Referring the responses of the readers of IM blog, it seems that the most important issues of this QC area are:
* Klebsiella pneumoniae (and other pathogens)
* Activated sludge
* Economical effects of mb control for the mill
For some reason, no such interest has been focused to
* biofilms
* product hygiene
* raw material storage
* HACCP in P&P industry
* novel mb methods
IM is very pleased for the active visits on his blog page but, after all, will also be very pleased to hear questions about the issues mentioned above.
Looking forward to hear your questions,
IM
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Annual Award "Forest Industry Trainer 2008" by AEL
Microbiology has regarded as a considerable area of paper industry support by Finnish training institute AEL a couple of days ago.
This award was definitely an issue of personal satisfaction for IM. The fact that the role of microbiological control of paper mills has been taken into consideration is the most important thing, however. Courses and lectures of P&P microbiology will focus the attention of personnel in this industry to the significant spares which are resulted by better maintenance of raw materials, run of the machines and quality of the products.
This award was given in the annual meeting of PI, Finnish Society of Paper Engineers. The forecasts of speakers in this meeting were optimistic ones and opinions seem to be pretty positive ones. Funding of several paper technology students also indicates these feelings. The final conclusion of this meeting can therefore be: P&P industry is not a "sunset branch" of global economy, no matter severe economical problems have arisen during last years. Paper and board is still needed worldwide, as well as new fiber-based bioproducts. Feelings after the meeting were therefore very good, indeed.
This award was definitely an issue of personal satisfaction for IM. The fact that the role of microbiological control of paper mills has been taken into consideration is the most important thing, however. Courses and lectures of P&P microbiology will focus the attention of personnel in this industry to the significant spares which are resulted by better maintenance of raw materials, run of the machines and quality of the products.
This award was given in the annual meeting of PI, Finnish Society of Paper Engineers. The forecasts of speakers in this meeting were optimistic ones and opinions seem to be pretty positive ones. Funding of several paper technology students also indicates these feelings. The final conclusion of this meeting can therefore be: P&P industry is not a "sunset branch" of global economy, no matter severe economical problems have arisen during last years. Paper and board is still needed worldwide, as well as new fiber-based bioproducts. Feelings after the meeting were therefore very good, indeed.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Five most important issues in current P&P industry?
IM is wondering, what will the future of P&P be like.
Referring his ideas, five major topics are needed:
1 PRODUCT: you shall have some product which is really needed among customers. An example: LPB (everybody will buy milk and juice in carton packages every day during her/his lifetime).
2 PERSONNEL: persons on all levels of the company, interested to sell good products.
3 MARKET: the only question: are the customers well aware about your product? If not, why?
4 RESEARCH: R&D in P&P is not a region of "sunset". A lot can be done to improve the quality of products, production etc. It would be possible to find even new products: why not to sell motor oil in LPB containers?
5 DEVELOPMENT. This is the most difficult issue. R&D is interested to develop new ideas but the economists do not see any forecasts for the innovations - why?
- O.K. IM is just a microbiologist and do not understand the global economy. He is still asking, however: where is the development and optimistic forecasts in P&P industry?
IM will also ask: are the Asian people more enthusiastic to develop P&P industry? Not only economically but also in their minds?
Referring his ideas, five major topics are needed:
1 PRODUCT: you shall have some product which is really needed among customers. An example: LPB (everybody will buy milk and juice in carton packages every day during her/his lifetime).
2 PERSONNEL: persons on all levels of the company, interested to sell good products.
3 MARKET: the only question: are the customers well aware about your product? If not, why?
4 RESEARCH: R&D in P&P is not a region of "sunset". A lot can be done to improve the quality of products, production etc. It would be possible to find even new products: why not to sell motor oil in LPB containers?
5 DEVELOPMENT. This is the most difficult issue. R&D is interested to develop new ideas but the economists do not see any forecasts for the innovations - why?
- O.K. IM is just a microbiologist and do not understand the global economy. He is still asking, however: where is the development and optimistic forecasts in P&P industry?
IM will also ask: are the Asian people more enthusiastic to develop P&P industry? Not only economically but also in their minds?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Control of activated sludge process in paper industry.
Effluents of pulp and paper mills are relatively simple to treat by activated sludge process - in theory. Some severe problems have arisen in practice, however.
Temperatures of incoming waste waters have risen during last years. The most obvious reason for this phenomenon is the increased recirculation of process waters inside the mills. Poor sedimentation of flogs, caused by the heavy growth of filamentous bacteria, has also become to be more and more hard problem for purification plants. There may be some kind of correlation between temperature and bulking of sludge?
Another problem, potentially very hazardous, is the growth and recirculation of Legionella pneumophila inside activated sludge process. The role of Protozoa has now been established: they act as carrirs of bacteria backwards in returned sludge.
Dosing of nutrients into biological treatment steps isn't any hard task anymore because the need of phosphorus and nitrogen has been studied very deeply, and simpe AT LINE testing for the optimization of them is easy to perform in the mill labs.
Two problems, mentioned before, still exist and need R&D activities to be solved: bulking of the sludge (by filamentous organisms) and L.pneumophila.
Temperatures of incoming waste waters have risen during last years. The most obvious reason for this phenomenon is the increased recirculation of process waters inside the mills. Poor sedimentation of flogs, caused by the heavy growth of filamentous bacteria, has also become to be more and more hard problem for purification plants. There may be some kind of correlation between temperature and bulking of sludge?
Another problem, potentially very hazardous, is the growth and recirculation of Legionella pneumophila inside activated sludge process. The role of Protozoa has now been established: they act as carrirs of bacteria backwards in returned sludge.
Dosing of nutrients into biological treatment steps isn't any hard task anymore because the need of phosphorus and nitrogen has been studied very deeply, and simpe AT LINE testing for the optimization of them is easy to perform in the mill labs.
Two problems, mentioned before, still exist and need R&D activities to be solved: bulking of the sludge (by filamentous organisms) and L.pneumophila.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Transfer of microbiological control from institutes to mill labs
Rapid development of analytical microbiology has been obvious during last 20 years.
After the beginning of IM's career in paper industry (est. 1982) a significant increase of novel methods has taken place. Slow and labourous colony count analyses have been replaced with novel, advanced methods in certain laboratories on 1990's.
Biomass, surface hygiene, condition of activated sludge, biofilm formation - among even more subjects - can be assayed by luminometric methods today.
Light and UV microscopy is another basic tool of paper industry microbiology today. Very valuable results have been achieved with TEM on 1980's and articles about sporeforming bacteria and biofilms, based on electron microscopy, have published by researcher all over the world. TEM is, however, such an advanced research instrument which is practically impossible to apply into everyday microbiological control of pulp and paper mills. Confocal microscopy has given brand new ideas about the structure of biofilms but it is also a too complicated method for mill labs. In opposite, light and epifluorescence microscopy aren't too expensive; they definitely need a lot of training for the personnel which is no big problem, however: in Finland (and IM is sure, in other countries, too) are training companies who will have annual microbiology courses for paper industry under titles like "Paper Industry Microscopy" and "Methods for Process and Product Hygiene in Paper Industry".
Tools of molecular biology have replaced the previous generation's major tool, FAME (Fatty Acid Methylated Esters - an application of gas chromatography to perform identifications of bacteria). But the limits of PCR and similar methods are obvious: they cannot show what is really happening inside the machines! They only give - valuable, of course - information about microbial species but do not explain and forecast those metabolic reactions, succession of population, risk of biofilm formation etc. which are more important for the drive of machines, good housekeeping of raw materials and product hygiene.
Basic methods of modern microbiology like DEFT, ATP Assay, PCR and other should therefore be combined with simple simulators, driven in mill labs. This is already possible: the first system for this target, PMEU (Portable Microbiological Enrichment Unit) has been tested and used by IM since the beginning of 2000's and it has been proven to be a most valuable tool for rapid raw material, process and biofilm studies today.
An ecological point of view shall be applied to everyday mb control of the pulp and paper mills. This question is discussed in the article "Paperikone - ekosysteemi ja bioreactori" ("Paper Machine - An Ecosystem and A Bioreactor") by JM in the annual of Finnish Microbiology Society (INOCULA 2007 / 1 - unfortunately only in Finnish). Understanding of these two natures of a paper machine gives new chances for the mills: it gives the ability to forecast microbiological events inside the processes and it also give extra time to prevent problems.
After the beginning of IM's career in paper industry (est. 1982) a significant increase of novel methods has taken place. Slow and labourous colony count analyses have been replaced with novel, advanced methods in certain laboratories on 1990's.
Biomass, surface hygiene, condition of activated sludge, biofilm formation - among even more subjects - can be assayed by luminometric methods today.
Light and UV microscopy is another basic tool of paper industry microbiology today. Very valuable results have been achieved with TEM on 1980's and articles about sporeforming bacteria and biofilms, based on electron microscopy, have published by researcher all over the world. TEM is, however, such an advanced research instrument which is practically impossible to apply into everyday microbiological control of pulp and paper mills. Confocal microscopy has given brand new ideas about the structure of biofilms but it is also a too complicated method for mill labs. In opposite, light and epifluorescence microscopy aren't too expensive; they definitely need a lot of training for the personnel which is no big problem, however: in Finland (and IM is sure, in other countries, too) are training companies who will have annual microbiology courses for paper industry under titles like "Paper Industry Microscopy" and "Methods for Process and Product Hygiene in Paper Industry".
Tools of molecular biology have replaced the previous generation's major tool, FAME (Fatty Acid Methylated Esters - an application of gas chromatography to perform identifications of bacteria). But the limits of PCR and similar methods are obvious: they cannot show what is really happening inside the machines! They only give - valuable, of course - information about microbial species but do not explain and forecast those metabolic reactions, succession of population, risk of biofilm formation etc. which are more important for the drive of machines, good housekeeping of raw materials and product hygiene.
Basic methods of modern microbiology like DEFT, ATP Assay, PCR and other should therefore be combined with simple simulators, driven in mill labs. This is already possible: the first system for this target, PMEU (Portable Microbiological Enrichment Unit) has been tested and used by IM since the beginning of 2000's and it has been proven to be a most valuable tool for rapid raw material, process and biofilm studies today.
An ecological point of view shall be applied to everyday mb control of the pulp and paper mills. This question is discussed in the article "Paperikone - ekosysteemi ja bioreactori" ("Paper Machine - An Ecosystem and A Bioreactor") by JM in the annual of Finnish Microbiology Society (INOCULA 2007 / 1 - unfortunately only in Finnish). Understanding of these two natures of a paper machine gives new chances for the mills: it gives the ability to forecast microbiological events inside the processes and it also give extra time to prevent problems.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Challenges of Biotech
IM will refer the excellent book "The Biotech Investor" by Tom Abate (Owl Books, 2003, New York) again. IM also tries to reserve his time to read it through, no matter it is a dense collection of biotech and marketing facts.
In the preface of this book Tom Abate says:
"Biotechnology is an experimental field. Only a handful of of biotech companies currently have products on the market. The vast majority of biotech firms run at a loss during long developmental cycles aimed at proving their founding thesis. Experiments take time, and they often fail. Even when experiments have been done, and their results analyzed and presented at scientific meetings, biotech medicines undergo an excruciating process of regulatory review the can lead to approval, rejection or demands for more testing...In biotech time, development horizons strech for years, even decades."
This is familiar for every modern biotech researchers. Dr. Abate refers medicine research but relatively similar problems may arise when a novel microbiological analyse method is the subject of the research. Approval is then depending not on the health of the customers but the potential markets (IM's opinion). IM still thinks that such a development task can be fulfilled in only years, but marketing may be a challenging task, indeed.
Contacts between paper industry personnel and biotech researchers shall be developed. There are other alternatives than the traditional fairs and exhibitions: discussions in Internet blogs, nings etc. would help significantly to present all modern microbiological tools and evaluate their use in paper industry microbiology. Unfortunately the main problem, time, still stays, even gets worser: people tend to be in a hurry in their working life today. To reserve a period, even short, to investigate new methods will still be worth to do!
In the preface of this book Tom Abate says:
"Biotechnology is an experimental field. Only a handful of of biotech companies currently have products on the market. The vast majority of biotech firms run at a loss during long developmental cycles aimed at proving their founding thesis. Experiments take time, and they often fail. Even when experiments have been done, and their results analyzed and presented at scientific meetings, biotech medicines undergo an excruciating process of regulatory review the can lead to approval, rejection or demands for more testing...In biotech time, development horizons strech for years, even decades."
This is familiar for every modern biotech researchers. Dr. Abate refers medicine research but relatively similar problems may arise when a novel microbiological analyse method is the subject of the research. Approval is then depending not on the health of the customers but the potential markets (IM's opinion). IM still thinks that such a development task can be fulfilled in only years, but marketing may be a challenging task, indeed.
Contacts between paper industry personnel and biotech researchers shall be developed. There are other alternatives than the traditional fairs and exhibitions: discussions in Internet blogs, nings etc. would help significantly to present all modern microbiological tools and evaluate their use in paper industry microbiology. Unfortunately the main problem, time, still stays, even gets worser: people tend to be in a hurry in their working life today. To reserve a period, even short, to investigate new methods will still be worth to do!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Good News' Day?
It is now published: TV news told tonight about the fusion of KCL (national pulp and paper R&D center) and VTT (national center of technical R&D) in Finland.
As an insider for several years, IM has seen the synergy of these two institutes and their university partners. Now, as an outsider observer, IM was slightly surprised but, after a moment of wondering, he understands the basic facts which have led to this solution.
This new, big R&D center will work towards R&D solutions more effectively and economically, IM hopes. It also comes time to invite small, scientific enterprises to have cooperation with this major R&D unit. They will give fresh views on several areas like process control, hygiene and energy savings. They have been the origin of new ideas in several cases during IM's career, indeed.
IM is therefore looking forward optimistically! "Small can be beautiful"!
As an insider for several years, IM has seen the synergy of these two institutes and their university partners. Now, as an outsider observer, IM was slightly surprised but, after a moment of wondering, he understands the basic facts which have led to this solution.
This new, big R&D center will work towards R&D solutions more effectively and economically, IM hopes. It also comes time to invite small, scientific enterprises to have cooperation with this major R&D unit. They will give fresh views on several areas like process control, hygiene and energy savings. They have been the origin of new ideas in several cases during IM's career, indeed.
IM is therefore looking forward optimistically! "Small can be beautiful"!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
