MANAGEMENT OF PROCESSING AND RECOVERY OF LEATHER WASTE

The leather and leather goods industry development is conditioned by the development of the supply of raw materials - animal husbandry and chemical industries, sectors that tend to develop intensive on vertical - which causes a shortage of raw materials in relation with the market demand for quality products. The leather is the basic raw material of the leather and leather goods industry, this raw material is the most substantial contribution to downstream sectors, giving them a competitive advantage and it is known that the leather has the greatest potential to add value to the products in which it is incorporated. The advantages of using leather are many, the most important qualities are its hygienic properties, flexibility and adaptability to a wide variety of applications. Leather is manufactured on demand for each type of application, such as shoes, clothes, gloves, handbags, furniture upholstery or car interiors, yachts and planes. It requires better use of raw materials by using new technologies and manufacturing processes based on non-invasive methods on the environment leading to increase the product life cycle. The leather and leather goods industry is a supplier of large amounts of waste from the production cycle, waste that has the same properties and qualities as raw material used in the base product. Leather waste represents a loss for the companies, an additional cost related to storage and environmental protection

Decentralized Processing Performance of Fruit and Vegetable Waste Discarded from Retail, Using an Automated Thermophilic Composting Technology

Food waste generation is increasing at an exponential rate, affecting the environment, food security, and causing major economic issues worldwide. The main aim of the current research is to investigate a novel composting technology that is still in its early stages of development. The proposed composting technology combining thermophilic composting with the use of advanced automated processing reactors. Starting from a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the waste generated at retail-stores, the most significant difficulties associated to waste management as well as the main characteristics of the discarded waste were identified. The findings allowed to design and evaluate the real operating performance of an automated thermophilic composting prototype (working in a decentralized regime), with the goal of delivering a faster processing system, improving operational efficiency, reducing expenses, and lowering environmental impacts. The proposed operating technique showed a high capacity for pathogens and seeds removal, the waste input mass reduction of 88%, and efficiency in food processing (2235 kg of fruits and vegetables in a 14-days timeframe)