resume work after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. If companies can work entirely remotely right now, there's no need to rent or have physical meeting space. The Internet infrastructure over the year has developed to a level where it can facilitate these needs. Another big change is the fact that the 8 hour work period will be canceled. This is because workers are always online. Now this could have a downside, as it's easy to lose track of the time allotted to work. It is therefore up to the worker to set up a system that adapts to work, family time, personal time, free time, etc. The boundary must be set by the individual, as traditional working time limits are no longer there. This makes it harder for workers to maintain a good quality of life, which means it's time to learn how to balance work with the usual lifestyle. What is the future of work now? There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about what the future of work will look like, how robots and other automated systems will replace people. These speculations went beyond predicting a future of more collaborative teams, the need for emotional intelligence, among other factors describing the need for smarter humans in the workplace. All these speculations and forecasts certainly did not put the Covid-19 pandemic into perspective. A couple of months ago, no one would have believed that there could ever be an outbreak of disease that would bring the world to its knees and bring about a total blockade. While many agree that this is a revolution and that the evidence is seen in the way we are currently working and how others are planning to work post-covid, remains to be established globally; what would you need to work in the future? No matter how vague the future is right now, certain factors and elements are bound to influence how we work in the future. There will certainly be innovation and evolution in the way the Internet promotes work. The world of science fiction we've always seen on TV is bound to reach us faster than we ever imagined. The digital transformation of the world is set to be accelerated. The information will be available to anyone. This will result in faster and more flexible jobs Also, due to the increased focus on the agenda, extensive PowerPoint presentations are not needed, leading to a drastic reduction in the time spent on meeting. Intermediaries and consultants have long been an intrinsic part of the traditional way of working. However, this is about to change as we advance into the future. There will be a reduced need for project managers, nor for executive assistants, and manager roles will disappear. Rather than managers, more and more organizations will adopt "leaders". Business travel has always been an escape from office work, but this is changing, as communication between potential partners, investors and colleagues will be digital. Directly from your living room, you can contact, communicate and win the signature of investors and partners in other countries. This revolution is upon us. So far the gig economy has been going well. However, there will certainly be an increase in the number of people working from home. Companies will seek to reduce staff, in favor of hiring self-employed workers when needed. In addition to this, most full-time workers should also work from home. This is a new dawn for remote work. Conclusion The change that is happening in the world is as visible as possible, even the blind can see it. It is however pertinent that you prepare yourself for the future, no matter how uncertain you seem. You need to be familiar with digital skills and tools to survive in the upcoming future. Once you are qualified and ready to take a job, start your search for remote jobs in Europe at Jobsora.
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After decades of suffering, misdirection, silences, disease and deaths, Chernobyl makes a green turn, from Nuclear to Solar.On April 26, 1986, there was a frightening incident at the Ukraine atomic power plant, still under Soviet rule, which caused death and destruction among the population near the plant. Nuclear radiation accompanied the lives of survivors and their descendants, bringing disease and disability for many years. The nuclear accident at the Chernobyl power plant was classified by the IAEA at level 7 of the INES scale, the highest possible value of the index, which indicates the event as catastrophic. The story tells us that: The causes were contributed to the serious shortcomings of the staff,both technical and managerial, in problems related to the structure and design of the plant itself and its mismanagement of the economic and administrative. The staff was responsible for the violation of various safety and common sense rules, leading to a sharp and uncontrolled increase in the power (and therefore temperature) of the core of reactor No. 4 of the plant: This resulted in the splitting of the refrigeration water in hydrogen and oxygen at such high pressures that the plumbing of the reactor cooling system was broken. The contact of hydrogen and incandescent graphite of the control bars with the air,in turn, triggered a very strong explosion, which caused the reactor to open and as a result caused a large fire. A cloud of radioactive material leaked from the reactor and fell over large areas around the plant, contaminating them heavily and necessitating the evacuation and repositioning of some 366,000 people in other areas. Radioactive clouds also reached Eastern Europe, Finland and Scandinavia with decreasing levels of contamination, also affecting Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Balkans, up to portions of the east coast of North America. This year is the 34th anniversary of the accident and areas surrounding the plant are trying to turn the page through new energy projects. In the small town of Slavutych,built in 1986 following the nuclear disaster, through the Solar Town project, the population has set up a cooperative that deals with solar energy, a way to meet the economic needs of the country and the pressing needs of employment. The system of management of the distribution and production power grid in Ukraine normally belongs to private companies, run by oligarchs, which have centralized energy control in a few hands. In the early 2000s,these private companies incorporated the power lines of cities, towns and villages for symbolic figures, creating, in fact, a kind of monopoly. Kiev's power lines, for example, belong to the company DTEK, the largest Ukrainian energy group, headed by the oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. The project developed in Slavutych is a real exception in the country as it allows the energy independence of the population through a form of democratic management in a cooperative. The solar park was built with a networked financing,through a crowfunding intervention, which allowed to raise about 150,000 euros in just 4 months allowing the construction of 3 solar power plants on the flat roofs of the buildings. Through the management of these small solar power plants, the population of the country sells the unconsumed energy and allocates about 5 of the proceeds to the community for social improvements. Considering also the mortality rate of the population, due to the pollution caused by coal-fired power plants, which is equivalent to 43 GJ deaths per million of coal used, compared with Germany, which has twice the population but a mortality rate of 1.6 per million GJ of coal used, it can be hoped that projects such as these could lead to an increase in the production of renewable energy in the country.
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As far as we can be virtuous in the separate collection of glass and plastic , as well as for other recyclable materials, there are some important fractions, in terms quantities, which cannot be recycled with mechanical waste treatment plants. While waiting for the chemical recycling technology to become widespread and cheap, the human genius is working hard to find a different path to glass and plastic waste, sometimes mixed with paper and organic, which cannot be sent to recycling plants. The cause of this waste of waste can depend on an incorrect domestic selection or packaging made of materials that are not compatible with recycling , whereby a fraction of glass and plastic, during collection, is discarded to be sent to the landfill or, for plastic, to incineration. They seem small numbers but if we consider that, for various reasons, the percentage of waste recycled in the world does not exceed 10% of those produced, we realize how important and imminent it can be to find alternative solutions. An Australian bituminous conglomerate production plant, in addition to the "green" bitumen recipes that already contemplated the use of non-recyclable waste plastic, has found a solution to use glass waste which would go to landfill. The aim of the plant is to use, as a partial replacement of the sand of the bituminous compounds, the glass powder to create recipes that we have high technical characteristics with a view to environmental sustainability. The production uses about 4 million packages of waste glass per day, producing 800 tons of sand with high technical properties, avoiding the spillage of precious materials in landfills. The production plant is not only able to recycle the plastic and glass that should be buried, but also receives the waste of the exhausted asphalt which is milled and removed from the streets, subsequently recycled in the company and reformulated with other waste materials, producing approximately 500,000 tons of green asphalt every year. If we consider the process of excavating sand from quarries or river beds for the production of road asphalt, we realize how many natural resources, fuels for the transport (with a high amount of CO2 emitted) we consume every year, which negatively affect the consumption of the earth and the increase in the carbon footprint. The attention to the circular economy by the bodies in charge of awarding contracts for the asphalting of roads, requires more and more bituminous mixtures for asphalt that contain an important quantity of treated waste, creating at the same time recipes that are not only sustainable but also with better qualitative performances. Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.
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