Category : Company News

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency [ USA ]) and the EEA (the European Environmental Agency) are both in clear agreement, NO_x is bad for people’s health.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) estimated that in 2015 over 72,000 premature deaths^[1] in the 28 EU member countries were a consequence of NO₂ levels in the atmosphere.

But NO_x does not only mean NO₂. NO_x is a shorthand term referring to the oxides of nitrogen. Some of these are formed naturally, but the majority of the oxides that plague our atmosphere in our towns and cities are products of our society, and most notably come from combustion. At the high temperatures found in combustion processes, the nitrogen molecules in the combustion air (N₂) are broken into ions, that then react with oxygen molecules (O₂) to form oxides of Nitrogen (NO, N₂O, NO₂…). Of these oxides by far the most common that is formed during combustion is NO (nitric oxide).

As it goes, NO is quite dangerous as it is. Exposure to nitric oxide gas in low concentrations produces an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, which can include choking, coughing, headache, nausea and fatigue.

But it does not stop there, The NO molecules react together with UV light and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. This reaction reduces the size of the VOC molecule and converts the NO to NO₂ (Nitrogen Dioxide). NO₂ is a particularly nasty air pollutant and causes significant respiratory problems even at the 40 – 100 µg/m3.

The cycle continues as NO₂ in the air reacts in the presence of oxygen and UV light to create ozone (O₃). The same reaction also converts the NO₂ molecule back to NO. The molecule of NO is now free again to find more VOC compounds to repeat the cycle. A typical VOC compound can recycle a molecule of NO multiple times (on average 5) before it ceases to be photo reactive.

The gases that are produced during this cycle; ozone, NO and NO₂ all cause respiratory issues, and at elevated levels can rapidly cause direct harm to tissues. NO is relatively harmless below 25ppm, but NO₂ concentrations higher than 4ppm will already anaesthetise the nose.

Although Ozone is desired in the stratosphere (the higher levels of our planet’s atmosphere) to help protect us from the effect of UV light, tropospheric ozone (that is ozone in the air that is closest to the earth’s surface) has been and continues to be a significant air pollution problem and is a primary constituent of smog. There is a great deal of evidence to show that ground level ozone can harm lung function and irritate the respiratory system. Exposure to ozone NO and NO₂ is linked to premature death, asthma, bronchitis, heart attack, and other cardiopulmonary problems.

Comparison: Round Bales vs. Square

A number of bale packing systems for waste are offered on the market. Principal difference is the geometry of the bales; and the common opinion is that square bales provide more dense storage. Let us make comparison and find out what is better.

In practice, an often argument about round bales is that they need more place to be stored than square bales. That’s not the truth. So now let us explain why.

Because of the risk to damage the film during transportation by wheel loader, square bales have to be stored with a certain space between each other. Further, at the edges of a square bale the film is stretched extremely, so it is cracking as a result of overstressing.

The edges of square bales are normally less compacted than the rest of the bale because during process of wrapping they get dented. That means, that also square bale storages bring out hollow spaces which are comparable with the volume of a round bale storage. But BPS-2 round bales have a twice as much volume, so in comparison to square bale storages there are less bales and therefore less hollow spaces. In the end, with same floor area around bale storage picks up more wrapped waste than a square bale storage.

The shape of round bales leads to a trigonal shaped hollow space between each other. In comparison to stored square bales, these hollow spaces mean an advantage for stacking and taking bales from the storage by use of a gripping device. They give enough space to absorb the round bales without damaging the film. Further, the round bale shape brings the positive effect that the bales are stored side by side without gaps in between. That provides a stable erection of the bale storage.