Natural Stone Industry Research Articles

Supply Trends and Regional Distribution Analysis of the Domestic Natural Stone Industry in Korea

Supply Trends and Regional Distribution Analysis of the Domestic Natural Stone Industry in Korea

Evaluating the supply chain resilience strategies using discrete event simulation and hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (case study: natural stone industry)

ABSTRACT One of the challenges that organisations face is the risk reduction through creating resilient supply chains. There are different strategies to reach the resiliency. In this paper, we analysed five important strategies: redundancy, backup supplier, reserved capacity, reserved inventory, and increasing work-shifts. These supply chain resilience (SCR) strategies are evaluated using discrete event simulation and hybrid multi-criteria decision-making methods. For this end, Bayesian best-worst method (BWM) and Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) were used for weighting the SCR evaluation criteria and ranking the SCR strategies, respectively. Six discrete event simulation models were generated and run for evaluating each strategy in order to achieve quantitative criteria. On the other hand, the ideas of experts were used for weighting qualitative criteria and also ranking the alternatives. Results showed that the increasing work-shift strategy has the first rank and the reserved capacity strategy has the lowest rank.

The Impact of Natural Stone Waste Pollution on The Distribution and Abundance of Phytoplankton in Cirebon District

The natural stone industry in Cirebon Regency produces large amounts of liquid waste which is directly discharged into rivers. The sludge resulting from the natural stone washing process contains high levels of suspended material, causing water pollution and disrupting the life of aquatic organisms including phytoplankton. Phytoplankton have an important ecological role as primary producers and food sources for other organisms, where their distribution and abundance are strongly influenced by various environmental factors. This research aims to determine the impact of natural stone waste pollution on the abundance and structure of phytoplankton communities in several water locations in the Jamblang watershed. A total of three observation stations were selected using a purposive sampling method at several points in the Jamblang Watershed, Cirebon Regency. The research results showed that phytoplankton were found at all observation stations with the identified types consisting of four classes, namely Bacillariophyceae (16 genera), Chlorophyceae (4 genera), Cyanophyceae (4 genera) and Euglenophyceae (2 genera). Bacillariophyceae is the most diverse class, while Oscillatoria sp. from the Cyanophyceae class was found to be the most abundant at all stations. The abundance of phytoplankton ranged between 716,587 - 1,332,122 cell/m3, where the highest abundance was found at station 2. The ecological index showed that the diversity and uniformity of phytoplankton at all stations was in the medium category. Species dominance at station 2 and station 3 is low, while at station 1 tends to have greater dominance than at other stations. Overall, from the results of calculations of abundance and community structure, several phytoplankton species show resistance to water conditions polluted by natural stone waste and other anthropogenic waste, especially from the Bacillariophyceae and Cyanophyceae classes which can be used as indicators of polluted waters.

Analysis of the performance of supply chain resilience strategies using a simulation approach (case study: natural stone industry)

Analysis of the performance of supply chain resilience strategies using a simulation approach (case study: natural stone industry)

Analysis of the performance of supply chain resilience strategies using a simulation approach (case study: natural stone industry)

Analysis of the performance of supply chain resilience strategies using a simulation approach (case study: natural stone industry)

Correlation Of Noise Levels With Work Stress For Natural Stone Factory Workers In An Occupational Health Law Perspective

Introduction: Permenkes No. 70 of 2016 concerning Standards and Requirements for Industrial Work Environment Health states that the NAB or Threshold Limit Value is the average intensity of exposure to physical or chemical hazards that can be accepted by all workers without causing health problems or illness at work in a day that does not exceed 8 hours. per day or 40 hours per week. The aim of this research is to determine the relationship between noise levels and work stress in natural stone factory workers in terms of health law. Method: The type of research used in this research is quantitative research with an observational analytical research design and a cross-sectional approach. The population of this study were workers at a natural stone factory in Kepuh village, Cirebon district. The sampling technique used was total sampling. The samples used were all 59 natural stone factory workers in Kepuh village, Cirebon district. Results: The research results show that most factory production areas are noisy (79.7%), factory workers experience as much stress as 76,5% Discussion: The conclusion of the research shows that there is a significant relationship between noise levels and work stress among natural stone factory workers in Kepuh Village, Cirebon Regency with p value = 0.000. The results of the juridical analysis of the relationship between noise levels and work stress among natural stone factory workers from a health law perspective are linked with Industrial Work Environment Health Standards and Requirements (Permenkes No. 70 of 2016) which states that every industry is obliged to meet standards and implement industrial work environment health requirements. The lack of socialization regarding legal regulations has resulted in the non-fulfillment of the noise threshold standards that should exist in the natural stone industry.

Test the Effectiveness of Eco-Enzyme Bioremediation as a Reducing Agent for Natural Stone Waste on Rice Plant Productivity and Water Quality in Dukupuntang District

Water is a natural resource that is needed for all living things. Likewise with the river used for irrigation of agricultural land. The Cigayem River is located in Dukupuntang District, Cirebon Regency. Above the river there are many natural stone cottage industries. The processing of natural stone into decorative stone requires a lot of water for its processing, so that a lot of river water in this area is polluted from this home industry activity. The waste is in the form of powder cut from natural stone with water which is directly channeled into irrigation canals without being processed first. The effect is siltation of irrigation canals and decreased water quality. This decrease in water quality has an impact on rice productivity in heavily affected areas. Pollution that occurs in irrigation canals in the study area can be identified by physical changes such as color and other impacts such as decreased productivity of rice yields in the study area since the establishment of the natural stone industry. The decline in rice productivity will threaten the sustainability of rice farming in central areas. Wastewater treatment technology has been developed a lot, but not all home industries can carry out waste treatment at a high cost. Eco enzyme can be a solution to waste pollution that pollutes rivers at a relatively low cost, easy to obtain and sustainable because all materials do not contain harmful chemicals and residues.

Guidelines for Natural Stone Products in Connection with European Standards.

The selection of ornamental stones for specific applications requires technical guidance since it should be based on the durability, service life, and aesthetic value of the stones. In most cases, these fundamentals provide quantitative data on the usability and performance of ornamental stones. The present study attempts to put forward a quantitative classification system for natural stone products concerning critical rock properties. For this purpose, fundamental physical and mechanical rock properties are listed based on European standards. Then, minimum limit values are proposed for different applications of natural stone products based on retrospective analyses of numerous ornamental stone applications. The suggested limit values based on several physical and mechanical rock properties can guide relevant engineers to initially consider possible rock types for use as natural stones in a wide range of applications. In this context, it is believed that the present study contributes to the natural stone industry by discussing the minimum limit values for the consideration of a wide range of rock types possibly usable in the dimension stone industry.

Analisis Produksi dan Air Limbah Industri Batu Alam dengan Perlakuan Eco-Enzym

<p class="Standard"><em>This research aims to identify production processes that produce natural stone waste and determine the effectiveness of using eco-enzymes in water irrigation channels by comparing the water quality of areas near the Dukupuntang natural stone industry before and after treatment with eco-enzymes. The approach used in this research is desk study, field survey, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), and laboratory analysis. The data analysis method used in this research is descriptive analysis. The stages of natural stone production are excavation, stone cutting, groove making, and finishing. The process of cutting natural stone waste plays a role in the production of natural stone wastewater. Providing eco-enzyme treatment can reduce soil pH to neutral pH. Color and DO parameters decreased with eco-enzyme treatment. The TSS, TDS, BOD, and COD parameters increased with eco-enzyme treatment.</em></p>

Green multiple-criteria decision-making method of selection of diamond cutting tool for promoting cleaner production in the natural stone industry

Selection of a reasonable diamond cutting tool (DCT) is a crucial Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) problem for promoting cleaner production for a natural stone company. It has severe uncertainties in the decision information, complex interdependences among the DM criteria and needs to balance stakeholders' opinions and adopt the non-complete compensation idea in the DM process. This paper establishes a specialized index system with changing the evaluation object from ontology of DCT to the ‘stone machining system’ within the boundary demarcated by LCA. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method is applied to analyze the interdependence relationships existing in the index system and then the indicators' weights can be obtained by Analytic Network Process (ANP) method. In order to avoid complete compensation among indicators, Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations II (PROMETHEE II) method is used to prioritize the alternatives and identify the most reasonable DCT. The new developed MCDM algorithm is expressed based on interval-valued fuzzy set (IVFS) theory to handle the uncertain information in DM process. Integration of IVFS theory with MCDM method allows the decision-maker to use linguistic variables which correspond to interval-valued fuzzy numbers to describe their judgments and ensures all the stakeholders' preferences can be trade-off in the DM process. In the case application, the proposed method has been applied to select a suitable DCT to cut the Lotus red granite (G3768) for a stone processing company in China. As a result, the iron-based DCT (TJ-15) obtained the highest priority net flow (0.373) among five DCT alternatives and it was identified as the most reasonable DCT for the case company. The application study demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of the developed method and indicates that pursuit of matching DCT with the characteristics of natural stone is more rational than blindly adopting more advanced and expensive DCT.

Biogenic material design by stone waste treatment with biologically induced mineralization

One of the most widely studied branches of biologically induced mineralization (BIM) processes, microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation, also known as microbially induced calcite precipitation, can be used as a method for the reinterpretation of waste natural stone particles into a sustainable material. By overcoming the need for synthetic adhesives or energy-consuming firing or sintering procedures for regaining such wastes, a natural and sustainable solution is proposed through certain biological treatment processes. The aim of this study was to determine the main processing variables affecting microbially induced biocement production using waste stone as a scaffold material. Bacillus pasteurii bacteria were used for biological induction of calcite precipitation. A custom-made reactor was designed for controlled incubation and medium injection into the waste stone scaffold. The parameters examined were the particle size of the waste stones, the effect of the stone type on cementation, the urease activity of the bacterial culture, temperature, the pH and flow rate of media, the mechanical strength of cemented scaffolds and water absorption capacity. This research demonstrated a potential solution to the waste generation problem of the global natural stone industry through the treatment of such wastes with BIM for creating a sustainable and biogenic material.

A comparative life cycle energy and green house emissions of natural and artificial stone-manufacturing phase

The natural stone industry in many countries plays an essential role in its cultural heritage, history and economy. However, the stone industry consumes large amounts of energy in the production phase. The total energy in the natural stone production is a collective summation of energy levels consumed in each phase of production, starting from stone quarries or from mixture preparation to finally produce natural or artificial stone as an end product. The study aims at evaluating the total embodied energy of the stone industry in Palestine to further conduct a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for both energy levels consumed in the manufacturing of natural and artificial stone. Personal interviews, observations, and stone quarry sites and workshops visits were used to collect data in Hebron – south of the West Bank. The results have shown a more sustainable production of artificial stone over natural stone in terms of energy consumption; and the (GHG) emissions accordingly as the amounts of energy for natural and artificial stone manufacturing were 120 MJ/m2 and 70.71 MJ/m2 respectively. As a conclusion, the study proves that natural stone (limestone) manufacturing produces more (GHG) emissions than the locally made artificial stone manufacturing in the study context under the studied circumstances. The environmental impact can be decreased through locating the workshops near the quarries and the sourcing points of raw materials. In addition, this can be obtained by depending on electrical vehicles and using green energy sources.

Strength and Microstructure of a Clayey Soil Stabilized with Natural Stone Industry Waste and Lime or Cement

Industrial waste generated by the natural stone industry when working with limestone and dolostone is mainly composed of calcium carbonate and calcium magnesium carbonate. This mineral composition makes soil stabilization a potential use of the natural stone industry waste. However, much research must be carried out to fully understand the aptitude of this waste for soil improvement. In this work, the strength and microstructure of a clayey soil stabilized using limestone powder waste and lime or cement were studied employing the following techniques: unconfined compressive strength tests, mercury intrusion porosimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the effects of an aggressive environment were simulated using a sodium sulfate solution. Its effects were investigated from 7 days to 6 months. The results obtained show an increase in the unconfined compressive strength and a more compact structure for the samples with the industrial waste. Therefore, limestone powder waste from the natural stone industry can be used as a ternary element with lime and cement in soil stabilization.

Supply Chain Resilience Analysis Considering Disruption in the Natural Stone Industry Using a Discrete-Event Simulation Approach

برای دستیابی به مزیت رقابتی در شرایط عدم‌­اطمینان که در آن تغییر ضروری است، یکی از چالش‌های بزرگ سازمان‌ها کاهش ریسک از طریق ایجاد زنجیره‌های تأمین تاب‌آور است. تاب‌آوری در زنجیره ‌تأمین به توانایی زنجیره ‌تأمین برای مقابله با اختلال اشاره دارد که اختلال یک رویداد غیرقابل‌پیش‌بینی بوده و دارای منابع داخلی و خارجی مختلفی ازجمله بلایای طبیعی و ریسک‌های عملیاتی است. در پژوهش حاضر به شبیه‌سازی اختلال توسط نرم‌افزار ارنا در یک زنجیره‌ تأمین سنگ ساختمانی در «کارخانه سنگبری آسمان» پرداخته شده است. مدت‌زمان اجرای شبیه‌سازی یک سال و تعداد دفعات اجرای مدل شبیه‌سازی 100 بار در نظر گرفته شد. پس از اعتبارسنجی مدل از طریق مقایسه نتایج حاصل از شبیه‌سازی با اطلاعات واقعی کارخانه با محاسبه میانگین قدر مطلق خطا و تأیید اعتبار مدل، سناریوهای مختلف برای مدیریت اختلال و نشان‌دادن تاب‌آوری سیستم ایجاد و آزمایش شدند؛ سپس بر اساس معیار‌های نرخ پاسخگویی به تقاضای مشتریان، هزینه تقاضای پس‌افت و هزینه کل، عملکرد هر یک از سناریوها ارزیابی و درنهایت سناریو افزونگی برای اجرا در دنیای واقعی انتخاب شد؛ نتایج نشان داد که برای تاب‌آور­کردن سیستم، یک خط تولید پشتیبان در کارخانه راه‌­اندازی شود.

Profitability determinants of the natural stone industry: Evidence from Spain and Italy.

The natural stone sector is an important driver of the Spanish and Italian economies, which underwent internationalization after the financial crisis of 2008 as part of a survival and development strategy. This article aims to study the financial and economic profitability of this sector in the two leading European production countries, as well as its determinants. For this purpose, the economic-financial data of a sample composed of 453 companies (203 Spanish and 250 Italian) from 2015-2019 were analyzed using the multiple linear regression methodology. To address the problems of possible endogeneity and omission of variables in the model, the dependent variable was used as a regressor with one and two lags, and panel data with fixed effects were considered after performing the Hausman test. The results show significant differences between the two countries, with higher profitability in Italy. Company size, company growth (measured as the change in assets), and the variation in the country's GDP all positively affected profitability. At the same time, the level of indebtedness showed a negative relationship. The country's inflation rate and gender diversity in top management were shown to be non-relevant variables. The research conducted indicates that, to increase profitability, Spanish and Italian companies in the natural stone sector should undergo mergers in order to grow in size, increase efficiency in the use of assets, reduce their dependence on external financing, and promote equity capital. In addition, Italian companies should reduce the average period of payment to suppliers to lower deferral costs, and boost exports to become less dependent on the country's domestic economy.

EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TURKISH NATURAL STONE INDUSTRY: A GREY FORECASTING MODEL

When the indicators in recent years are examined in the developing and renewed economic environment in Turkey, it is seen that the momentum of the natural stone industry and its share in total mining exports have increased steadily. However, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which affected the whole world, also affected the Turkish natural industry. Within the scope of this study, the export values of the Turkish natural stone industry on a monthly and yearly basis were evaluated both before the pandemic and during the pandemic. Export figures for 2020 and 2021 were tried to be estimated using the Gray Forecast model. With the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, natural stone export figures for 2020 fell behind 2019 in February, March, April and May. With the normalization process in June, July and Months, normalization started in export figures and exceeded the export values of 2019 in September, October, November and December. In 2020, which was entered with great hopes, it was not possible to reach the targeted figures this year due to the pandemic. In addition, Also, export values for 2020 and 2021 were predicted using a GM (1,1) grey forecasting model, which is a method frequently used in uncertainty cases. 2020 and 2021 export values were estimated by using the GM (1,1) gray forecasting model, which is a method frequently used in uncertainty situations. It has been seen that the model can be used reliably to predict natural stone export figures. In the following years, some assessments and recommendations have been made that may make the Turkish natural stone industry stronger in the following years on issues such as health management of crises and adaptation to the current situation if such outbreaks are replicated in the global world economy.

ANALYSIS OF RIVER WATER POLLUTION DUE TO DISPOSAL OF NATURAL STONE INDUSTRIAL WASTE IN CIREBON REGENCY

The development of the industrial sector has caused many changes in environmental quality, including the natural stone industry in Cirebon Regency. Water pollution that occurs is mostly caused by the disposal of waste to the river. Wastewater containing sludge causes changes in water quality including turbidity, high total and suspended solids, and sedimentation. The purpose of this study was to examine the condition of water quality and the status of river pollution due to the disposal of natural stone industrial waste using the STORET method and the pollution index. As a result, the concentration of TSS reached 1,042.33 mg/L and has exceeded the class III quality standard based on Government Regulation Number 22 of 2021. Pollution status based on the STORET method shows stations 1 and 2 are in the moderately polluted category, while station 3 is included in the category of lightly polluted. Meanwhile, based on the pollution index method, each station is included in the lightly polluted category. The results of both the STORET and the pollution index showed that station 2 had the highest score. Thus, efforts to treat waste from natural stone industrial activities are needed to reduce the rate of increase in river pollution.

Technology alternative for managing paddy fields exposed to natural stone industry wastewater in Cirebon Regency

Sediment materials and chemical compounds contained in the wastewater of the natural stone industry have adversely affected the paddy fields in the surrounding natural stone industry in several sub-districts in Cirebon Regency. This study aims to determine the impact of natural stone industry waste on paddy fields, water, and rice plants and to provide alternative technology to reduce the impacts. The method used was field survey, laboratory analysis, and FGD. The sediment material in the natural stone industry wastewater adversely affected the physical characteristics of the soil such as structural texture, and soil permeability that could inhibit the growth and development of rice plant roots. The chemical properties of the soil is still high in productivity and the level of heavy metal contamination is still below the threshold value according to GR 82/2001. However, it is necessary to immediately take control to avoid endangering the environment either to soil, water, plants, animals, or humans. Technology alternatives that recommended to reduce the impact of natural stone industry wastewater are as follows 1). Mechanical soil treatment technology; 2). Ecological engineering through the Integrated Plant and Resource Management approach; 3). Phytoremediation and Bioremediation technologies.

Investigation of thermal comfort conditions in a travertine processing plant by using thermal comfort indices

Through the total export figures, natural stone mining has an essential place in the mining sector in Turkey. The value of the sector is not only in terms of production mass but also in terms of its impact on employment, as the natural stone industry needs more workforce each year to meet the rapidly growing demand. Health security problems are also increasing with the increase in demand and the aggravation of business conditions. Thermal comfort conditions, which are one of the physical risk factors, constitute health-threatening situations in the natural stone sector. In this study, thermal comfort measurements were carried out in seven different sections of a travertine processing plant. As a result of thermal comfort measurements, predictive mean vote values ranged from − 0.50 to − 1.12, and the predicted percentage of dissatisfied values ranged from 11.24 to 32.47. Thermal sensation perceived by employees is not as neutral (0) as it should be in any working environment. According to these results, suggestions have been made to prevent employees from encountering health problems.

Evaluation of the Improvement Effect of Limestone Powder Waste in the Stabilization of Swelling Clayey Soil

The natural stone industry generates large amounts of industrial waste every year. Limestone powder produced by the activity of this industry is dumped into landfills, generating an environmental impact that could be reduced by using this waste as a binder in building materials. In the present work, the use of this by-product as an addition for soil improvement of clayey soils has been studied. The tested natural soil is a soft clay from southeastern Spain, which has been mixed by adding 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% of dry limestone dust by total dry weight of the soil. The natural soil and the additive have been characterized, in addition to the common geotechnical tests, by means of X-Ray diffraction and X-Ray Fluorescence. The improvement of the geotechnical properties of the mixed soil has been evaluated by means of the change in the Atterberg limits, free swell index, unconfined compressive strength, and one-dimensional consolidation test. The change in the microstructure of the mixed soil has been studied by scanning electron microscopy. In general, the results obtained show an increase in the strength of the soil and a reduction of its deformability when limestone powder is added.