Sun has already risen. Taxi leaves Industry Microbiologist (IM) at the mill gate. Wishes of good morning, a short phone call, registration as a visitor...
Then to the mill office. Friendly welcomed by the hosts - usually both from the production and QC laboratories. "Coffee?" - "Thank you, certainly!".
Short conversation about everyday issues. Everybody is sitting down. The meeting can start.
Short presentation of the company, mill, machines and products (if not already known by IM). It is interesting how informative such presentations today are! Basic facts, not too much - room for detailled questions.
Then towards the topics of the day.
There are several types of problems, caused by the microbial activity in raw materials, processes and products. Every problem is individual one and strictly confidential, but references from other mills are relatively easy to find. No more discussion about the problem itself at the moment, but ideas are stored somewhere in the mind.
Process layouts! Excellent! They are really needed to understand this new machine as "fermentor and ecosystem". What kind of raw materials+ What comes from where? Conditions? Flows? Delays in flows? Storage times? Biocide programs? Washing strategies? Several details...
And every time, after the answers - to store all this information somewhere in the mind (of course also on paper). To be processed later in the hotel room with a a pen and a sheet of paper. Different techniques- statistics, time series, even mind mapping...
But, before departure from the mill: visit to the machine. a most important issues. Analytical results from the control room of the machine, discussions with the personnel...Checking CCP's of the wet end and tank section, broke system...
Even more small details to send somewhere, in the back of the head.
Some analytical procedures before leaving. Rapid methods, if possible: luminometry, PC microscopy...
After overnighting, back to the mill. Person at the gate is alredy known by IM. "Hello, I will call...".
Straight to the meeting room. Some new persons have already arrived. Exchange of visit cards (how many different visit cards are there in the world? Is somewhere a museum for visit cards?).
Short summary of yesterdays' experiences and some proposals to be discussed. New persons present new ideas and new points of views. Conclusions, future forecasts.
Collection of small samples (easy to carrry with in IM's car - or to be packaged in a separate bag when flighting). Then the final meeting: what shall be done next? By who?
Farewell wishes, very friendly. Most important dates for activities, meetings, e-mail contacts have already been confirmed.
Leaving the mill - a satisfied feeling: something will progress, some help has been given...
- A typical visit by Industry Microbiologist in a paper mill. He really likes his job!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
"Triangle" joint projects / services of paper industry microbiology.
Paper industry microbiology - both research and services - is suffering from the lack of money today (as other research areas, too). Company R&D prefer joint projects instead of their own institutional research. There seems to be certain synergism between partners of paper industry (paper mills, raw material and biocide suppliers as well as research institutes and independent researchers on this area).
A "triangle model" of a joint project has proven to be beneficial one. Alternatives could be
* paper mill + biocide supplier + microbiological services
* raw material supplier + biocide supplier + microbiological services
National funding is very hard to achieve today: a lot of project proposals will be sent every year but a small fraction of them will be accepted by the funding organisations. Direct contacts between partners (mentioned above) in developmental, control and trouble shooting cases are faster and a combination of paper industry experience, knowledge of biocide chemistry and microbiological skills can give the best results in improvement and development of paper machine process and product hygiene.
A "triangle model" of a joint project has proven to be beneficial one. Alternatives could be
* paper mill + biocide supplier + microbiological services
* raw material supplier + biocide supplier + microbiological services
National funding is very hard to achieve today: a lot of project proposals will be sent every year but a small fraction of them will be accepted by the funding organisations. Direct contacts between partners (mentioned above) in developmental, control and trouble shooting cases are faster and a combination of paper industry experience, knowledge of biocide chemistry and microbiological skills can give the best results in improvement and development of paper machine process and product hygiene.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
What is paper industry microbiology?
A combination of paper industry and microbiology is rare.
The last textbook about this topic was published in U.S.A. - the year was something like 1955 (when I was a small boy).
After that, a lot of things have happened. It is a most interesting issue. Have you heard about
* "ecocatastrophe" in process microbiology during the change from acidic to neutral/alcalic process?
* the role of bacteria in this new situation - all environmental conditions in a paper machine have changed?
* the role of calcium carbonate and kaolin in the microbiology of paper machines?
* ever increasing recirculation of process waters give more growth period for selected process bacteria?
* sporulation of bacteria is stimulated by longer recirculation periods - what does it mean?
* biocides may be dosed in TOO LOW levels - in opposite to opinions that all kind of microbiological control of process water automatically lead to lower consumption of biocides?
These are issues which I have dealed with over 20 years. I am therefore asking your opinions!
The last textbook about this topic was published in U.S.A. - the year was something like 1955 (when I was a small boy).
After that, a lot of things have happened. It is a most interesting issue. Have you heard about
* "ecocatastrophe" in process microbiology during the change from acidic to neutral/alcalic process?
* the role of bacteria in this new situation - all environmental conditions in a paper machine have changed?
* the role of calcium carbonate and kaolin in the microbiology of paper machines?
* ever increasing recirculation of process waters give more growth period for selected process bacteria?
* sporulation of bacteria is stimulated by longer recirculation periods - what does it mean?
* biocides may be dosed in TOO LOW levels - in opposite to opinions that all kind of microbiological control of process water automatically lead to lower consumption of biocides?
These are issues which I have dealed with over 20 years. I am therefore asking your opinions!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Benefits of microbiological process control - in money?
There are several ways to calculate economical benefits of a proper mb control system. Mind-mapping technique can be used first to detect all aspects included:
TOTAL ECONOMY
An active, problem-preventing microbiological control of raw materials and processes is a most important activity of a paper mill to prevent costs, connected to poor process managements and product faults. We can calculate this value in many ways:
* how much money is spent every second when the production is delayed? 10 euros/s?
* what is the price of a lost jumbo roll, 10...30 metric tons? 5000 € to 30 000 €?
* what are the costs of ineffective / too low / wrongly distributed biocide dosage?
* how much money is spent when a lot of mineral filler or starch is spoiled in a storage tank?
* how much working time of the mill employers is spent for corrective measures after a microbiological problem situation?
* comparison of proper HACCP, based on rapid mb methods and an old-fashioned microbiological control, activated only in hazardous situations?
Different points of view....please think over and refer!
TOTAL ECONOMY
- ECONOMY OF PRODUCTION
- SAVINGS CONNECTED TO SECURED PRODUCT QUALITY
- OTHER ISSUES...?
- COST OF SPOILED RAW MATERIALS
- OPTIMAL BIOCIDE PROGRAMS
- MINIMIZED WASHING & BOILOUT PERIODS
- PREVENTION OF DRIVE DELAYS
- OTHER ISSUES...?
- CUSTOMER CLAIMS....
- FLUENT CONVERTING ACTIONS
- IMAGE OF THE PRODUCT BRAND
- OTHER ISSUES...?
An active, problem-preventing microbiological control of raw materials and processes is a most important activity of a paper mill to prevent costs, connected to poor process managements and product faults. We can calculate this value in many ways:
* how much money is spent every second when the production is delayed? 10 euros/s?
* what is the price of a lost jumbo roll, 10...30 metric tons? 5000 € to 30 000 €?
* what are the costs of ineffective / too low / wrongly distributed biocide dosage?
* how much money is spent when a lot of mineral filler or starch is spoiled in a storage tank?
* how much working time of the mill employers is spent for corrective measures after a microbiological problem situation?
* comparison of proper HACCP, based on rapid mb methods and an old-fashioned microbiological control, activated only in hazardous situations?
Different points of view....please think over and refer!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Rapid control of microbiological status of a paper machine.
Paper industry trust on traditional, proven microbiological methods. Customer claims force the paper mills to use them for end-product QC.
Fast detection - and forecasts - of mb problems cannot be performed by these methods. Some promising progress has taken place since 90's, however:
* optical detection of attachements in paper machine water systems (usually based on IR techniques)
* collection & microscopy of test coupons from processes
* luminometric methods for the evaluation of microbial activity in raw materials and processes
Unfortunately there seems to be no "rapid method" for the estimation of product hygiene yet. Methods of molecular biology may help in future?
Luminometric methods, connected with the examionation of real ("ecologic") process samples is the best alternative for specific assays of microbial counts and activities. Combination of rapid incubation and luminometric assays of process samples is available today ("BIOTOUCH" concept, see figure in right marginal below).
Several calculations and estimations about spare of money has been done. All of them indicate significant reduction of costs which are caused by poor-acting biocide programs (ref. inadequate antibiotic treatment of patients!), problems in machine drive and decreased quality of paper and board product.
Fast detection - and forecasts - of mb problems cannot be performed by these methods. Some promising progress has taken place since 90's, however:
* optical detection of attachements in paper machine water systems (usually based on IR techniques)
* collection & microscopy of test coupons from processes
* luminometric methods for the evaluation of microbial activity in raw materials and processes
Unfortunately there seems to be no "rapid method" for the estimation of product hygiene yet. Methods of molecular biology may help in future?
Luminometric methods, connected with the examionation of real ("ecologic") process samples is the best alternative for specific assays of microbial counts and activities. Combination of rapid incubation and luminometric assays of process samples is available today ("BIOTOUCH" concept, see figure in right marginal below).
Several calculations and estimations about spare of money has been done. All of them indicate significant reduction of costs which are caused by poor-acting biocide programs (ref. inadequate antibiotic treatment of patients!), problems in machine drive and decreased quality of paper and board product.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Joint projects for the development of paper industry microbiology?
For certain reasons (described in the letters below) the methods of paper industry microbiology shall be critically reviewed. Transferring traditional methods of food and clinical microbiology (as the most obvious sources of P&P microbiological methods) may help to prove the hygieny of paper and board products but cannot actually work as "rapid methods" for process control at all.
The need of cooperation between paper industry, microbiological institutions and developers of microbiological methods is obvious. There are several alternatives to build up joint projects for proceeding of microbiological process and product control but, for some reasons, the interests of the potential partners do not meet.
It would be interesting to hear different opinions about the chances to combine R&D activities (and money!) in the area of paper industry microbiology. Be first to comment!
The need of cooperation between paper industry, microbiological institutions and developers of microbiological methods is obvious. There are several alternatives to build up joint projects for proceeding of microbiological process and product control but, for some reasons, the interests of the potential partners do not meet.
It would be interesting to hear different opinions about the chances to combine R&D activities (and money!) in the area of paper industry microbiology. Be first to comment!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Standard vs. novel methods of microbiology in paper industry?
Standard colony count methods give reliable estimates of the number of cultivable bacteria in paper industry samples.
They also serve as documents of the hygiene of paper industry products.
HACCP of paper and board machines cannot be based on these methods, however, because they do not give immediate information about the process and product hygiene. Active, fast responses to the hazardous changes of microbiological status cannot be guided by colony count methods. Something shall be done at once, in minutes or hours - not after CFU incubation periods of 1...5 days.
Traditional standard methods are still the first choose when observing paper industry microbiology. There are several facts which still prevent the application of "Rapid Methods of Microbiology", already popular on other areas of microbiological process and product control, into paper industry:
* CFU methods have been accepted by the customers for a long time (tens of years) ago
* novel, rapid alternatives of microbiological control are not known by the technically-orientated personnel of paper industry
* interchange of microbiological knowledge between paper industry and other branches of global industry are still few (paper industry research , in a way, is relatively isolated whenever other topics than physicochemical and technical paper research are concerned)
* new methods are very rarely accepted among standard mb methods of paper industry
What must be done to apply "Rapid Methods of Microbiology" into paper industry, where they could act as valuable tools for HACCP of process and product hygiene?
They also serve as documents of the hygiene of paper industry products.
HACCP of paper and board machines cannot be based on these methods, however, because they do not give immediate information about the process and product hygiene. Active, fast responses to the hazardous changes of microbiological status cannot be guided by colony count methods. Something shall be done at once, in minutes or hours - not after CFU incubation periods of 1...5 days.
Traditional standard methods are still the first choose when observing paper industry microbiology. There are several facts which still prevent the application of "Rapid Methods of Microbiology", already popular on other areas of microbiological process and product control, into paper industry:
* CFU methods have been accepted by the customers for a long time (tens of years) ago
* novel, rapid alternatives of microbiological control are not known by the technically-orientated personnel of paper industry
* interchange of microbiological knowledge between paper industry and other branches of global industry are still few (paper industry research , in a way, is relatively isolated whenever other topics than physicochemical and technical paper research are concerned)
* new methods are very rarely accepted among standard mb methods of paper industry
What must be done to apply "Rapid Methods of Microbiology" into paper industry, where they could act as valuable tools for HACCP of process and product hygiene?
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