Secondary fiber is fibrous material that has already been through the manufacturing process and is used once again as a raw material. The demand for recycled products has risen over the past years, driven by factors such as concern for the environment and consumer demand. The quality has improved greatly in the past few years due to technological advances.
There are several sources of fibers for recycling. One of the main ones is post-consumer waste. This consists of items such as old newspapers, office paper, old telephone directors and old corrugated containers. These are collected, pulped and made into new products. Even the scraps from paper making are recycled inside paper mills and products which leave the mills and are discarded before use by consumers are also utilized.
These paper and paperboard products are used every day and make up a large portion of municipal waste. As a result, they offer the greatest opportunity to recycle. When recycled fibers are used, no further trees need to be cut down to make products and landfill volumes are reduced. Another benefit is that less energy and water are used in the pulping process than required with virgin fibers.
The process of recycling fibers involves the breaking down of the used paper with chemicals and water. Chopping it up and heating it breaks it down further. It becomes a pulp and is strained through screens to remove any glue or plastic. It has to go through a process of cleaning, de-inking and bleaching before it can be made into new products.
The de-inking is one of the aspects of this process that has presented problems. The ink and other contaminants have to be removed completely in such a way as to preserve the integrity and strength of fibers. Another problem encountered is that recycled fibers are more resistant to drainage. Less drainage means slower machine speeds. Hornification or inability to retain the original swollen water state was another issue that needed to be addressed. Then there was the problem of stickies, the tacky pliable organic materials such as adhesives and latex. Enzymes are now being utilized very successfully to overcome many of these problems.
New methods are being developed all the time for improving brightness and cleanliness of recycled fibers. The resulting products have comparable or, in some cases, better cleanliness, brightness, and other sheet properties than those made with virgin fibers. Apart from paper and paper board, there are many other products too that are successfully made from recycled fibers and offered at competitive prices.
The use of chlorine in paper making to make the paper brighter has become an issue in recent years. The reason for this is that a by-product of chlorine bleaching is dioxin, a known human carcinogen. Most paper mills now use bleaching procedures that produce less dioxin. The practice of chlorine-free bleaching of recycled fibers has become prevalent world wide with alternative bleaching agents being used.
The use of secondary fiber is increasing yearly and this trend is likely to continue. The fact that consumers do not have to make any compromises with regard to quality or price makes use of these products increasingly attractive. High performance products are available that meet the same technical specifications as virgin paper.
There are several sources of fibers for recycling. One of the main ones is post-consumer waste. This consists of items such as old newspapers, office paper, old telephone directors and old corrugated containers. These are collected, pulped and made into new products. Even the scraps from paper making are recycled inside paper mills and products which leave the mills and are discarded before use by consumers are also utilized.
These paper and paperboard products are used every day and make up a large portion of municipal waste. As a result, they offer the greatest opportunity to recycle. When recycled fibers are used, no further trees need to be cut down to make products and landfill volumes are reduced. Another benefit is that less energy and water are used in the pulping process than required with virgin fibers.
The process of recycling fibers involves the breaking down of the used paper with chemicals and water. Chopping it up and heating it breaks it down further. It becomes a pulp and is strained through screens to remove any glue or plastic. It has to go through a process of cleaning, de-inking and bleaching before it can be made into new products.
The de-inking is one of the aspects of this process that has presented problems. The ink and other contaminants have to be removed completely in such a way as to preserve the integrity and strength of fibers. Another problem encountered is that recycled fibers are more resistant to drainage. Less drainage means slower machine speeds. Hornification or inability to retain the original swollen water state was another issue that needed to be addressed. Then there was the problem of stickies, the tacky pliable organic materials such as adhesives and latex. Enzymes are now being utilized very successfully to overcome many of these problems.
New methods are being developed all the time for improving brightness and cleanliness of recycled fibers. The resulting products have comparable or, in some cases, better cleanliness, brightness, and other sheet properties than those made with virgin fibers. Apart from paper and paper board, there are many other products too that are successfully made from recycled fibers and offered at competitive prices.
The use of chlorine in paper making to make the paper brighter has become an issue in recent years. The reason for this is that a by-product of chlorine bleaching is dioxin, a known human carcinogen. Most paper mills now use bleaching procedures that produce less dioxin. The practice of chlorine-free bleaching of recycled fibers has become prevalent world wide with alternative bleaching agents being used.
The use of secondary fiber is increasing yearly and this trend is likely to continue. The fact that consumers do not have to make any compromises with regard to quality or price makes use of these products increasingly attractive. High performance products are available that meet the same technical specifications as virgin paper.
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