Paper Recycling

PAPER
RECYCLING

Paper is made from cellulose fibres - extracted from wood, from cotton rags etc. The raw materials are broken down to release the fibres which are mixed with water to make paper pulp, a porridge like slurry. The pulp (at about 95% water, 5% fibre) is poured onto the paper making machine which creates a continuous sheet. Water is extracted from the pulp slurry and as the water content falls the paper fibres bond together, allowing the new sheet to support its own weight as it is lifted from the the production conveyor. The new sheet is dried over a series of heated drums and is then wound on to a large drum.

The reels of fresh paper can then be taken for cutting to form the standard cut sheets we are used to using, or can be sent directly to large users such as newspaper printers who load the paper directly to their printing presses from the reel.

Fresh paper is made from new supplies of paper pulp. Most plain writing papers are made using wood pulp made from trees (Fir/Pine in Europe, Eucalyptus in Brazil, Far East etc.) Fresh paper requires large amount of wood to be cut and pulped. Even fast growing trees such as the European pine etc. require 20 years to grow from the seedling to a size that is ready for harvesting. Making large amounts of paper requires huge forests - with continuous programmes of planting and harvesting (Sweden, Finland etc.)

High quality papers (for writing, for banknotes etc.) are made with the addition of cotton fibres (another natural form of cellulose), mixed with the wood pulps in the form of rags etc.

Adding recycled materials

Recycled pulp can be added to the paper stock, reducing the demand for fresh trees and cotton. Some fresh fibres will always be needed to overcome the problems of fibres being damaged and weakened in the recycling process. However, most papers will contain a proportion of recycled pulp, reducing the demand for the cutting down of forests and the impact that this causes on the natural forest environment.

Comparing the manufacturing of new paper from raw woods, it can save up to 75% of energy, 50% of processing water, and reduce 75 to 95% of air pollution at the same time if it is manufactured from recycled paper. Paper recycling can be reduced 14% to 22% of the amount of garbage

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