WASTE NOT - WANT NOT!
 Environmental pollution is a natural consequence of human
activities. It is also the result of natural processes. Volcanoes
erupt and discharge gases; rains erode and transport silts and
dissolved compounds; winds move dirt particles, salt particles and a
wide variety of other gaseous and solid materials. In the course of
human development, industrialisation has made possible higher
standards of living in our modern society. Such "progress" has
created increased problems with wastes from processing operations
and their ultimate disposal – creating water pollution, air
pollution and land pollution.
The
nature of wastes is wide and varied, being broadly classified into:
agricultural, municipal and industrial. The latter source tends to
produce waste of the most polluting types – the majority being
chemicals (37.6% of the total) and metals (29.1%). The remainder of
the industrial wastes includes such diverse materials as paper
(4.6%), petroleum (2.4%), stone, rubber, leather and textiles. Of
this wide range of industrial waste, some 3% is generated by the
food processing industries. Such waste is, however, amenable to
forms of treatment because of its organic nature. Organic food waste
contains proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and fat and such
components are highly polluting due to what is termed their high BOD
(Biochemical Oxygen Demand). They are also, however, extremely
valuable components which can be recovered.
In
the UK alone, the food industry generates huge volumes of waste,
currently discharged to our rivers and lakes or disposed of onto
landfill sites. The following is an indication of food industry
waste:
|
Origin |
million
tons/year |
|
|
0.4 |
|
|
1,580 |
|
|
7.0 |
| 4- |
Beverages, breweriesdistilleries,
wineries | |
5.2 |
|
|
0.5 |
|
A proportion of
such waste is recovered for alternative, non-food uses: meat, bone,
feather meals, blood, fat, and grease; cheese whey, whey proteins
and lactose; sugar syrup, starch and pectin; brewers yeast, brewers
grains and tartrates.
The posters (Utilisation
of Egg Shell Waste & Utilisation of Prawn Shell Waste)
highlighting the recovery and utilisation of prawn and egg shell
waste are classical examples of food industry waste being upgraded
and products derived thereof being applied to other
commercial/industrial sectors. The processing techniques used to
utilise the shell wastes are unique to Queen’s University and its
industrial partners.
|
Prawn Shell
Waste |
| Product |
Application |
| Chitin/Chitosan |
Biomedical: wound healing;
cholesterol reduction; dental adhesive; drug release.
Food: Clarifying agent for
fruit juice and wine.
Personal Care: Skin and hair
products; cosmetics.
Water Treatment: Removal of
dyes and metal ions; removal of bacteria from swimming
pools.
Coatings/Coverings: Coatings
for biomedical intrusive devices; biodegradable
packaging.
Agriculture: Nematode
control; seed coatings; fruit coatings; feed
additive. | |
