Banana latex dispersants save time, water
De-latexing
Water usage was not the only concern. Banana latex is like chewing-gum – it sticks to anything it comes into contact with including gloves, aprons, surfaces and equipment. The latex also sticks to the water tank itself making the weekly deep cleans of the packing station a strenuous job for which workers. To combat this, Chiquita has been using chemical latex dispersants, which are like laundry detergents that are added to the water to break up and remove the latex. But these current products are not particularly effective.
New latex dispersants
Earlier this year, Chiquita tested and is now converting all of its packing stations to a new class of biological latex dispersants, which are a proprietary blend of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) bacteria. The new dispersants also help reduce the time and effort required to clean tanks and equipment. The natural products are gentler for the environment, reduce water usage and improve working conditions for the packing station workers using them. Now workers refill the water tanks once per week rather than once per day.
Water reduction goals
The change to biological dispersants is one part of Chiquita’s larger goal to reduce fresh water consumption by 15% by 2020. “It will not be an easy target for us to meet, but it is one that motivates our innovation and creativity,” said Nolan Quiros Rodriguez, manager corporate responsibility of Chiquita Brands International. “Human activity continues to affect the local climates in which we farm; and as the climate changes, we’re finding that the amount of rainfall is becoming less regular and lower in some regions.”
Since 2008 Chiquita has installed water re-circulation systems at 20% of its farms. These re-circulation systems aim to cut pumped water from 50% to 80% at those locations. The company is also closely monitoring irrigation systems and measuring water usage on farms and packing stations. All of its packing stations have wastewater filters to prevent small pieces of fruit from entering rivers and streams.
As part of Chiquita’s water conservation and biodiversity efforts, it uses ground cover crops to stop the growth of weeds, prevent sediment from reaching waterways, and reduce erosion and the use of agrochemicals. Chiquita works with independent laboratories to sample and analyze the purity of the water in the rivers and streams leaving its farms.
Source: theguardian.com
