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Background: Nowadays, as a result of globalization, markets are more competitive, and customers are more demanding. To respond to these challenges, organizations must develop mechanisms for continuous improvement in order to eliminate waste and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Thus, the present study carried out at an industrial unit responsible for the customization of cork stoppers for wines had as its main objectives to identify and eliminate or at least reduce waste; improve production and internal logistics flows; balance workloads; improve productivity; reduce lead time; motivate employees and promote the spirit of continuous improvement. Methods: The action-research methodology was used, whereby several cycles of data recovery and analysis, identification and implementation of opportunities for improvement, assessment and standardization were carried out. Therefore, the Total Flow Management (TFM) model was implemented, and several methods and tools were used, such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), work measurement and 5S's. Results: Several wastes and overloads were identified, and some actions were implemented, such as workload balancing, layout changes, implementation of visual management and supermarkets. That said, it was possible to reduce lead time by 4 days, improve productivity from 26.63 ML (a thousand cork stoppers)/h to 35.75 ML/h, and promote flexibility. In addition, employees were motivated, and a culture of continuous improvement was fostered. Conclusions: This project demonstrated that it is possible to implement improvement actions, with good results, without high investments, as well as motivating employees and taking advantage of their best capabilities. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the use of TFM can be very useful in continuous improvement, with evident improvements in production and internal logistics flows. So, this project demonstrated the practical implementation of TFM regarding basic reliability, production and internal logistics flow, and the simultaneous use of several methods and tools to implement continuous improvement. Thus, significant improvements were possible on the factory floor, as well as improving employee motivation their personal development and encouraging the focus on continuous improvement. Therefore, it responds to the gap identified in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the relocation processes that the Portuguese cork industry underwent between the 1880s and 1980s. Beyond the historical-geographical aspects of the cork industry, its importance lies in the fact that it involves a paradigmatic case of a traditional industrial sector of vital importance for a developing country. Such was the case of Portugal in the late nineteenth century, where the change of location of the industry coincided with the country’s rise to become the world’s leading power in the cork industry. The article concludes that the factors that made certain regions more attractive for the development of the cork industry compared to others changed over the course of a few decades. There were two industrial relocations in a century as companies adapted to technical and organizational changes; this geographical reorganization was therefore due to a variety of factors and cannot be fully explained by just one theory of industrial location.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) has gain increasing relevance into the companies, which can help in increasing the productivity due to less equipment stoppages. The unavailability of the equipment directly affects the company's performance, which can be measured through the OEE. However, the organization of SMEs is not always properly organized, to have a concrete sense of the losses that can accumulate due to equipment unavailability. This work aimed to develop a framework capable of responding effectively in the beginning of the implementation process of a TPM system. A novel sequence of application of tools was created, both linked to lean and quality, which, when applied in the correct sequence, allow solving some persistent problems in a few steps, resulting in significant gains for companies. The model was applied to a company in the cork industry, and it was possible to verify its effectiveness.

Background: Nowadays, as a result of globalization, markets are more competitive, and customers are more demanding. To respond to these challenges, organizations must develop mechanisms for continuous improvement in order to eliminate waste and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Thus, the present study carried out at an industrial unit responsible for the customization of cork stoppers for wines had as its main objectives to identify and eliminate or at least reduce waste; improve production and internal logistics flows; balance workloads; improve productivity; reduce lead time; motivate employees and promote the spirit of continuous improvement. Methods: The action-research methodology was used, whereby several cycles of data recovery and analysis, identification and implementation of opportunities for improvement, assessment and standardization were carried out. Therefore, the Total Flow Management (TFM) model was implemented, and several methods and tools were used, such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), work measurement and 5S’s. Results: Several wastes and overloads were identified, and some actions were implemented, such as workload balancing, layout changes, implementation of visual management and supermarkets. That said, it was possible to reduce lead time by 4 days, improve productivity from 26.63 ML (a thousand cork stoppers)/h to 35.75 ML/h, and promote flexibility. In addition, employees were motivated, and a culture of continuous improvement was fostered. Conclusions: This project demonstrated that it is possible to implement improvement actions, with good results, without high investments, as well as motivating employees and taking advantage of their best capabilities. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the use of TFM can be very useful in continuous improvement, with evident improvements in production and internal logistics flows. So, this project demonstrated the practical implementation of TFM regarding basic reliability, production and internal logistics flow, and the simultaneous use of several methods and tools to implement continuous improvement. Thus, significant improvements were possible on the factory floor, as well as improving employee motivation their personal development and encouraging the focus on continuous improvement. Therefore, it responds to the gap identified in the literature.

BACKGROUND: The division of labour between workers and machines is the motto for the current debate on the future of work, as the number of tasks that can potentially be automated increases. Despite receiving significant interest, to date, this debate has focused on forecasts that estimate the potential for machine substitution and thus overshadow the activity perspective. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to address the frontiers between human operators and automation in a Portuguese industrial district and to understand how the embodied know-how of expert workers is used when they face the requirements of automated machines. METHODS: A qualitative approach to ergonomic analysis was employed in two cork companies, including exploratory interviews with managerial staff; work activity observations (combining observations with video recordings); collective interviews with the workers; and collective meetings to validate our results and conclusions. RESULTS: The workers revealed operating modes related to sensory aspects to face the cork-related variability and the limits of automated machines. The human-machine configurations call for the experience of the senses, at the material-corporeal level, and for the preservation of reference points of the activity, mostly in the operation of seeing the cork stoppers. CONCLUSIONS: The competent act of seeing the cork stoppers, as an operational expertise layer, enriches the theoretical allocation of tasks between workers and machines. Future challenges for activity-centred ergonomics and work psychology fields are identified, drawing attention to the sustainable development of work, i.e., work activities where people may learn from experience and remain healthy within automated work environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) is mainly responsible for cork taint in wine, which causes significant economic losses; therefore, the wine and cork industries demand an immediate, economic, noninvasive and on-the-spot solution. In this work, we present a novel prototype of an electronic nose (e-nose) using an array of digital and analog metal-oxide gas sensors with a total of 31 signals, capable of detecting TCA, and classifying cork samples with low TCA concentrations (≤15.1 ng/L). The results show that the device responds to low concentrations of TCA in laboratory conditions. It also differentiates among the inner and outer layers of cork bark (81.5% success) and distinguishes among six different samples of granulated cork (83.3% success). Finally, the device can predict the concentration of a new sample within a ±10% error margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arenal.Revista de Historia de las Mujeres is the property of Arenal. Revista de Historia de las Mujeres and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) has gain increasing relevance into the companies, which can help in increasing the productivity due to less equipment stoppages. The unavailability of the equipment directly affects the company's performance, which can be measured through the OEE. However, the organization of SMEs is not always properly organized, to have a concrete sense of the losses that can accumulate due to equipment unavailability. This work aimed to develop a framework capable of responding effectively in the beginning of the implementation process of a TPM system. A novel sequence of application of tools was created, both linked to lean and quality, which, when applied in the correct sequence, allow solving some persistent problems in a few steps, resulting in significant gains for companies. The model was applied to a company in the cork industry, and it was possible to verify its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle decades of the 20th century constituted a radical change in the global hegemony of the cork business, with the end of the Spanish leadership and the beginning of a period of Portuguese hegemony, which remains today. The article analyses the customs policies followed by both Iberian dictatorships and evaluates their effects on the alteration of the productive and commercial specialization of Spain and Portugal in the cork sector. It concludes that the different nature of those policies, along with the relevance of the cork business in Portugal and, consequently, the more considerable attention it received from the Estado Novo, contributed all together to the success of the Portuguese customs policy and consolidated Portugal’s leadership in the cork manufacturing business.

Cork is a renewable resource mainly produced in Mediterranean countries thanks to sustainable management of cork oak (Quercus suber) stands. The infection caused by the ascomycete fungus Diplodia corticola promotes the occurrence of cankers that reduce cork regeneration devaluating the stands. In this article, we tested the hypothesis that the trees are susceptible to the fungus during a limited period of time after debarking. Five mature cork oaks were subjected to eight reiterative inoculations of D. corticola (from the day of debarking to 35 days after) in an experimental plot located in Catalonia (North-Eastern Spain). The time until first symptom appearance as well as the severity of necrosis were assessed for each inoculation treatment. A generalized linear mixed model was fitted showing that the time of symptoms appearance varied among the assayed times of inoculation. In contrast to the foresters-assumed idea of high susceptibility immediately after debarking, earlier inoculations were neither related to higher severity nor to earlier occurrence of canker. This study represents the first approach to this etiological issue in cork oak canker pathosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) is mainly responsible for cork taint in wine, which causes significant economic losses; therefore, the wine and cork industries demand an immediate, economic, noninvasive and on-the-spot solution. In this work, we present a novel prototype of an electronic nose (e-nose) using an array of digital and analog metal-oxide gas sensors with a total of 31 signals, capable of detecting TCA, and classifying cork samples with low TCA concentrations (≤15.1 ng/L). The results show that the device responds to low concentrations of TCA in laboratory conditions. It also differentiates among the inner and outer layers of cork bark (81.5% success) and distinguishes among six different samples of granulated cork (83.3% success). Finally, the device can predict the concentration of a new sample within a ±10% error margin.

Copyright of Economic History Research / Investigaciones de Historia Económica is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Historia Economica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ler Historia is the property of Ler Historia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract In cork industry, the operation of boiling raw cork generates large volumes of wastewater named Cork Boiling Wastewater (CBW). The main characteristics are the low biodegradability and medium to low acute toxicity, resulting in the necessity of designing advanced biological treatments by possible conventional activated sludge adaptation. In order to evaluate the variation of bacterial population along that process, a study based on optical microscopy, plate count, DNA extraction, qPCR and massive sequencing techniques was performed. Results showed a diminution of the total and volatile solids (TSS and VSS), jointly with a decrease in DNA concentration, general bacteria (16 S) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). After a few hours of testing, diverse microbiological species died while others showed a possible adaptation of the biological system, accompained by a dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reduction. In addition, toxicity tests based on activated sludge showed the development of chronic toxicity through the contact time. Combination of classical and advanced microbiological techniques, such as quantitative real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and metagenomics, was essential to predict the variation of species during the experiment and to conclude if effective biological adaptation could be finally attained for the target complex wastewater. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Raw cork boiling wastewater (CBW) drastically affects biological treatment. • Count-microscope results showed filamentous-bacteria ending as dominant population. • Metagenomics results revealed a significant increment of Proteobacteria community. • Toxicity increased from 23% to 73% of inhibition after 144 h of contact time. • Results demonstrated a non-adapted sludge after 17 days of contact time with CBW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic History Research / Investigaciones de Historia Económica is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Historia Economica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

SHORT-ROOT (SHR) is a GRAS transcription factor first characterized for its role in the specification of the stem cell niche and radial patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana (At) roots. Three SHR-like genes have been identified in Populus trichocarpa (Pt). PtSHR1 shares high similarity with AtSHR over the entire length of the coding sequence. The two other Populus SHR-like genes, PtSHR2A and PtSHR2B, are shorter in their 5' ends when compared with AtSHR. Unlike PtSHR1, that is expressed throughout the cambial zone of greenhouse-grown Populus trees, PtSHR2Bprom:uidA expression was detected in the phellogen. Additionally, PtSHR1 and PtSHR2B expression patterns markedly differ in the shoot apex and roots of in vitro plants. Transgenic hybrid aspen expressing PtSHR2B under the 35S constitutive promoter showed overall reduced tree growth while the proportion of bark increased relative to the wood. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) revealed increased transcript levels of cytokinin metabolism and response-related genes in the transgenic plants consistent with an increase of total cytokinin levels. This was confirmed by cytokinin quantification by LC-MS/MS. Our results indicate that PtSHR2B appears to function in the phellogen and therefore in the regulation of phellem and periderm formation, possibly acting through modulation of cytokinin homeostasis. Furthermore, this work points to a functional diversification of SHR after the divergence of the Populus and Arabidopsis lineages. This finding may contribute to selection and breeding strategies of cork oak in which, unlike Populus, the phellogen is active throughout the entire tree lifespan, being at the basis of a highly profitable cork industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La calidad del corcho es una de las cuestiones más relevantes para el sector corchero. Es un proceso complejo que requiere evaluar múltiples factores y manejar simultáneamente variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, en ocasiones, con un alto grado de subjetividad. Se presentan dos objetivos, en primer lugar establecer la relación entre la calidad comercial del corcho y la porosidad medida mediante análisis de imagen en diferentes etapas de la transformación industrial (planchas, láminas y tapones), y en segundo lugar, evaluar el potencial de la tecnología NIRS como método de caracterización de la porosidad y, por tanto, de la calidad industrial. Para ello se ha utilizado un colectivo muestral formado por 479 planchas, 176 láminas y 90 tapones de corcho natural de una pieza, clasificados industrialmente en 4, 2 y 3 clases de calidad, respectivamente. El coeficiente de porosidad se evaluó aplicando técnicas de análisis de imagen, en dos y tres clases de color. Los espectros NIRS se obtuvieron en la sección transversal (planchas y tapones), en la sección tangencial (láminas y tapones) y en la sección radial (tapones), con un espectrofotómetro Foss NIRSystems 6500 SY II, mediante la modalidad de reflectancia remota. El análisis estadístico de la relación entre calidad y coeficiente de porosidad, medido mediante análisis de imagen, permite discriminar dos clases de calidad para planchas y láminas y tres clases para tapones. La clasificación de la imagen en un mayor número de cluster mejora los resultados. Las mejores calibraciones NIRS se obtuvieron para la porosidad medida en 3 clases de color, coincidiendo con los resultados obtenidos mediante análisis de imagen y permiten discriminar dos clases de calidad en planchas (refugo y corcho taponable), las dos clases en láminas (R2=0,83; r2 =0,78) y las tres clases en tapones (R2=0,67; r2=0,53). Debido a las dificultades de automatización del análisis de imagen en las primeras etapas de la transformación industrial, la tecnología NIRS podría ser una herramienta objetiva que permitiera evaluar la porosidad y diferenciar dos clases de calidad en planchas y láminas y tres clases en tapones. Abstract The quality of cork is one of the most important issues for the cork industry. It is a complex process that requires evaluating many factors and simultaneously handles continuous and discrete variables, sometimes with a high degree of subjectivity. There are two objectives, in first place to establish the relationship between the commercial quality of the cork and the porosity measured by image analysis at different stages of industrial processing (planks, sheets, and stoppers), and in second place, to evaluate the potential of NIRS technology as a method of assessing the porosity and, therefore, the industrial quality. For this, there has been used a sample group formed by 479 planks, 176 sheets and 90 one piece natural cork stoppers, classified industrially into 4, 2 and 3 quality classes, respectively. The coefficient of porosity was evaluated into two and three classes of color by using image analysis techniques. NIRS spectra were obtained in the transverse section (planks and stoppers), in the tangential section (sheets and stoppers) and in the radial section (stoppers), with a spectrophotometer Foss NIRSystems 6500 SY II, by remote reflectance mode. Statistical analysis of the relationship between quality and coefficient of porosity, measured by image analysis, discriminates two quality classes for planks and sheets, and three classes for stoppers. Classifying the image into a larger number of clusters improves the results. Best NIRS calibrations were obtained measuring the porosity into 3 classes of color, matching the results obtained by image analysis. This allow to discriminate two quality classes in planks (refuse and race), the two classes in sheets (R2=0.83; r2 =0.78) and the three classes for stoppers (R2=0.67; r2=0.53). Due to the difficulties of automated image analysis in the early stages of industrial processing, NIRS technology could be an objective tool to evaluate the porosity and to differentiate two classes of quality in planks and sheets, and three classes in stoppers.

Cork is a natural material that has always been associated tomankind having huge potential and many uses. The cork industry worldwide consumes more than 280,000 t of cork a year. However, about 20% to 30% of the raw cork received at the processing units is rejected, mainly as cork dust. Finding useful applications for the rejected corkmay have important economic and environmental implications. Trying to combine the advanced technology of self-compacting concrete and use of this waste from the cork industry, this study concerns the possibility of using cork powder as a substitute for fines in mixtures of self-compacting concrete. An experimental program was carried out to assess the behavior of this material in the mixture and define properties in terms of strength and durability of self-compacting concrete containing cork powder. Itwas found that it is possible to use an abundantwastematerial fromthe cork industry, cork powder, as fines in Self Compacting Concrete resulting in a good strength level (C 30/37) and suitable durability for common applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cork oak is the second most dominant forest species in Portugal and makes this country the world leader in cork export. Occupational exposure to Chrysonilia sitophila and the Penicillium glabrum complex in cork industry is common, and the latter fungus is associated with suberosis. However, as conventional methods seem to underestimate its presence in occupational environments, the aim of our study was to see whether information obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a molecular-based method, can complement conventional findings and give a better insight into occupational exposure of cork industry workers. We assessed fungal contamination with the P. glabrum complex in three cork manufacturing plants in the outskirts of Lisbon using both conventional and molecular methods. Conventional culturing failed to detect the fungus at six sampling sites in which PCR did detect it. This confirms our assumption that the use of complementing methods can provide information for a more accurate assessment of occupational exposure to the P. glabrum complex in cork industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cork oak forest grows endemically in the coastal regions of the western Mediterranean basin, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. The cork agro-forestry systems play a key role in ecological processes, and the outer bark, or cork, can be extracted sustainability without damaging the tree or affecting biodiversity. Because of the properties of the cork, an important forestry and industrial structure has been developed around its most valuable goods. This paper describes the current global trade patterns in the Iberian Peninsula, where Portugal and Spain are world leaders. Although these countries bring most of their cork trade flows together with the rest of the world, there are clear differences between these sectors. The aim of this study was to identify these differences and to characterize each analysed sector from an economic perspective. The primary difference between the sectors lies in the characteristics of their supply chain and their capacity to generate wealth from raw cork. Portugal primarily produces and processes raw cork into products with high added value. Spain bases its cork sector on raw material and half-manufactured cork, and it is not able to use the full potential that cork provides. Catalonia is an exception because it is the global leader in the champagne stopper market. To encourage the development of the entire cork sector, every link in the supply chain should be strengthened through the establishment of companies and the generation of employment, and therefore the development of rural areas. Moreover, this industry must establish its own development strategies for the future, thereby increasing its investment in R&D and innovation in relation to the opportunities identified as follows: the potential for diversification beyond the wine market, the improvement potential for forest management and the enhancement of sustainability and eco-efficiency in every link of the cork supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Historia Agraria is the property of Historia Agraria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The flathead oak borer Coroebus undatus F. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is one of the primary pests of cork oak Quercus suber L. in the Mediterranean region causing great economic losses to the cork industry. Very little is known about its biology and behavior and, so far, no control measures have been established. We present the results of a pilot study aimed to develop an efficient trapping method for monitoring this harmful pest. In a 3-year field study, purple-colored prism traps baited with a mixture of green leaf volatiles (GLVs) from the host have been shown the most effective combination to catch C. undatus adults (solely females) compared to other trap and lure types tested. Wavelength and reflectance measurements revealed that purple traps exhibit reflectance peak values similar to those found in the abdominal and elytral cuticle of both sexes, suggesting the involvement of visual cues for mate location in this species. The data presented are the first to demonstrate captures of adults of the genus Coroebus by an attractant-based trapping method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural cork stoppers are commercially graded into quality classes according with the homogeneity of the external surface. The underlying criteria for this classification are subjective without quantified criteria and standards defined by cork industry or consumers. Image analysis was applied to premium, good and standard quality classes to characterize the surface of the cork stoppers and stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) was used to build predictive classification models. The final goal is to analyze the contribution of each porosity feature and propose an algorithm for cork stoppers quality class classification. This study provides the knowledge based on a large sampling to an accurate grading of natural cork stoppers. In average all the models presented accuracy in relation to the commercial classification over 68% with a higher mismatch in the mid-quality range. Color showed an important discriminating power, increasing the accuracy in 10%. The main discriminant features were porosity coefficient and color variables, calculated for the lateral surface. A quality classification algorithm was presented based on a simplified model with an accuracy of 75%. The classification based on color vision systems can ensure improved quality class uniformity and a higher transparency in trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to (1) evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the three types of raw cork produced in Portuguese cork oak woodlands (in Alentejo region) considering two alternative practices for stand establishment (plantation and natural regeneration), (2) compare the environmental impacts of raw cork production in Portuguese cork oak woodlands and in Catalonian cork oak forests, and (3) assess the influence of different allocation criteria for partitioning the environmental impacts between the different types of raw cork produced. Methods: A cradle-to-gate approach was adopted starting with stand establishment up to cork storage in a field yard. The system boundaries include all management operations undertaken during the following stages: stand establishment, stand tending, cork stripping, and field recovery. The allocation of the environmental impacts to reproduction, second, and virgin cork was based on mass and market price criteria. An alternative allocation approach was simulated by allocating environmental impacts also to the wood produced in the cork oak stands. The impact assessment was performed using the characterization factors recommended by the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD). Results and discussion: In Portugal, cork produced from naturally regenerated stands has a better environmental performance than cork produced from planted stands, but the differences are smaller than 10 %. Different management models of cork oak stands in Portugal and Catalonia (agro-silvopastoral system and forest system, respectively) originate different impact levels, which tend to be significantly lower in Catalonia. The environmental hot spots in the two regions are also distinct. In Catalonia, they are associated with cleaning, road maintenance, and worker and cork transport. In Portugal, they are fertilization, pruning, and cleaning. The two allocation criteria affect significantly the results obtained for virgin cork in Portugal and for virgin and second cork in Catalonia. Besides, when impacts are also allocated to wood, mass allocation should be avoided as it would not create incentives for a sustainable management of cork oak stands. Conclusions: The environmental impact from Catalonian cork may be reduced by decreasing mechanized shrub cleaning and road maintenance operations through the introduction of livestock in cork oak forests, and also by a better planning of management operations. For the Portuguese cork, improvements may be achieved by optimizing fertilizer dosage, planting nitrogen-fixing crops and pastures that improve soil quality, avoiding unnecessary operations, improving the efficiency of management operations, and increasing tree density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cork industries generate a considerable amount of solid waste during their processing. Its management implies a problem for companies that should reconsider its reuse for other purposes. In this work, an analysis of pelletizing of granulometric separation powder, which is one of the major wastes in cork industries and which presents suitable properties (as an raw material) for its thermal use, is studied. However, its characteristic heterogeneity, along with its low bulk density (which makes its storage and transportation difficult) are restrictive factors for its energy use. Therefore, its densified form is a real alternative in order to make the product uniform and guarantee its proper use in boiler systems. Thus, the cork pellets (from granulometric separation powder) in the study met, except for ash content specification, the specifications in standard European Norm EN-Plus (B) for its application as fuel for domestic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]