Sterilizers & Autoclaves News

Zotefoams’ is U.K. based and its main manufacturing process is particularly energy-intensive, involving cross-linking polyolefins in large autoclaves under high pressure and at elevated temperatures.

On 10 August 2004, U.K. polyolefin foam maker Zotefoams has warned that higher energy costs will present “a major challenge” for the company this year. The company raised sales and profits in the first six months of the year.

Announcing its interim results, the Croydon-based firm expresses its fear of increasing its energy bills significantly. This raise is expected since the present supply arrangements will expire in October. They are currently reviewing all other options, including selling price rises, with respect to these and other inflationary cost increases.

The company managed to improve its financial performance over the last six months. When compared to with the same period last year, it recorded a 7% growth in sales and profits to £13m (E19.5m) and £870,000 (E1.3m) respectively.

Operationally, the company’s North American plant reached a new production record in June and the U.K. plant had new high-pressure capacity autoclave commissioned in April.

Chairman Bill Fairservice stated that, on the overall view the company is believed to be in good shape to face the challenges it anticipates for the second half of the year. And investment in new product development is showing promising signs for the medium term.

It was only after surfer Ed Larenas and his friends emerged from the water at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, one recent winter, they realized the Warning, that these Waters are contaminated. Pollution levels in coastal waters fluctuate so wildly that any significant delay in monitoring and reporting can misrepresent the status of the beach.

Frustrated by contamination warnings of the County water testing board mandated by the law, which offer too little information too late, Larenas and fellow members of the San Mateo County chapter of the Surfrider Foundation this week opened a water quality testing lab in El Granada, near Half Moon Bay.

In fact, San Mateo County so welcomed the effort that it donated the space for a lab. Surfers raised $10,000 to transform the vermin-infested garage into a clean, well-lighted lab with incubators, autoclaves and other equipment. Samples are analyzed for bacteria like E.coli and enterococcus, both of which can cause illness.

This lab is the latest of about two-dozen such facilities created and run by members of the Surfrider Foundation. It is a national, non-profit organization working to preserve oceans and beaches. The Santa Cruz chapter, opened in 1991, monitors as many as 20 sites weekly in its lab.

Volunteers plan to sample and analyze seawater in the lab every Monday, then promptly post the results on the group’s Web site, in local surf shops, newspapers and other public locations. Test results also will be entered in a database, to detect any trends in future.

Because the lab is so close to the beach, the turnaround time is faster than county water testing, information can get to those who need it, surfers and swimmers. By testing and publicizing water quality - good or bad - Surfrider members seek to keep people healthy. But their larger goal, which they aim at, is that; they want to draw attention to the predicament of ocean pollution. They ultimately want to inspire more aggressive protection and safety measures regarding the Ocean Pollution.

David Beckman, who directs the Coastal Water Quality Project for the National Resources Defense Council, says that, they can get accurate water quality information to beachgoers, which helps raise the level of awareness about contaminated water.

The Coastal officials are accused for not doing their job. The problem is that water quality officials in San Mateo County, like those in Santa Cruz and other coastal counties statewide, have too much to do, with too little money.

Scott Boyd of the Sewer Authority Mid-Coast, the local agency responsible for treating and discharging wastewater said that, getting beaches posted earlier would be a real benefit In recent years, local beaches have been plagued by repeated closings, usually caused by runoff of animal waste and leaking septic tanks.

Half Moon Bay Mayor Mike Ferreira said that, he has never seen a more effective use of government funding and property. It’s a wonderful leverage of a small amount of money, thanks to lots of volunteers. It’s real-time testing of the beaches, for nothing. The Surfrider volunteers include a biochemist, a professor of biology at San Francisco State University, a land use planner and several engineers.

Tim Duff, Surfrider lab volunteer and Coastal Conservancy employer said that; though Surfrider an independent group and difficult to organize, they came forward to do something like this, and this something which makes all the difference.

Technology has laid its hands on every field were humans are involved. Form advanced planes to medical equipment to house items. Cooking, a major requirement for the mere survival has undergone evolution along with all the other things. Pressure cookers had made their way in the process. The pressure cooker may well be the savior of home cooking in a society that’s always pressed for time. In fact, the PC is to whole foods what the microwave oven is to convenience foods. Better technology has eliminated the safety risks that once unnerved wary cooks, leaving only the benefits—fragrant; succulent stews in half an hour or so.

The basic principle behind pressure cookers, is applying steam heat to food in an airtight environment, which builds up pressure caused due to the trapped steam inside the pot allows temperatures to rise above those attainable in non-pressurized vessels. As a result, when compared with conventional cookery, most foods cook 70% faster with 50% less fuel. It takes about five to eight minutes, for the required pressure to be achieved. When compared with the microwave ovens this time is considerably less, which favors pressure cookers over microwaves. Only fish is equally fast in both systems.

Flavor is another selling point. Because all the juices and aromatic oils are trapped inside the pot, meats emerge tender and succulent, stews are thick and rich, soups and sauces taste as if they have been simmering slowly for hours. The short cooking time combined with the airtight cooking environment also results in maximum retention of nutrients.

Cooking Process and Precautions: Pack the cooker with the prepared ingredients and the recommended amount of liquid, and make sure it is not more than two-thirds of its capacity. Close the cooker, and place it on high heat. Align the steam release to trap the steam properly. When full pressure is achieved reduce heat to just maintain pressure and start the timer. Cooking times may vary slightly, depending on many factors: the size and age of the items.

When recommended cooking time is over, remove the unit from the heat, and depressurize it according to the manufacturer’s instructions or recipe directions. It can be done by using the quick pressure-release valve, running cold water over the cooker or letting the pot stand off the heat until pressure reduces naturally.

In general, the pressure-release valve is recommended when timing is critical, as with vegetables, which overcook quickly. If you need a quick loss of pressure with these foods, let the pot stand off the heat for a few minutes first, then very gradually release the steam with the valve.

Never try to open or force the handles apart, of a pressure cooker while there is pressure inside. The lid lock in the preferred models prevents opening until all pressure is released. It’s a good idea to gently shake the pot to further ensure that all pockets of pressure are gone. Open the lid away from your face, in order to direct any remaining steam away from you. Most manufacturers advise not to pressure-cook reactive foods—that is, those that sputter, splash or froth excessively.

ADAPTING RECIPES: Pressure-cooking requires liquid to produce the necessary steam; never use less liquid than instructed, even if you reduce the amount of food. For steaming vegetables or pudding, you need a minimum of one-half cup water. Foods that absorb liquid, like beans, grains and dried fruit, require adequate amounts to compensate.

TIMING: Careful timing is the key to this technique; begin the count as soon as pressure is reached. When the suggested time is “zero,” remove the cooker from the stove as soon as full pressure is achieved, and quickly reduce the pressure. In contrast to the microwave, the quantity of the food in the PC doesn’t alter the cooking time once it’s up to steam. If you intend to let the cooker cool naturally, rather than reducing pressure quickly, factor this into the timing. And don’t forget: Once pressure is released, the cooker should be opened to prevent further cooking.

VEGETABLE COOKERY: Although many vegetables cook quickly with other methods they emerge from the PC even faster and with more of their color and nutrients intact. The best method is pressure steaming: Just place the vegetables in the steaming basket, and set them over plain water or seasoned broth.

DRIED BEANS: Healthful, delicious beans require to be soaked all night and cooked all afternoon. With a pressure cooker, beans may or may not be soaked. Un-soaked, they need longer cooking and more water, but they also froth less and hold their shape better. Because legumes expand during cooking, never fill the cooker more than half full.

GRAINS: Since grains double the total volume as they cook, do not fill the pot more than halfway. Grains should be cooked directly in liquid, not in the steam basket. Cooking small seeds like millet, kasha, and cracked wheat, which may block the steam vent is not recommended.

BARLEY, WILD RICE, TRITICALE, OATS, AND WHOLE WHEAT AND RYE BERRIES: Rinse and drain the grain, and combine it with twice its volume of water. If desired, add one-tablespoon oil or butter per cup of grain to minimize foaming.

MEAT AND POULTRY: Since the PC must have liquid to function; it’s particularly suited to stews and pot roasts. Less expensive cuts tenderize beautifully in the moist heat. Sear the meat in a small amount of oil in the open cooker, if desired. The more bone and the more tender the cut, the less cooking is needed.

COMBINATIONS: To pressure-cook several different foods with varying cooking times begin with the longer-cooking item, reduce the pressure when partially cooked, add additional foods at appropriate times, and bring pressure back up again. Use the chart provided for additional preparation and cooking instructions.

Shopping for a Pressure Cooker:

The important features that are to be considered while selecting a pressure cooker are time and safety. It must have multiple safety systems, including at least two pressure-release devices to guard against explosion. A safety lock in the lid that makes it impossible to open the pot while pressure exists inside. A quick pressure-release valve; it allows you to reduce pressure manually, rather than leaving the pot to sit until the pressure declines.

Latest models have a built-in, almost silent pressure indicator with only one or two automatic settings, so the cookers are much less complicated to operate. The single-level pressure cooker, which is the simplest type to monitor, is perfectly adequate for home use. Today, many are stainless steel rather than aluminum, which is preferable for its weight. It has a heavy aluminum core or an aluminum-clad base for even heat and thermal retention.

Over several designs, the traditional-looking pot is probably the best choice. Some have complex cover systems reminiscent of medical sterilizers are intimidating. Those that force you to slide the lid into the pot are awkward and often messy to use. Heat-resistant handles with two grips, or a single grip of, non-slip material-are recommended.

All models include trivets for steaming vegetables, and several come with steaming baskets as well. Pressure cookers range in capacity from two to 20 quarts. A six-quart pot is adequate for most households, keeping in mind that, the pot can be only two-thirds full. PC’s require liquid ranging from two cups to a quarter cup, to achieve proper pressure. If you often cook small amounts of food, a model that functions with less liquid will be more useful.

Though pressure cooker has advantages of time and cost effective, it has a certain amount of risk of exploding. Proper safety precautions and better understanding and implementation of user manuals make the pressure cooker user-friendly and a daily use culinary item.

The construction industry in United States consumes 3 billion tons of raw materials annually and generates a significant amount of waste. This brings into focus the need for use of sustainable environmentally friendly products and energy-efficient equipment in construction and renovation projects. The U.S. Green Building Council launched its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for commercial construction and renovation projects in 2000 and helps in promoting this noble cause.

Given the amount of new construction and renovation projects in health care, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) recognized the need for a similar tool for the industry. A task force subsequently developed and was headed by Robin Guenther, a principal with New York City-based Guenther 5 Architects and Gail Vittori, co-director of the Austin, Texas-based Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems (CMPBS).

The Green Healthcare Construction Statement was published in January 2002. This 11-page statement designed to support an ASHE Vista Award and raise awareness of sustainable design. It is also applied to renovation and expansion projects, and includes a complete section focused on operations. A key component is the use of multidisciplinary teams, which can include clinicians, administrators, plant operators, engineering staff, support services and housekeeping to work together throughout the project.

In March 2003, CMPBS convened a multidisciplinary steering committee to extend the statement into a detailed guidance document on green construction. By year’s end, the first draft of the Green Guide was released for public comment. Between March and November 2004, the committee used public comments to fine-tune the document and launched version 2.0 at the end of November.

While the Green Guide parallels the LEED model, it was developed specifically for health care facilities and addresses issues that are unique to those structures, such as infection control and around-the-clock occupancy. The Guide even extends to the kitchen in hospitals Those who employ the Guide earn a “point” for each of the 96 construction credits and 72 operations credits. Health facilities can earn credits for everything from the elimination of mercury-containing thermostats and switches to designing private areas where staff can bond to the natural environment.

An important feature of the Guide based on feedback collected after the release of the first draft is that it is voluntary and self-certifying. Also, because the Guide is voluntary, the steering committee has tremendous flexibility when it comes to making changes and upgrades and don’t have to go through the truly rigorous process that a national standard would require. It’s just a tool for you to use. You can be as green as you want to be. The Green Guide provides a wonderful incentive to pick up the green challenge.

Any compliance with LEED could adversely affect compliance in other areas, such as the Life Safety Code and JCAHO’s Environment of Care standards. LEED was considered a costly endeavor.

The first health care facility to register for LEED certification, and the second to certify behind Boulder (Colo.) Community Foothills Hospital, was a 30,000-square-foot diagnosis and treatment facility built in an agricultural community in upstate New York. At the time, health care facilities were listed in the “other” category. The building consumed 40 percent less energy than a comparable conventional building, thanks to increased insulation, ground-source heat pumps and a combination of natural light and energy-efficient lighting.

However, the facility had difficulty complying with LEED’s water-reduction targets. The problem: LEED addresses only water that comes out of fixtures (i.e., toilets, sinks and spigots). But typically only 30 percent of the water used at a health facility comes out of a fixture. Lab equipment, sterilizers and laundry account for much of the remaining 70 percent. Because none of those things are in office buildings, LEED doesn’t give credit for reductions in water use.

Many of the facilities were inefficient energy users. Part of the problem was simply the result of poor commissioning. It’s important to ensure that equipment throughout a facility is in harmony. Facilities directors should look beyond the energy efficiency of their control systems and building materials.

Most hospital administrators think of energy as a fixed cost and see it as the cost of doing business. But hospitals, the second largest consumers of energy next to food service facilities, waste as much as 30 percent of the energy they use. While hospitals spend tens of millions of dollars on energy each year, it accounts for a mere 1 percent to 2 percent of a hospital’s total annual operating budget.

Energy is such a small piece cut requires consideration. Because of the small amount of margin that a hospital makes from each dollar earned, each dollar of expense that is reduced is like $20 that they don’t have to earn. Facilities directors can earn easy credits by plucking some of the low-hanging fruit in their buildings. One easy target is lighting. Switching from magnetic ballasts to fluorescent T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts. Other energy-saving features include light meters and occupancy sensors. Sometimes corridors are under lit, while other parts of a building use far too much light.

Beyond cost-saving best practices, the Guide also focuses on the sustainability of various materials.

Boeing plans for the 21st century, advanced passenger flights that are environmental friendly and innovative in passenger flight manufacturing technology. If Boeing’s plans for the 7E7 Dreamliner come true, air travel will become cleaner for the environment, quieter for those living near airports and more pleasant for passengers.

Boeing will start producing passenger jets with 200-300 capacity from late 2008. Boeing, as the “new steel” of the 21st century is hailing advanced composites. They comprise thin yet incredibly strong sheets of carbon fibers and other non-metallic materials glued together with epoxy resins and baked in giant ovens or autoclaves.

The US aircraft maker says all of these things will flow from the unprecedented use of advanced weight-saving composites and plastics in the 7E7 series. It aims to cut final assembly time of the jets, using large, seamless, rivet free molded parts, from more than four weeks for metal airliners down to three days.

Although composite parts were first used by Airbus 20 years ago, they have never been used as extensively as in the new Boeings, with most of the fuselage, wings and tail made of the miracle materials.

But the design of the 7E7 series and the 62 early orders placed by All Nippon Airways, Air New Zealand, First Choice (UK) and Blue Panorama of Italy are “provisional” meaning as yet incomplete.

Many questions remain unanswered. Is the world ready for jets that pop freshly baked out of an oven? What if should one of them crash and burn.

Australia’s National Airports Emergency Planning Committee has spent several years working on new procedures for composite aircraft accidents for Airservices Australia, which runs the country’s major accident response units as well as its air traffic control system.

The issue for Airservices Australia was the habit of military high-composite aircrafts such as the B-2 stealth bomber or the Black Hawk helicopter to turn into toxic smoke instead of a heap of metal when they crash and burn.

Also, if broken but not burning, advanced composite materials may shatter into potentially lethal contaminants and clouds of light but exceptionally sharp long glassy needles.

Because both its own air force as well as those of visiting allies shares some of Australia’s major airports, the emergency planning committee began reviewing procedures for such accidents well before Boeing announced the Dreamliner project early last year.

Although according to Airservices Australia, there was never any suggestion that the new Boeings or even the giant Airbus A380, which is 23 percent composite in structure, would be banned. Spokesman Richard Dudley stated that they were just determined to understand what different issues might arise in an accident, and do the planning well in advance.

The concerns of the closed sessions of the planning committee in the event of a crash were many, including whether a high proportion of survivors and their rescue workers would die from the longer term effects of inhaling toxic by-products and if there were any proven procedures for effectively decontaminating people exposed to the materials.

It seems there might not be definitive answers until after the jets are in service, even if the worst fears of some experts prove unfounded.

Leith Higgins, director of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority in Western Australia, has been Airservices Australia’s leading adviser on composite materials and has studied them in great detail over the past three years. In his Idea these materials produce horrible little fibers when they break, and that the needles can penetrate right through limbs covered with protective clothing.
They even shatter into very small particles, which can be ingested into the lungs easily and evade the macrophages that help keep them clean from harmful material. On the available research it is yet to prove that composite particles will be as lethal as asbestos as some claimed to be. The trouble with composites, and the reason for devising such elaborate emergency responses, is that no one could prove practically or theoretically, that they will not turn out to be that dangerous.

There are still many unanswered questions. Airservices Australia says its emergency units will drench the site of any high composite aircraft accident with special foam whether or not a fire has broken out. This approach will be to keep any particles on the ground thus containing their spread. This will also apply to survivors and rescue workers.

Personal protection gear resistant to the sharp particles will be issued and closed breathing apparatus will use a molecular filter so fine that it will trap the very fine particles that could pose a serious risk.

The director of the Central Disaster Unit in Sydney, David Cooper, said the policy in the event of such an accident would be to decontaminate any survivors or emergency workers at the site before they were admitted to emergency wards where they might otherwise endanger staff and other patients.

On the plus side, composite engineers say the energy absorbent characteristics of the materials will reduce trauma and improve survival rates in a lower velocity accident such as a bad landing, taxiway collision or even a forced landing in benign circumstances. Metal fuselages break open and rip at comparatively low speeds, but composites recoil or bounce as they absorb much of the energy from a slow blow, and they don’t catch fire as readily either.

These claims are supported by the amazing examples of survival in Grand Prix Formula 1 accidents, where the vehicles today make even more use of composites than a 7E7.

New online Environmental Health innovations shop

Through out the world, a major part of the population is suffering for Asthma and Allergies due the direct impact of the pollution around us.

Scottish Internet entrepreneur Theo stated that we spend on average, 90% of our life indoors, in our homes, offices, pubs, gyms etc, and consequently breathe in the equivalent of one heaped teaspoonful of dirt into our lungs every day. This dirt is made up of mould, viruses, bacteria, dust, dust mites, pollens, fumes, ozone and other gases. All of which are know to contribute to respiratory allergies such as asthma and rhinitis, various allergic reactions, eczema and asthma attacks, especially in young children and babies.

“Sick Building Syndrome” is usually associated with large office blocks, but with the added pollution from mould spores, dust mite skeletons their droppings and eggs, pet dander, tobacco smoke, pollens, organic odours from clothes and cooking, home indoor air-pollution can trigger.

Theo spotted the opportunity in the Environmental health market, when Prince Charles highlighted his concerns about Sick Building Syndrome in media recently along with the United States refusal to back the Kyoto Protocol, by launching www.nanonational.com.

New online Environmental Health innovations shop, www.nanonational.com, is the brainchild of Theo Koumis, 36, who also owns the lifestyle company NET Players Ltd which runs a stable of online dating agencies geared for young professionals including YaYaDating.com and LondonPlayers.net.

nanonational.com, revolutionized the field of medicine with some of the most innovate health products on the market, launches on Easter Monday with it’s flagship product, the world’s safest and most tested Air Sterilizer. It also offers a range of the most innovative health products available, including products for Motion Sickness, Insomnia, Repetitive Strain Injury and Arthritis.

Airfree P80, air Sterilizer, small and totally silent uses innovative technology to tackle the increasing problem of indoor air-pollution. Surprisingly, air in indoors is often up to 100 times worse than the air outdoors, and has been linked for the reported rise in asthma and allergy attacks over recent years.

Independent laboratory tests prove that the powerful Airfree P80 unit destroys up to 99.99% of microorganisms and poisonous gases, that trigger these attacks, when passed through its’ patented ceramic core no matter how small or hazardous they may be.

This new online shop offers products to tackle both the problems of environmental air and water pollution, which include air purifiers for the home, office and the car, as well as a range of plumbed in water filtration products which remove chlorine, scale, scum and nitrates from our drinking water to produce bottled-quality water, on tap, all at a fraction of the cost.