Public health implication of offensive trade (oil mill)

Introduction

Palm oil trade is the more established trade in African which provides the opportunity for large scale fully mechanized processed, resulting in the evolution step designed to extra oil, from a harvested oil palm bunch, a high yield of a product of acceptable quality for the international edible oil trade. Offensive trade is defined as trade in which the process, action, or on the account of what material used, liberate offensive or unpleasant odour, which are injurious to health, the atmosphere or environment the offensive agent might be a raw material or bye product of the process involve in oil production. The offensive odour so liberated creates annoyance, anxiety restlessness and possibly produces symptoms of respiratory track disease among the person exposed to (Poku, 2002).

An oil mill is a building, houses, fuelling on an establishment that handles the following process first formation, bunch chopping, first soup, first boiling, food digestion, mash pressing, oil purification, fibre-nut separation, second pressing nut drying (Nwango & Chima, 2010). In general location of offensive trade is always regulated by lean and should not be allow within the inhabitant area, and proper hygienic pressure should be strictly enforced to avoid the possible source of nuisance. Smoke nuisance arising from various combustion (burning) processes in mill, factory, etc.

Conceptual framework

A palm oil mill is a building, house or factory or an establishment that handles the milling of palm fruit into a semi finish product to a finish product, that follow some process of milling. The process of palm oil creates an atmosphere for the generation of nuisance which can be injures to human health and the environment at large. Palm oil mill trade involves the release of offensive agent which may be raw material or bye product of the process involved. According to Olojoba (2009) odour nuisance as an effect to the environment is emitted due to defective refuse final disposal method and inadequate management of waste which is usually characterized by stinking smell, irritation on nuisance to man. Odour due to decomposition can be noticed in surface and underground water as taste, thus water pollution.

Types of palm oil mill

There are various types of palm oil mill production levels.

1. Small mill
2. Medium mill
3. Large mill.

 Small mill

In small mill, the work is performed entirely with simple hand driven tools or at the most a water wheel as a source of power. These mill do not produce more than 25% of the oil, this method yield about 5% of the oil in the mesocarp,  with this method you are not able to process a lot of palm oil. The operation of small mill also requires less power supply, less labour is also required compared to medium and large mill. Palm oil mill mainly on small scale basis are owned and managed by individual who have no basic knowledge of environmental protection thereby creating enormous.

Medium mill

In these mills, the installation of an electrometer or diesel engine of about 20hp raises the production capacity to a level of about 5 tonnes a day, principally on account of more efficient rasping. It requires more power supply than the small mill method but they are the same in principle and little skilled labour is needed. Factories of this kind are very suitable for rural area where unskilled labour is comparatively cheap but technical equipment and skill are difficult to procure.

Large mill

By starting with a sufficient large investment of capital, it is possible to overcome the limitation mentioned above and reach at once production of the order of capacity greater than 5 metric tons per hour of fresh fruit bunches, compared to the very negligible throughout of the small and medium mill and require higher supply of power.  The mill has its own extensive plantation where selected strain of palm tree is grown because they require adequate supply of raw material fresh fruits bunches in order to meet the demand/regular supply of the retailer and consumer. These types of mill is usually managed by a firm and appropriate machinery for purification and more elaborate techniques are coming into their own to save labour, minimize losses and so process more economically. Also more labourers are needed unlike the small and medium mill.

Mechanism of operation of palm oil mill

The technologies for producing palm oil do not differ significantly from each other they are all based on cooking, pounding and pressing process which involve oil winning processes, from the reception of fresh fruit bunches from the plantation, sterilizing and thrashing of the fruit to bunches to free the palm fruit, mashing the fruits and pressing out the crude palm oil. The crude oil is further treated to purify and dry it for storage and export.

Palm oil milling process should always be carried out with strict caution to avoid accident.

Mechanism of operation of palm oil in a chronological order

Fruit fermentation à bunch chopping à fruit sorting à fruit boiling à fruit digestion  à mash pressing à oil purification à fibre fruit separation à second pressing à nut drying

Effects of palm oil mill activities on health and the environment

During palm oil processing various substance are disperse into the environment such as smog, smoke, unpleasant odour in habitant of the area, especially children and elderly and chronically ill, are most affected. The effects of palm oil milling on health and the environment are as follows:

• Effect on plant
• Effects on soil
• Effects on materials
• Effects on surface water
• Effects on human
• Effects on animal
• Environmental degradation

Effects on soil

Palm oil mill waste product such as palm kernels and the palm bunches which is used during the processing that littering the soil and reduce it value when not dispose off sanitarily thereby leading to reduction in agricultural stresses. It also leads to algae formation around the mill area (due to improper drainage) which can serve as a breeding space for mosquito and other harmful insect.

Effects on materials

The most familiar effect of air pollutants on materials is the soiling of building surface, clothing and other articles. The soiling result from the deposition of smoke on surface overtime as surface becomes discoloured and darkened (Olurunda, Olowopariya, Onojeharho, Keme & Sule, 2007).

Effects on Plant

Palm oil mill affects plant when the waste water or affluent is not properly channelled to a final disposal site thereby causing these plant/crop not to grow well due to the presence of harmful chemicals in it. Soot from palm oil mill plant (generator) also result to air pollution which has cause damage to the plant by covering the surface of the leaves/plant thus standing as a barrier during photosynthesis leading to stunted growth.

Effects on surface water

Palm oil mill effluent if channelled to a surface water as a final disposal site contaminate the water due to the present hydrogen cyanide, sodium, lead, zinc among other. Which changes its colour, taste, odour make it acidic, rendering it unsafe for use/human consumption (Nwango, 2010)

Effects on human

When these surface water has be contaminated and is serving as a community source of water supply it affect the health of the people, when consumed due to the present of hydrogen cyanide in the effluent which prevent the cell of the body from using oxygen (O₂) and possible result in their death, affect the heart and brain, causes low blood pressure and respiratory failure leading to death (Nwango, 2010).

Effects on animals

According to Olorunda et al. (2007) air pollutant affect animals in the same way as they affect people and lethal or damaging doses to animals depending on the animal size and respiratory rates. Many animal die from inhaling toxic gas over at a lower intake that will kill a person. An additional hazard to animal is chronic poisoning from unpleasant odour as they feed.

Environmental degradation

When these waste from palm oil mill are not properly managed (especially the solid waste) can lead to littering, indiscriminate dumping or disposal thereby serving as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects and also result to the loss of aesthetic beauty of the environment

Factors to be considered before siting a palm oil mill

There are several factors and practices to be considered before sitting a palm oil mill (Oni, Ebiesike, Wkah & Eyo, 2009). The factors are as follows:

1. It should be located away from residential area, sitting should be in compliance with guide lines from the central housing and planning authority.
2. Factory should have good access road to accommodate both heavy and light vehicles.
3. The site should have good drainage and must be adequately maintained to facilitate run off and minimize the like hood of flooding.
4. Portable water supply should be readily available
5. Installation of interception traps for solid, oil and fuel to reduce the control release of contaminated water via the surface drains.
6. The use of appropriate and personal protective equipment for example to reduce risk of product contamination or reduce employees inhalation of dust
7. The mill should be separated from all other of operation.
8. The mill floor and all other floor should be water proof and slightly inclined. Floors should also be smooth and free cracks, drain should be provided.
9. The walls should be smooth with no seams and the opening should be meshed to prevented entry of rodent, bird or pest as well as the accumulated dust.

Roles of palm oil mill owners in reducing the effect of their activities

In manufacturing of palm oil product, many waste/nuisance are been generated in the process which has an effect on human and the environment at large. It is therefore require that palm oil mill owners should have a way of reducing the offensive trade (palm oil mill) nuisance.

These ways include the following:

1. Portable water must be available during the process of palm oil.
2. Provision of drain to dispose waste water
3. Ensuring the stream generating unit is sited away from the storage and immediate work area.
4. The soakage pit should be close to the drying area.
5. The steaming tanks should be located close to the soaking tank and they should be made of non- corrosive metals.
6. Ensure the steam conduct pipes insulated and free from leaks.
7. Ensure that effluents from this operation are treated prior to discharge to the receiving environment.

Possible ways of reducing the effect of palm oil mill

The following environmental information is required for the reduction of the effect of oil mill trade:

1. Air quality protection measures: the use of falter and scrubber at the end of exhaust to prevent heavy particles from gaining access to the atmosphere.
2. It must be processed in dry form, enclosed area should be used where processing take place. Also extract waste product from machine into work area must be efficiently collected before the extracted particles are passed to the atmosphere.
3. The use of litmus paper to test the atmosphere in order to ascertain the level of damage so as to reduce or control further discharge of these harmful nuisances into the atmosphere soil sample should be taken for laboratory test to find out and to know when the acidity increases.
4. Waste water or effluent should undergo treatment before been allowed to the final disposal site. Pollution generated by palm oil processing should be prevented from entering water bodies (including ground water) through contamination of storm water. A means of affluent or waste minimization should be employed.
5. Noise mitigation measures: the use of muffler in exhaust, regular servicing of equipment and equipment modification.
6. Waste management measure: waste water, oil cut, palm bunches etc. should be collected and disposed off sanitary. The storage and transfer of solid waste from bins should be undertaken with in a sheltered area to minimize spillage.

References

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