HOW IT WORKS | Paper recycling, Cranes, Cherry jam, flower market | Episode 27| Free Documentary

the show that reveals how extraordinary items in our world are designed constructed and produced see the engineering the technology and big ideas that make the world go round and find out how it works coming up in today's show when it comes to big buildings the only tool that's tool enough is Europe's largest mobile crane what breakfast table would be complete without a jar of jam to spread on your bread we'll find out how to turn cherries into a cheerful toaster topping and we'll take a tour of the world's largest florist the Aalsmeer auction house in Holland but first paper recycling has grown in popularity modern attitudes mean more of us are returning our wasted newspaper magazines and packaging to be used again doing our bit for the planet sort of thing in an average year written uses over 11 million tons of paper as packaging and reading material and about 40% of it ends up at a facility like this but it's not recycled here this is the first step where it's sorted everything from padded envelopes to glossy magazines are sent to be recycled that's a lot of different types of paper and this creates a big headache for the recyclers who need to sort and separate things like newspaper supplements they're often wrapped in plastic this has to go padded envelopes and cardboard are also found in the pile to remove this the material is now passed over a series of rollers lighter paper falls through leaving the cardboard envelopes and packaging on top unfortunately for the recyclers there are still several more sorting stages to go through to get pure paper they can work with after initial sorting some types of colored card may still be left a color sensitive camera checks what passes barley and if it's not right a well-timed blaster there removes it from the conveyor this sorting facility uses some fairly high-tech equipment but at the end of the day people power is still the best filter for the job once all the material has been sorted it should end up here pure waste paper ready to be recycled the first stage of making new paper from old is to pulpit this is done by using a range of chemicals to break it all down the waste is filtered once more because even at this stage impurities may have slipped through the clutter is saved out and the workers end up with this gray slob this has to be cleaned if it's to be transformed into fresh recycled paper the pop still contains inks from the original paper print to remove it chemicals and soap are added air is pumped through the mix and the ink stick to the soap bubbles which are rising to the surface here they can be removed this is the machine that will turn the pulp into fresh paper it's over 120 meters long and contains a variety of devices to help turn sloppy pulp into pristine a4 now it may sound hard to believe but it only takes 20 seconds to turn pulp into paper when the pulp enters the machine it's 99% water and just 1% fiber so the water's got to go the pulp is spread out and passed through a roller with an absorbent cloth the cloth captures most of the liquid which is wrung out below it then returns to the machine to repeat the process the sheet of emerging paper is now passed through a series of heated rollers 130 degrees Celsius dries the paper perfectly now even though the pulp was cleaned earlier the processed paper is still gray so now it's painted two rollers layer on white ink giving it its traditional clean appearance the sheet then passes over air dryers and like your work shirt it then gets a good iron this smooths out any wrinkles the new paper may have finally the fresh sheet is wound on two enormous rollers the biggest ones can weigh up to as much as 30 tons strength is an important factor in deciding what the new paper will be used for books use a far higher grade of paper than newspapers a book may be read many times where a newspaper is only used two or three times this machine tests samples so they can be assigned a quality grade it can then be packed up to be sent to the right client when they need fresh stock but first the run will be cut down to the right size book publishers need a different size of paper from a company making gift wrap for example the neatly sliced rolls tumbled slowly off the guillotine under sent off to be wrapped in yet more paper this protective layer will help keep the freshly recycled stock clean finally the roles are stored until they're ready to be delivered a long paper recycling is a big step forward for the environment paper fibers can only be recycled five or six times before they become too brittle but the savings for the environment make it all worthwhile as recyclers turn your world newspaper enterprise new a for the skyline of many cities are covered in them they're known as boon type cranes and you couldn't build a skyscraper without them nowhere is this more so than when you're building a power plant with 90 meter high chimneys this is Europe's biggest mobile crane and it can reach over 200 meters high the enormous chimneys are brought to the site by trucks and prepared they're put to one side creating a space big enough for the enormous cranes arrival and here it is this crane is so big it's a major construction project in itself the first step is getting the base into position the cellar beneath the crane must be reinforced to take its weight if it collapsed the consequences will be disastrous the guides then use spray paint markings to line the crane up perfectly constructing the crane alone takes three days and the next morning the hydraulic supports arrive they're carefully lifted into place and the workers make absolutely certain their toes aren't in the way when they're put down with the base now in place and firmly supported where it can begin to erect a crane itself first comes the ballast to help balance the structure the crane uses 12 slabs in total weighing a massive 206 tons next comes the massive cranes frame structure steel pins weighing 36 kilos each hold the individual sections together slowly a recognizable shape of the boob begins to take form the crane is so large ordinary cranes are used to hold up the towering framework the next stage requires great care because it must reach high enough to maneuver the chimney the crane must be very long as it's raised one arm extends into any available space in this case directly over a busy road but the deadline to be met so construction must continue each section is put in place whilst workers watch out for the traffic below but who is watching the workers up here for now there's not much for the rig's operator to do while he waits for the crane to be put together he makes tiny adjustments to the cranes position whilst his colleagues are hammering 36 kilo pins of unweaving buses with the framework complete a handy weather vane is included to indicate wind speed to the cranes operators it also has a flashing light which acts as a navigation aid and obstacle warning for pilots finally the poi and winch mechanism are threaded up the cable alone for this enormous hook is 900 meters long and weighs a massive 7 tons it's a tough job and fingers can get crushed if accidentally trapped in a mechanism finally the driver gets some action in his day with everything in place he can now carefully raise the crane in readiness for tomorrow's big job to put it all together this enormous crane has needed 13 truckloads of equipment and spare parts and three whole days with a huge crane now constructed work on the power plant projects can now begin reaching over 200 meters in the air it dwarves any crane around it however jobs this size of a team effort and the smaller cranes are still important weighing in at 90 tons the chimney is a large object to maneuver safely because it's so long and must be positioned with millimetre perfect precision the wind factor is a real worry the crane operator has a key role in the job today he is responsible for maneuvering the chimney before it's moved it must be prepared the driver raises it from its temporary stand to a height oil workers can make any last minute repairs or necessary changes and when the foreman gives the word the massive crane is put to work no it's not a bird or a plane this is a powerplant chimney over 100 metres up in the air joking aside this is a very serious job and safety is paramount the enormous smokestack is lowered into position so the crane operators obvious relief without his skill and the sheer scale of the crane jobs as big as this just wouldn't be possible still to come with a slice of bread with some butter who can resist the temptation of a fruity Jam we'll show you how preserves are produced and if you forgot more flowers on your anniversary the world's largest flower auction house might be able to help where does it enhance mere flower market in heart throughout the UK and plenty of other countries besides bread and jam is one thing you'll probably find on a breakfast table but how do you turn delicious black cherries into a jam jar full of jam the logical place to start would be the orchard where the cherries are growing when they reach full whiteness the farmer brings out this gigantic sheet now it looks like he's going to spread it under the tree and just shake all the cherries out in fact that's exactly what he's going to do this mechanical arm is attached to the tree and it doesn't work all the fruit that is ripe will fall into the waiting sheep below where it can easily be collected up all that's left behind are the empty stems then all the farmer has to do is turn on the engine and the sheep rolls itself back up depositing thousands of light cherries into the collection tray simple farm workers collect box after box of fresh cherries ready to take them to the processing plant the first step is to remove all the leaves and stems that are still mixed in with a fruit this handy roller system traps the stems and Yanks them off only cherries make it past the rollers to the next step of the preserve process next the cherries are rinsed but there's one part the water can't remove the stone inside this next contraption catches each individual cherry they are then passed up into the stoning machine where spikes pass through the cherry removing the hard inedible middles all that's left behind is pure fresh fruit the cherries are finally ready to be turned into jam now it won't come as a surprise to learn that jams contain sugar but it may surprise you to learn just how much to make this cherry jam for instance for every kilo of fruit you use you need one kilogram of sugar soon the sugar is added in with the fruit which is cooking away in these big copper bowls the next ingredient is packed in it will help thicken the liquid into a jelly-like substance giving the mixture that familiar Jam like texture this will be added to the fruits along with lemon juice and the whole combination is cooked down further still after 15 minutes the chef will take a sample the sample is checked for a specific sugar level and consistency before it's ready for bottling the hot fruity preserve is poured into the waiting funnel which will take it to the bottling plants on the floor below in this part of the factory freshly cleaned jars pass under the tap continually and a measured quantity of the jam is released as soon as it's in the jars they're sent directly to the capping machine hot steam is included as the top is put on each jar and it's a good reason for this after they've been closed the jars are sent straight to the refrigerator as they cool quickly a vacuum is created inside the jar which seals it tight if it's unopened each jar of jam will stay fresh for up to two years finally any stray germ is washed off the jars and they're sent on to receive their traditional labels so from the tree to the factory to a slice of bread near you presenting fruit in this way ensures that treats like cherry jam can be enjoyed long after the fruit has left the trees this is not just a flower for Valentine's Day this is a rose and it's big business buying and selling flowers is a massive global industry and osmium market in Holland is the biggest supplier in the world it's the size of 200 football pitches making it the biggest commercial property anywhere on the planet every morning hundreds of trucks lorries and vans arrive from all over Europe their fragile cargo consists of over 20 million cut flowers and potted plants once they've been unloaded they're stored and refrigerated warehouses to keep track of who's buying and selling detailed information is assigned to the individual Lots in each shipment but then loaded onto these carriages to be taken to the auction rooms you with the paperwork complete hundreds and workers organize the carriages into orderly queues and join them up this trolley system is what helps Al's Mia's huge operation run so smoothly from the moment the auctions begin till the last flowers are sold at night these carts will trundle through the vast warehouses there's over 60 points of kilometres of track in here and their job is to bring the carriages to one place the auction room in the course of the year over one point seven billion roses more than 600 million tulips and millions of other assorted flowers and pot plants are sold here quality control is vital to ask me a success with so many plants on offer the buyers must be able to assess the progeny experts at oz mia take samples from each seller and grade them everything from color and smell to the plants frailty is assessed the buyers depend on this vital information for making their decisions once they're armed with the facts they can start shopping the flowers are wheeled past on the carriages and a display tells the buyers what the plants are who move them and their value but unlike normal auctions bits are made as the price goes down not up like any auction the trick it Aalsmeer is timing if you bid too early you may pay too much if you wait too long for a lower price the flowers might sell out it's not for the faint-hearted mistakes can be made but most of the buyers here are experienced operators all the bidding information is fed to the master salesman he will then assign the buyers information to the plants as they leave the hall the staff attached the information to the carriages so the plants can be delivered to the right Lloyds for transportation using motorised trolleys a different team can now deliver the flowers directly to the bias fans using the stickers that have been placed with each loss after they were bought the drivers are able to find the right buyer all the buyers have to do now is check their delivery tallies with what they pay for any plants that are damaged or not white can be sent back but if all's well it can be loaded up and delivered to their stores hundreds of lorries leave this Depot every day to stop florists all over Europe the sunflowers however the journey is far longer to ensure they aren't damaged on their travels they're wrapped in a protective layer of cellophane before they're shipped off Aalsmeer attract buyers from all over the globe and some of these flowers are destined for some very exclusive verses in countries halfway around the world these shipments are loaded onto planes in the evening and by morning can be as far away as Moscow or even Tokyo so the next time you're buying a bouquet it's highly likely that it may have made the long journey to you by the Aalsmeer flower market

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 900,234

Rating: 4.7446523 out of 5

Keywords: Full documentary, How it works, how its made, How It's Made (TV Program), Recycling (Industry), Paper Recycling, Paper (Visual Art Medium), Flower market, Aalsmeer Flower Auction (Location), Garden, Green, Stage

Id: LCnRCfFQBFo

Length: 23min 35sec (1415 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 03 2014