What Happens to Paper That Is to Be Recycled?
Recycled paper helps offset the paper industry's environmental impact, because it is one of the largest polluters worldwide. The paper industry also ranks as the third-largest consumer of energy in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Approximately 50 percent of tissue in the world is made from recycled office paper. About 49 percent of all the paper that is collected for recycling is used cardboard containers.
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Sorted & Shredded
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Once-used paper is collected and brought to a recycling center, where it is sorted into two types: pre-consumer and post-consumer. Pre-consumer paper has not been used, and may be waste from a paper product manufacturer. Post-consumer paper includes old newspapers, residential mixed paper, office paper waste and telephone books. Contaminants, such as staples, trash, plastics and glass are removed and the paper is machine shredded. Water is added to the paper fibers to create a cellulose mixture.
De-inking
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The paper fibers are then cleaned and the ink is removed during a process in which air moves into the pulp-and-water solution. The ink is attracted to the bubbles of air and rises to the surface and is separated. The remaining fiber is often bleached, sometimes using harsh chemical bleaches or hydrogen peroxide.
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Additives
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Additives that determine recycled paper's absorbency, brightness, strength and printability are introduced to the pulp mix. The additives consist of sizing that adds water resistance, wet-strengthening agents for hand towels and defoamers that balance the foam in the pulp mix.
Creating Sheets
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Sheets of paper are made by suspending the cellulose fibers in water and straining them. A Fourdrinier, or cylinder machine, assists the natural bonding of the pulp and water mixture. The Fourdrinier has a moving wire mesh that forms the wet mixture into sheets of the desired thickness..
Moisture Removal
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The wet sheet contains 20 percent pulp, and is removed from the wire mesh and placed onto a woolen felt belt. It is pressed through a series of rollers, which removes an additional 13 percent of water. Evaporation removes the remaining moisture.
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References
- Photo Credit recycling image by dbvirago from Fotolia.com
