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Paper Waste: Why It Matters & How to Reduce It

December 06, 2023 - 6 min read

Paper waste refers to discarded paper materials that are no longer needed and are destined for disposal. Paper waste is a significant environmental concern due to its contribution to landfills, deforestation, energy and water consumption, and air pollution.

In the swirl of today’s bustling world, paper remains a silent yet significant part of our daily lives. From the morning coffee cup to the endless stream of office documents, paper is omnipresent, often overlooked yet highly impactful on the environment. The reality is stark: paper waste constitutes a major segment of the solid waste in landfills and plays a notable role in deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution. 

So understanding how to reduce paper waste and taking actionable steps to minimize it isn't just an act of environmental consciousness; it's a responsibility. Today, we explore the labyrinth of paper waste, its repercussions, and how eco-friendly alternatives can significantly contribute to curbing this issue.

The Current State of Paper Waste

Despite the sea of digital transformation, paper endures as an integral yet challenging element of our global waste dilemma. Despite our lives becoming increasingly centered on digital solutions, the trails of wastepaper continue to expand, suggesting that the paperless world we often continue to imagine as the wave of the future remains elusive. 

From school assignments to boardroom reports, the demand for paper is juxtaposed against the urgent call for environmental stewardship. As we delve into the realm of how to reduce paper waste, it’s clear that our reliance on this resource has significant repercussions, necessitating a closer look at recovery, recycling, and the role of paper in our daily professional activities.

Global Paper Recovery and Recycling

The path of paper from creation to recycling is a complex one, often stymied by insufficient recycling infrastructure and the mixed quality of the recovered material. Despite considerable progress, a substantial gap exists between the amount of paper produced and the quantities that are reclaimed and repurposed. 

Efforts to enhance paper recovery and recycling are ongoing, with the ultimate goal being a closed-loop system where paper and packaging waste re-enters the production cycle, minimizing the need for raw materials. These endeavors are not just about preserving trees; they're about creating a sustainable model that can support our paper needs without compromising the health of our planet.

The Impact of Paper in Offices and Industries

Paper serves as both a tool of communication and a symbol of bureaucracy. Offices, while pivoting towards digital solutions, still harbor a significant dependency on paper, evident in the towering stacks of documents, reports, and promotional materials that accumulate and need sorting daily. This continuous churn of paper contributes to an enormous waste footprint, one that industries are now seeking to reduce through innovative waste reduction strategies and responsible sourcing.

The Environmental and Economic Consequences of Paper Waste

Paper waste is not a silent issue; its environmental ramifications echo through the corridors of economic and ecological discussions alike. Its consequences ripple out, affecting forests, the air we breathe, and the efficiency of our waste management systems. Understanding the full impact of paper waste is a step towards mitigating its effects and crafting solutions that align with our environmental aspirations and economic realities.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The paper industry's contribution to greenhouse gasses is a significant facet of its environmental impact, with both the U.S. and Canada grappling with the implications of climate change. 1 This sector is among the top industrial emitters of carbon dioxide, the byproduct of energy consumption for paper processing and transportation. Every ton of paper recycled can prevent the release of approximately one ton of carbon dioxide, illustrating the profound climate benefits that can be achieved through improved recycling rates and reduced paper production.

Deforestation and Its Effects

Deforestation, driven by various industries including paper and pulp, continues to be an alarming global issue. It not only contributes to the loss of biodiversity and the displacement of indigenous communities but also exacerbates climate change by reducing the planet's carbon absorption capacity. Encouragingly, each ton of recycled paper can save approximately 17 trees, underscoring the critical role that recycling can play in mitigating the ecological impact of deforestation and promoting sustainable forest management practices.

Landfill Challenges and Pollution

The voluminous amount of paper waste that ends up in landfills presents a two-fold challenge: it occupies valuable land and, as it decomposes, produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Moreover, the financial burden of managing these landfills falls on taxpayers, who often unknowingly subsidize these costs through municipal waste management fees. Reducing paper waste not only conserves landfill space but also diminishes the financial strain on communities working to manage an ever-growing tide of paper and cardboard waste.

Practical Solutions to Reduce Paper Waste

Reducing paper waste aligns with the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling, which are pivotal for creating a sustainable future. It involves not only changing individual behaviors and office practices but also embracing innovative technologies that offer paperless alternatives. 

By taking proactive steps to minimize paper consumption, we can significantly diminish the environmental footprint of our daily activities and contribute to the conservation of natural resources. Moreover, such actions often lead to increased efficiency and cost savings, creating a compelling case for individuals and businesses alike to adjust their paper usage habits.

Mindful Printing

Becoming more mindful about printing can dramatically reduce unnecessary printer paper use. Simple actions such as printing only what is essential or utilizing print preview to avoid mistakes can cut down on office paper waste significantly. In addition to efficient document formatting and advocating for double-sided printing, office settings can promote a culture of mindfulness where each sheet of paper is valued, and printing is approached with intention, not as an automatic reflex.

Embracing the Digital Age

The digital revolution offers a powerful tool in the fight against paper waste. The move toward paperless billing, online subscriptions, and electronic data storage has already shown significant reductions in paper usage. Utilizing cloud-based services and collaborative platforms can not only eliminate the need for physical documents but also increase operational efficiency making the paperless route an attractive option for both environmental and productivity gains.

Creative Reuse and Recycling

Recycling should be a last resort after all efforts to reduce and reuse have been considered. Encouraging creative reuse of old paper, such as using the blank side of printed papers for notes or making multiple use of cardboard boxes, contributes to the reduction of waste. Moreover, when recycling is necessary, doing it properly by ensuring papers are free of contaminants and sorted correctly can maximize the effectiveness of recycling programs and support the industry's shift towards utilizing more post-consumer waste and recycled fiber in new paper production.

The Reel Paper Difference

With its innovative approach, Reel Paper serves as a means to push sustainability in an industry that is often criticized for its environmental impact. By offering bamboo-based and recycled household paper products such as bamboo toilet paper , recycled facial tissues , and sustainable paper towels , Reel Paper provides consumers with high-quality, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional paper products.

This commitment extends beyond just the materials used; our brand’s entire business model is rooted in environmental responsibility and social welfare, including plastic-free packaging and partnerships with initiatives to improve access to clean sanitation worldwide. 

By choosing Reel Paper, customers are not only making a choice that benefits the planet but are also joining a movement that supports global sustainability and hygiene programs, creating a ripple effect of positive change.

References: 

• GHGRP Pulp and Paper | US EPA 2016 URL: https://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/ghgrp-pulp-and-paper  
• Pulp & paper | IEA  2023 URL: https://www.iea.org/energy-system/industry/paper  
• Paper Recycling as a Means of Protecting World Forests By Renée Yardley |Sustainable Brands 2019 URL: https://sustainablebrands.com/read/corporate-member-update/paper-recycling-as-a-means-of-protecting-world-forests

Vince Leyson

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A public agency reducing waste in Alameda County

The Impact of Paper Waste

Financial Costs

The costs of using paper inefficiently in the workplace are too significant to be ignored. The expenses from supplies such as toner and paper, as well as equipment maintenance can add up fast. More significant is all the staff time wasted adjusting printers and copiers, filing documents, and then trying to find them again—often just to throw them away. Some findings from productivity research studies:

• Inefficient use of printers, copiers, and fax machines can waste between 1 and 3 percent of company revenue annually [ 1 ].
• For every dollar spent on copying, companies incur another $6 in handling and distribution, and half of all documents printed are thrown away within 24 hours [ 2 ].
• An average of 17% of everything printed is considered waste [ 3 ].

Environmental Costs

Using less paper can save your organization money and can also help with several environmental problems. Of all trees harvested for industrial use, 42% go to making paper. The pulp and paper industry is also the largest industrial user of water, the biggest water polluter, and the third largest emitter of global warming pollution in most industrialized nations [ 4 ].

Get Started

• Practices that Use Less Paper :  Learn about tried-and-true paper saving practices, and how to put them in place at your organization.
• Paperless Express :  This comprehensive and easy to follow guide provides tips and tools for office workers and managers in business, government, and other organizations. You will find steps to reduce paper at your desk, in the mail room, by using technology, and in many other ways.

Paper Waste Facts

Paper comes from trees….

The World Counts • Impact through Awareness

The world counts impact through awareness, paper accounts for around 26% of total waste at landfills.

Paper production causes deforestation, uses enormous amounts of energy and water, and contributes to air pollution and waste problems.

323,574,623

Tons of paper produced

In the world, this year

Paper production - and waste - to double

From 2010 to 2060, the global consumption of pulp and paper is expected to double. The same will the amount of paper waste. An increased paper production will also add further to the pressure on the world’s forests that are already in a critical state - and constantly getting worse.

From 2001 to 2019, a total of 386 million hectares of forest were lost globally (in all forest types combined). This loss represents an almost 10 % decrease in tree cover since 2000.

21,563,931.91

Hectares of forests cut down or burned

Globally, this year

In today’s electronic age, people are starting to consider going paperless. But there’s still a long way to go before we lose our dependence on this very important human product. 

From our newspapers to our paper wrappings, paper is still everywhere and most of them are ending up in our landfills creating a staggering amount of paper waste. There was a time when paper was a rare and precious commodity. Now it fills our planet. It was initially invented as a tool for communication, but today, paper is used more for packaging.

To produce paper takes twice the energy used to produce a plastic bag. Everything takes energy to produce. 

In the case of paper, it also involves cutting down trees. Deforestation is one of the main environmental problems we’re facing in these times. 42% of all global wood harvest is used to make paper. Is it really worth it to cut down our life saving trees for this product?

Let us share with you these interesting paper waste facts. We are so used to seeing products in their completed form that we seldom think of how they are made and what happens after we dispose of them.

Facts about Paper and Paper Waste

• As we speak, more than 199 tons of paper has already been produced (paper production in 15 seconds).
• 2,700 liters of water is used to make 1 tonne of paper (average for the European industry).
• 1 sheet of paper requires 2 to 13 liters of water (depending on the mill).
• 93% of paper comes from trees.
• 50% of the waste of businesses is composed of paper.
• Recycling 1 tonne of paper saves around 1400 liters of oil, 26,500 liters of water and 17 trees.
• Packaging makes up one third or more of our trash.
• U.S offices use 12.1 trillion sheets of paper a year.
• Paper accounts for around 26% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste.
• With all the paper we waste each year, we can build a 12 foot high wall of paper from New York to California!
• Lessening of paper usage was predicted due to the electronic revolution. It didn’t happen. Demand for paper is expected to double before 2030.
• Every tree produces enough oxygen for 3 people to breathe.

Toilet paper waste

The global consumption of toilet paper is roughly 22 billion kilometers (if laid out) or 42 million tons. All that paper is the same as 50,000 times the circumference of planet Earth. Or a round-trip every 10 minutes.

Environmental Effects of Paper Waste

Deforestation is the primary effect of our mindless use of paper. Conservation groups have made an admirable headway in protecting ecologically rich forests and limiting commercial access. This is great progress for mankind! Just imagine how long a tree will grow to its full size…. We are only just realizing the wasted use of our trees - trees that give off oxygen and protect the planet from further Global Warming.

Paper pollution is another effect of paper waste and it’s a serious problem. It is estimated that by 2020, paper mills will be producing 500,000,000 tons of paper and paperboard each year! We obviously need this product and a reduction of use is not in the horizon. Pulp and paper is the 3rd largest industrial polluter of air, water and soil. Chlorine-based bleaches are used during production which results in toxic materials being released into our water, air and soil. When paper rots, it emits methane gas which is 25 times more toxic than CO2.

Environmental consequences of toilet paper waste

Producing 42 million tons of toilet paper requires:

• 712 million trees
• 1,165 millions tons of water
• 78 million tons of oil

10 Easy Ways to Reduce Paper Waste and Pollution

In North America, many paper companies are now modifying their processes to reduce the formation of dioxins. Dioxin is a toxic by-product of the manufacture of paper and it is a carcinogen. We are now seeking renewable sources of paper so we don’t have to cut down our beautiful life-giving trees.

What can you do from your end to reduce paper pollution and waste?

• Recycle all your paper waste.
• Be a conscious consumer and buy “100% post-consumer waste recycled”. Buy recycled paper materials or materials that came from sustainable managed forests.
• In the office, reuse paper. If you’ve only used one side for example, collect them instead of throwing them away. You can bind these sheets and make a notebook using the other side. This small effort reduces paper waste by 50%
• If you already have a scanned copy of a file, don’t print it anymore unless really needed.
• Use email instead of paper when communicating with clients and customers.
• Reduce the use of paper cups and disposable paper plates by keeping reusable items in the office pantry.
• Encourage your officemates and friends to recycle their paper by putting them in recycling bins.
• Insist on “Process Chlorine Free” paper materials.
• Buy products with the least paper packaging. Encourage businesses that follow environment friendly practices.
• Take advantage of the latest technologies like tablets, computers and smart phones to keep your files and notes.

As a consumer, the way you use and dispose of paper and other paper products greatly affect our paper waste. These small efforts on your part will be a valuable contribution in the resolution of our pollution problems today.

21,563,931.92

1.8692267459

Number of planet Earths we need

- to sustain the growing human population

75 y 83 d 14 h 20 m 03 s

Time left till the end of rainforests

If current trends continue

• World Population
• The Consumer Economy
• Our Global Challenges
• The Project
• Keep the optimism
• Support green companies

The Environmental Impacts of Using Paper

by blogger | Sep 24, 2014 | Blog

Take a moment and look around you. You’ll see that there are a lot of things made out of paper. Paper is used for various purposes in our everyday lives. We use paper for storing information, printing books, newspapers, and magazines. Students buy books and notebooks in order to attend their classes. Each year, more than 2 billion books, 350 million magazines, and 24 billion newspapers are published ( Frequent Questions | Paper Recycling | US EPA ). We also use paper in our kitchen, bathroom, cars, and as packaging materials. According to the recyclopedia data , each person uses about 749 pounds of paper each year in the United States.

The per capita paper consumption in the United States is more than any country in the world. We use paper for more purposes and in many different forms, than meets the eye. Paper comes in forms of tissue paper, paper towels, toilet paper, cardboard, packaging boxes, inserts in your shoes, and much more.

To make paper, we cut down 4 billion trees around the world each year, which accounts for 35% of the total trees cut around the world ( Paper Chase | Ecology Global NetworkEcology Global Network ).

The paper industry and global impacts

Sourcing Impacts

• More than 20 million trees are consumed for printing books, and about 95 million trees are consumed for newspapers, every year.
• Over 40% of the total global industrial wood harvest is used to make paper.
• Deforestation is the source of 25% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
• Paper accounts for more than half of all recyclables collected in the US, by weight. About 44 million tons of paper and paperboard were recovered in 2012—a recycling rate of about 65% ( Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2012 Facts and Figures ).

Production Impacts

• The paper industry is responsible for 9% of the total emissions of carbon dioxide from manufacturing industries.
• The paper and pulp industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases among U.S. manufacturing industries.

Disposal Impacts

• Paper makes up 26% of landfills. Degradation produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat trapping capacity of carbon dioxide.
• Landfills are the source of 34% of methane released—the single largest source in the U.S.

(Source: The Green Press Initiative ).

Impacts of the paper industry on forests

Although some paper comes from well managed forests, many of the trees for paper industries are sourced from illegal tree loggers who destroy forests with high conservation values. Some proposed new sites for pulp and wood plantations are also a threat to natural habitats and the world’s natural biodiversity in many places. ( WWF )

Impact of the paper industry on climate

Paper industries emit greenhouse gases in the process of manufacturing paper and in the process of providing energy supply to paper plants. Greenhouse gases are mainly responsible for climatic changes and global warming. The disposal of paper also contributes to global warming. Paper emits harmful methane gas when it rots.

Impacts of the paper industry on water resources

Paper industries also pollute water resources of the world by discharging many pollutants into bodies of water. Toxic chemicals like chlorine, iodine, and sulfur dioxide, contribute to the damage of the aquatic eco-system. They also create water acidification and oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon cycle imbalances.

Alternatives to cutting down trees

This is alarming to know that a large number of trees are being cut down for the paper and pulp industries. At this rate of deforestation, the world will soon face severe consequences of losing trees. There will be loss in the ecological balance, increased rate of greenhouse gases, giving rise to severe global warming and climatic changes.

You’ll be happy to know that several companies in the United States are trying to come up with alternatives to cutting down trees for making paper. There are also other options available to reduce dependence on paper based printed media.

Recycled paper

Paper makes up 27 percent of municipal solid waste ( EPA: Paper Recycling ). Recycling paper and making paper from recycled materials and recycling more paper could be a common solution for saving trees and environmental impacts on the globe. Using paper made from “Post-consumer waste” or recycled paper will reduce the number of trees being cut down and used for paper. It will also save landfill space and save energy. It takes 60% less energy to produce paper from recycled materials and post-consumer waste, than to make paper from scratch, using virgin materials ( EarthShare: Paper alternatives ). And of course this also means that no new trees are necessary for production.

Hemp could be another alternative to cutting down trees. It grows faster and produces twice as much fiber per acre than trees. Because hemp is the same species of plant as the common street drug, marijuana, legality of hemp varies widely from state to state. Many of the states in the United States have strict regulations and restrictions about growing it.

Electronic media and paper

Many of the utility companies are switching to electronic billing and electronic mailing systems instead of traditional paper mail billing, to save trees. Imagine the large volume of junk mail and flyers that come in your mail every day. When you get junk mail, it’s like cutting down trees and throwing them in the landfill. Every person in your neighborhood gets junk mail, and it wastes paper, and also energy in mail delivery.

With the boom in the computer industry and digital media, more and more people are reducing their dependency on printed media. Marketers have also found that email is a greener and more efficient choice, allowing them to save 60 to 80 percent by switching to email-based marketing strategies ( Email Insider ).

Computers and electronic media have also made it possible to publish books, newspapers, online magazines, catalogs, and other forms of information, without using paper. The Internet does what the printing industry does for books and newspapers, but it does it a lot faster, without wasting nearly as much energy and resources.

Environmentalists around the world have already called for reduced paper consumption and are creating global awareness. Mass realization and awareness, and efforts from every individual, organization and government agency, are necessary. When it comes to global awareness, every one of us counts.

We’ll be posting more blogs on how you can reduce wastage and use of paper, and how you can reduce junk mails, in our later blogs, so please keeps reading our blogs. We’ll be back with another blog, until them, stay well, and don’t forget to spread the message about saving paper and the environment.

P.S: Please put down your own thoughts about this topic. Thanks for reading our blogs.

Source: Environmental Professionals Network

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The Effects of Paper Recycling and its Environmental Impact

Submitted: 24 November 2010 Published: 05 July 2011

DOI: 10.5772/23110

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Author Information

Iveta čabalová *.

• Technical University in Zvolen,Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Slovakia

František Kačík

Anton geffert *, danica kačíková *.

*Address all correspondence to:

1. Introduction

It is well known the paper production (likewise the other brands of industry) has enormous effects on the environment. The using and processing of raw materials has a variety of negative effects on the environment.

At the other hand there are technologies which can moderate the negative impacts on the environment and they also have a positive economical effect. One of these processes is the recycling, which is not only the next use of the wastes. The main benefit of the recycling is a double decrease of the environment loading, known as an environmental impact reducing. From the first view point, the natural resources conserves at side of the manufacturing process inputs, from the second view point, the harmful compounds amount leaking to the environment decreases at side of the manufacturing process outputs.

The paper production from the recycled fibers consumes less energy; conserves the natural resources viz. wood and decreases the environmental pollution. The conflict between economic optimization and environmental protection has received wide attention in recent research programs for waste management system planning. This has also resulted in a set of new waste management goals in reverse logistics system planning. Pati et al. (2008 ) have proposed a mixed integer goal programming (MIGP) model to capture the inter-relationships among the paper recycling network system. Use of this model can bring indirectly benefit to the environment as well as improve the quality of waste paper reaching the recycling unit.

In 2005, the total production of paper in Europe was 99.3 million tonnes which generated 11 million tonnes of waste, representing about 11% in relation to the total paper production. The production of recycled paper, during the same period, was 47.3 million tonnes generating 7.7 million tonnes of solid waste (about 70% of total generated waste in papermaking) which represents 16% of the total production from this raw material ( CEPI 2006 ).

The consumption of recovered paper has been in continuous growth during the past decades. According to the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), the use of recovered paper was almost even with the use of virgin fiber in 2005. This development has been boosted by technological progress and the good price competitiveness of recycled fiber, but also by environmental awareness – at both the producer and consumer ends – and regulation that has influenced the demand for recovered paper. The European paper industry suffered a very difficult year in 2009 during which the industry encountered more down-time and capacity closures as a result of the weakened global economy. Recovered paper utilisation in Europe decreased in 2009, but exports of recovered paper to countries outside CEPI continued to rise, especially to Asian markets (96.3%). However, recycling rate expressed as “volume of paper recycling/volume of paper consumption” resulted in a record high 72.2% recycling rate after having reached 66.7% the year before ( Fig. 1 ) ( Hujala et al. 2010 ;CEPI 2006; European Declaration on Paper Recycling 2010; Huhtala& Samakovlis 2002 ; CEPI Annual Statistic 2010).

European paper recycling 1995-2009 in million tonnes (European Declaration on Paper Recycling 2006 – 2010, Monitoring Report 2009 (2010) (www.erpa.info)

Recycling is not a new technology. It has become a commercial proposition since Matthias Koops established the Neckinger mill, in 1826, which produced white paper from printed waste paper. However, there were very few investigations into the effect of recycling on sheet properties until late 1960's. From then until the late 1970's, a considerable amount of work was carried out to identify the effects of recycling on pulp properties and the cause of these effects ( Nazhad 2005 ; Nazhad& Paszner 1994 ). In the late 1980's and early 1990's, recycling issues have emerged stronger than before due to the higher cost of landfills in developed countries and an evolution in human awareness. The findings of the early 70's on recycling effects have since been confirmed, although attempts to trace the cause of these effects are still not resolved ( Howard &Bichard 1992 ).

Recycling has been thought to reduce the fibre swelling capability, and thus the flexibility of fibres. The restricted swelling of recycled fibres has been ascribed to hornification, which has been introduced as a main cause of poor quality of recycled paper ( Scallan&Tydeman 1992 ). Since 1950's, fibre flexibility among the papermakers has been recognized as a main source of paper strength. Therefore, it is not surprising to see that, for over half a century, papermakers have supported and rationalized hornification as a main source of tensile loss due to drying, even though it has never been fully understood ( Sutjipto et al. 2008 ).

Recycled paper has been increasingly produced in various grades in the paper industry. However, there are still technical problems including reduction in mechanical strength for recycled paper. Especially, chemical pulp-origin paper, that is, fine paperrequires a certain level of strength. Howard & Bichard (1992 ) reported that beaten bleachedkraft pulp produced handsheets which were bulky and weak in tensile and burst strengthsby handsheet recycling. This behaviour could be explained by the reduction in re-swelling capability or the reduction in flexibility of rewetted pulp fibers due to fiber hornification and, possibly, by fines loss during recycling processes, which decrease both total bondingarea and the strength of paper ( Howard 1995 ; Nazhad&Paszner 1994 ; Nazhad et al. 1995 ; Khantayanuwong et al.2002 ; Kim et al. 2000 ).

Paper recycling is increasingly important for the sustainable development of the paper industry as an environmentally friendly sound. The research related to paper recycling is therefore increasingly crucial for the need of the industry. Even though there are a number of researches ascertained the effect of recycling treatment on properties of softwood pulp fibres ( Cao et al. 1999 ; Horn 1975 ; Howard&Bichard 1992 ; Jang et al. 1995 ), however, it is likely that hardwood pulp fibres have rarely been used in the research operated with recycling treatment. Changes in some morphological properties of hardwood pulp fibres, such as curl, kink, and length of fibre, due to recycling effects also have not been determined considerably. This is possibly because most of the researches were conducted in the countries where softwood pulp fibres are commercial extensively ( Khantayanuwong 2003 ). Therefore, it is the purpose of the present research to crucially determine the effect of recycling treatment on some important properties of softwood pulp fibres.

2. Alterations of pulp fibres properties at recycling

The goal of a recycled paper or board manufacturer is to make a product that meets customers΄ specification and requirements. At the present utilization rate, using recycled fibres in commodity grades such as newsprint and packaging paper and board has not caused noticeable deterioration in product quality and performance ( Čabalová et al. 2009 ). The expected increase in recovery rates of used paper products will require a considerable consumption increase of recycled fibres in higher quality grades such as office paper and magazine paper. To promote expanded use of recovered paper, understanding the fundamental nature of recycled fibres and the differences from virgin fibres is necessary.

Essentially, recycled fibres are contaminated, used fibres. Recycled pulp quality is, therefore, directly affected by the history of the fibres, i.e. by the origins, processes and treatments which these fibres have experienced.

McKinney (1995) classified the history into five periods:

fibre furnish and pulp history

paper making process history

printing and converting history

consumer and collection history

recycling process history.

To identity changes in fibre properties, many recycling studies have occurred at laboratory. Realistically repeating all the stages ofthe recycling chain is difficult especially when including printing and deinking. Some insight into changes in fibre structure, cell wall properties, and bonding ability is possible from investigations using various recycling procedures, testing methods, and furnishes.

Mechanical pulp is chemically and physically different from chemical pulp then recycling effect on those furnishes is also different. When chemical fibres undergo repeated drying and rewetting, they are hornified and can significantly lose their originally high bonding potential ( Somwand et al. 2002 ; Song & Law 2010 ; Kato & Cameron 1999 ; Bouchard & Douek 1994 ; Khantayanuwong et al. 2002 ; Zanuttini et al. 2007 ; da Silva et al. 2007 ). The degree of hornification can be measured by water retention value (WRW) ( Kim et al. 2000 ). In contrast to the chemical pulps, originally weakermechanical pulps do not deteriorate but somewhat even improve bonding potential during a corresponding treatment. Several studies( Maloney et al. 1998 ; Weise 1998 ; Ackerman et al. 2000 ) have shown good recyclability of mechanical fibres.

Adámková a Milichovský (2002 ) present the dependence of beating degree ( SR –Schopper-Riegler degree) and WRV from the relative length of hardwood and softwood pulps. From their results we can see the WRV increase in dependence on the pulp length alteration is more rapid at hardwood pulp, but finally this value is higher at softwood pulps. Kim et al. (2000 ) determined the WRV decrease at softwood pulps with the higher number of recycling (at zero recycling about cca 1.5 g/g at fifth recycling about cca 1.1 g/g).Utilisation of the secondary fibres to furnish at paper production decrease of the initial need of woody raw (less of cutting tress) but the paper quality is not significantly worse.

2.1. Paper recycling

The primary raw material for the paper production is pulps fibres obtaining by a complicated chemical process from natural materials, mainly from wood. This fibres production is very energy demanding and at the manufacturing process there are used many of the chemical matters which are very problematic from view point of the environment protection. The suitable alternative is obtaining of the pulp fibres from already made paper. This process is far less demanding on energy and chemicals utilisation. The paper recycling, simplified, means the repeated defibring, grinding and drying, when there are altered the mechanical properties of the secondary stock, the chemical properties of fibres, the polymerisation degree of pulp polysaccharidic components, mainly of cellulose, their supramolecular structure, the morphological structure of fibres, range and level of interfibres bonds e.g.. The cause of above mentioned alterations is the fibres ageing at the paper recycling and manufacturing, mainly the drying process.

At the repeat use of the secondary fibres, it need deliberate the paper properties alter due to the fiber deterioration during the recycling, when many alteration are irreversible. The alteration depth depends on the cycle’s number and way to the fibres use. The main problem is the decrease of the secondary pulp mechanical properties with the continuing recycling, mainly the paper strength ( Khantayanuwong et al. 2002 ; Jahan 2003 ; Hubbe & Zhang 2005 ; Garg & Singh 2006 ; Geffertová et al. 2008 ; Sutjipto et al. 2008 ). This decrease is an effect of many alterations, which can but need not arise in the secondary pulp during the recycling process. The recycling causes the hornification of the cell walls that result in the decline of some pulp properties. It is due to the irreversible alterations in the cells structure during the drying ( Oksanen et al. 1997 ; Kim et al. 2000 ; Diniz et al. 2004 ).

The worse properties of the recycled fibres in comparison with the primary fibres can be caused by hornification but also by the decrease of the hydrophilic properties of the fibres surface during the drying due to the redistribution or migration of resin and fat acids to the surface ( Nazhad& Paszner 1994 ; Nazhad 2005 ). Okayama (2002 ) observed the enormous increase of the contact angle with water which is related to the fiber inactivation at the recycling. This process is known as „irreversible hornification“.

Paper recycling saves the natural wood raw stock, decreases the operation and capital costs to paper unit, decrease water consumption and last but not least this paper processing gives rise to the environment preservation (e.g. 1 t of waste paper can replace cca 2.5 m 3 of wood).

A key issue in paper recycling is the impact of energy use in manufacturing.Processing waste paper for paper and board manufacture requires energy that isusually derived from fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. In contrast to the productionof virgin fibre-based chemical pulp, waste paper processing does not yield a thermalsurplus and thus thermal energy must be supplied to dry the paper web. If,however, the waste paper was recovered for energy purposes the need for fossil fuelwould be reduced and this reduction would have a favourable impact on the carbondioxide balance and the greenhouse effect. Moreover, pulp production based onvirgin fibres requires consumption of round wood and causes emissions of air-pollutingcompounds as does the collection of waste paper. For better paper utilization, an interactive model, the Optimal Fibre Flow Model, considersboth a quality (age) and an environmental measure of waste paper recycling was developed ( Byström&Lönnstedt 1997 ).

2.1.1. Influence of beating on pulp fibres

Beating of chemical pulp is an essential step in improving the bonding ability of fibres. The knowledge complete about beating improves the present opinion of the fibres alteration at the beating. The main and extraneous influences of the beating device on pulps were defined.The main influences are these, each of them can be improve by the suitable beating mode, but only one alteration cannot be attained. Known are varieties of simultaneous changes in fibres, such as internal fibrilation, external fibrilation, fiber shortening or cutting, and fines formation ( Page 1989 ; Kang & Paulapuro 2006a ; Kang & Paulapuro 2006c ).

Freeing and disintegration of a cell wall affiliated with strongswelling expressed as an internal fibrilation and delamination. The delamination is a coaxial cleavage in the middle layer of the secondary wall.It causes the increased water penetration to the cell wall and the fibre plasticizing.

External fibrillation and fibrils peeling from surface, which particularly or fully attacks primary wall and outside layers of secondary walls.Simultaneously from the outside layers there arecleavage fibrils, microfibrils, nanofibrils to the macromolecule of cellulose and hemicelluloses.

Fibres shortening in any place in any angle-wise across fibre in accordance with loading, most commonly in weak places.

Concurrently the main effects at the beating also the extraneous effects take place, e.g. fines making, compression along the fibres axis, fibres waving due to the compression. It has low bonding ability and it influences the paper porosity,stocks freeness ( Sinke&Westenbroek 2004 ).

The beating causes the fibres shortening, the external and internal fibrillation affiliated with delamination and the fibres plasticizing. The outside primary wall of the pulp fibre leaks water little, it has usually an intact primary layer and a tendency to prevent from the swelling of the secondary layer of the cell wall. At the beating beginning there are disintegrated the fibre outside layers (P and S1), the fibrilar structure of the fibre secondary layer is uncovering, the water approach is improving, the swelling is taking place and the fibrillation process is beginning. The fibrillation process is finished by the weaking and cleavaging of the bonds between the particular fibrils and microfibrils of cell walls during the mechanical effect and the penetration into the interfibrilar spaces, it means to the amorphous region, there is the main portion of hemicelluloses.

Češek& Milichovský (2005 ) showed that with the increase of pulp beating degree the standard rheosettling velocity of pulp decreases more at the fibres fibrillation than at the fibres shortening.

Refining causes a variety of simultaneous changes in the fiber structure, such as internal fibrillation, external fibrillation and fines formation. Among these effects, swelling is commonly recognized as an important factor affecting the strength of recycled paper ( Kang & Paulapuro 2006d ).

Scallan & Tigerstrom (1991 ) observed the elasticity modulus of the long fibres from kraft pulp during the recycling. Flexibility decrease was evident at the beating degree decrease ( SR), and also with the increase of draining velocity of low-yield pulp.

Alteration of the breaking length of the paper sheet drying at the temperature of 80, 100 a 120°C during eightfold recycling

The selected properties of the pulp fibres and the paper sheets during the process of eightfold recycling at three drying temperatures of 80, 100, 120°C.

From the result on Fig. 2 we can see the increase of the pulp fibres active surface takes place during the beating process, which results in the improve of the bonding and the paper strength after the first beating. It causes also the breaking length increase of the laboratory sheets. The secondary fibres wear by repeated beating, what causes the decrease of strength values ( Table 1 ).

The biggest alterations of tear index ( Fig. 3 ) were observed after fifth recycling at the bleached softwood pulp fibres. The first beating causes the fibrillation of the outside layer of the cell wall, it results in the formation of the mechanical (felting) and the chemical bonds between the fibres. The repeated beating and drying dues, except the continuing fibrillation of the layer, the successive fibrils peeling until the peeling of the primary and outside secondary layer of the cell wall. It discovers the next non-fibriled layer S2 (second, the biggest layer of the secondary wall) what can do the tear index decrease. The next beating causes also this layer fibrillation, which leads to the increase of the strength value ( Fig. 3 , Tab. 1 ).Paper strength properties such as tensile strength and Scott bond strength were strongly influenced by internal fibrillation; these could also be increased further by promoting mostly external fibrillation ( Kang & Paulapuro 2006b ).

The course of the breaking length decrease and the tearing strength increase of the paper sheet is in accordance with the results of Sutjipto et al. (2008 ) at the threefold recycling of the bleached (88% ISO) softwood pulps prepared at the laboratory conditions, beated on PFI mill to 25 SR.

Tear index alteration of the paper sheets drying at the temperature of 80, 100 a 120°C, during eightfold recycling

Song & Law (2010 ) observedkraft pulp oxidation and its influence on recycling characteristics of fibres, the found up the fibre oxidation influences negatively the tear index of paper sheets.Oxidation of virgin fibre prior to recycling minimized the loss of WRV and sheet density.

The beating causes the fibres shortening and fines formation which is washed away in the large extent and it endeds in the paper sludges. This waste can be further processed and effective declined.

Within theEuropean Union several already issued and other foreseendirectives have great influence on the waste managementstrategy of paper producing companies. Due to the large quantities ofwaste generated, the high moisture content of the wasteand the changing composition, some recovery methods,for example, conversion to fuel components, are simplytoo expensive and their environmental impact uncertain.The thermal processes, gasification and pyrolysis, seem tobe interesting emerging options, although it is still necessaryto improve the technologies for sludge application.Other applications, such as the hydrolysis to obtain ethanol,have several advantages (use of wet sludge and applicabletechnology to sludges) but these are not welldeveloped for pulp and paper sludges. Therefore, at thismoment, the minimization of waste generation still hasthe highest priority ( Monte et al. 2009 ).

2.1.2. Drying influence on the recycled fibres

Characteristic differences between recycled fibres and virgin fibres can by expected. Many of these can by attributed to drying. Drying is a process that is accompanied by partially irreversible closure of small pores in the fibre wall, as well as increased resistance to swelling during rewetting. Further differences between virgin and recycled fibres can be attributed to the effects of a wide range of contaminating substances ( Hubbe et al. 2007 ). Drying, which has an anisotropic character, has a big influence on the properties of paper produced from the secondary fibres.During the drying the shear stress are formatted in the interfibrilar bonding area. The stresses formatted in the fibres and between them effect the mechanical properties in the drying paper. The additional effect dues the tensioning of the wet pulp stock on the paper machine.

During the drying and recycling the fibres are destructed. It is important to understand the loss of the bonding strength of the drying chemical fibres. Dang (2007 ) characterized the destruction like a percentage reduction of ability of the water retention value (WRV) in pulp at dewatering.

Hornification = [(WRV 0 -WRV 1 )/WRV 0 ]. 100 [%],

WRV 0 –is value of virgin pup

WRV 1 –the value of recycled pulp after drying and reslushing.

According to the prevailing concept, hornification occurs in the cell wall matrix of chemical fibres. During drying, delaminated parts of the fiber wall, i.e., cellulose microfibrils become attached as Fig. 4 shows ( Ackerman et al. 2000 ).

Changes in fiber wall structure ( Weise &Paulapuro 1996 )

Shrinkage of a fiber cross section ( Ackerman et al. 2000 )

Hydrogen bonds between those lamellae also form. Reorientation and better alignment of microfibrils also occur. All this causes an intensely bonded structure. In a subsequent reslushing in water, the fiber cell wall microstructure remains more resistant to delaminating forces because some hydrogen bonds do not reopen. The entire fiber is stiffer and more brittle ( Howard 1991 ). According to some studies ( Bouchard &Douek 1994 ; Maloney et al. 1998 ), hornification does not increase the crystallinity of cellulose or the degree of order in the hemicelluloses ofthe fiber wall.

The drying model of Scallan ( Laivins&Scallan 1993 ) suggests that hornification prevents the dry structure in A from fully expanding to the wet structure in D. Instead, only partial expansion to B may be possible after initial drying creates hydrogen bonds between the microfibrils( Kato & Cameron 1999 )

Weise & Paulapuro (1996 ) did very revealing work about the events during fiber drying. They studied fiber cross section of kraft fibers in various solids by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM) and simultaneously measured hornification with WRV tests. Irreversible hornification of fibers began on the degree of beating. It does not directly follow shrinkage since the greatest shrinkage of fibers occurs above 80 % solids content. In Figs. 4 and 5 , stage A represented wet kraft fiber before drying. In stage B, the drainage has started tocause morphological changes in the fiber wall matrix at about 30 % solids content. The fiber wall lamellae start to approach each other because of capillary forces. During this stage, the lumen can collapse. With additional drying, spaces between lamellae continue shrinking to phase C where most free voids in the lamellar structure of the cell wall have already closed. Toward the end of drying in stage D, the water removal occurs in the fine structure of the fiber wall. Kraft fiber shrink strongly and uniformly during this final phase of drying, i.e., at solid contents above 75-80 %. The shrinkage of stage D is irreversible.

At a repeated use of the dried fibres in paper making industry, the cell walls receive the water again. Then the opposite processes take place than in the Fig. 4 and 5 . It show Scallan´s model of the drying in Fig. 6 .

The drying dues also macroscopic stress applied on paper and distributed in fibres system according a local structure.

2.1.3. Properties of fibres from recycled paper

The basic properties of origin wet fibres change in the drying process of pulp and they are not fully regenerated in the process of slushing and beating.

The same parameters are suitable for the description of the paper properties of secondary fibres and fibres at ageing as well as for description of primary fibres properties. The experiences obtained at the utilisation of waste paper showed the secondary fibres have very different properties from the origin fibres. Next recycling of fibres causes the formation of extreme nonhomogeneous mixture of various old fibres. At the optimum utilisation of the secondary fibres it need take into account their altered properties at the repeated use. With the increase number of use cycles the fibres change irreversible, perish and alter their properties. Slushing and beating causes water absorption, fibres swelling and a partial regeneration of properties of origin fibres. However the repeated beating and drying at the multiple production cycles dues the gradual decrease of swelling ability, what influences a bonding ability of fibres. With the increase of cycles number the fibres are shortened. These alterations express in paper properties. The decrease of bonding ability and mechanical properties bring the improving of some utility properties. Between them there is higher velocity of dewatering and drying, air permeability and blotting properties improve of light scattering, opacity and paper dimensional stability.

The highest alterations of fibres properties are at the first and following three cycles. The size of strength properties depends on fibres type ( Geffertová et al. 2008 ).

Drying influences fibres length, width, shape factor, kinks which are the important factors to the strength of paper made from recycled fibres. The dimensional characteristics are measured by many methods, known is FQA (Fiber Quality Analyser), which is a prototype IFA (Imaging Fiber Analyser) and also Kajaani FS-200 fibre-length analyser. They measure fibres length, different kinks and their angles. Robertson et al. (1999 ) show correlation between methods FQA and Kajaani FS-200. A relatively new method of fibres width measurement is also SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) ( Bennis et al. 2010 ). Among devices for analyse of fibres different properties and characteristics, e.g. fibres length and width, fines, various deformations of fibres and percentage composition of pulp mixture is L&W Fiber Tester (Lorentzen & Wettre, Sweden). At every measurement the minimum of 20 000 fibres in a sample is evaluated. On Fig. 7 there is expressed the alteration of fibres average length of softwood pulps during the eightfold recycling at the different drying temperature of pulp fibres.

Influence of recycling number and drying temperature on length of softwood pulps

Influence of recycling number and drying temperature on width of softwood pulps

The biggest alteration were observed after first beating (zero recycling), when the fibres average length decrease at the sheet drying temperature of 80°C about 17%, at the temperature of 100°C about 15.6% and at the temperature of 120°C about 14.6%.

After the first beating the fibres average width was markedly increased at the all temperatures dues to the fibrillation influence. The fibres fibrillation causes the fibre surface increase. Following markedly alteration is observed after fifth recycling, when the fibres average width was decreased. We assume the separation of fibrils and microfibrils from the cell walls dues the separation of the cell walls outside layer, the inside nonfibriled wall S2 was discovered and the fibres average width decreased. After the fifth recycling the strength properties became worse, mainly tear index ( Fig. 3 ).

The softwood fibres are longer than hardwood fibres, they are not so straight. The high value of shape factor means fibres straightness. The biggest alterations of shape factor can be observed mainly at the high drying temperatures. The water molecules occurring on fibres surface quick evaporate at the high temperatures and fibre more shrinks. It can result in the formation of weaker bonds between fibres those surfaces are not enough near. At the beginning of wet paper sheet drying the hydrogen bond creates through water layer on the fibres surface, after the drying through monomolecular layer of water, finally the hydrogen bond results after the water removal and the surfaces approach. It results in destruction of paper and fibre at the drying.

Chemical pulp fines are an important component in papermaking furnish. They can significantly affect the mechanical and optical properties of paper and the drainage properties of pulp ( Retulainen et al. 1993 ). Characterizing the fines will therefore allow a better understanding of the role of fines and better control the papermaking process and the properties of paper. Chemical pulp fines retard dewatering of the pulp suspension due to the high water holding capacity of fines. In the conventional method for characterizing the role of fines in dewatering, a proportion of fines is added to the fiber furnish, and then only the drainage time. Fines suspension is composed of heterogeneous fines particles in water. The suspension exhibits different rheological characteristics depending on the degree of interaction between the fines particles and on their hydration ( Kang & Paulapuro 2006b ).

From Fig. 9 we can see the highest formation of fines were after seventh and eight recycling, when the fibres were markedly weakened by the multiple using at the processes of paper making. They are easier and faster beating (the number of revolution decreased by the higher number of the recycling).

Influence of recycling process and drying temperature on pulp fines changes

The macroscopic level (density, volume, porosity, paper thickness) consists from the physical properties very important for the use of paper and paperboard. They indirectly characterize the three dimensional structure of paper ( Niskanen 1998 ). A paper is a complex structure consisting mainly of a fibre network, filler pigment particles and air. Light is reflected at fibre and pigment surfaces in the surface layer and inside the paper structure. The light also penetrates into the cellulose fibres and pigments, and changes directions. Some light is absorbed, but the remainder passes into the air and is reflected and refracted again by new fibres and pigments. After a number of reflections and refractions, a certain proportion of the light reaches the paper surface again and is then reflected at all possible angles from the surface. We do not perceive all the reflections and refractions (the multiple reflections or refractions) which take place inside the paper structure, but we perceive that the paper has a matt white surface i.e. we perceive a diffuse surface reflection. Some of the incident light exists at the back of the paper as transmitted light, and the remainder has been absorbed by the cellulose and the pigments. Besides reflection, refraction and absorption, there is a fourth effect called diffraction. In other contexts, diffraction is usually the same thing as light scattering, but within the field of paper technology, diffraction is only one aspect of the light scattering phenomenon. Diffraction occurs when the light meets particles or pores which are as large as or smaller then the wavelength of the light, i.e. particles which are smaller than one micrometer (μm). These small elements oscillate with the light oscillation and thus function as sites for new light sources. When the particles or pores are smaller than half of the light wavelength the diffraction decreases. It can be said that the light passes around the particle without being affected ( Pauler 2002 ).

The opacity, brightness, colouring and brilliance are important optical properties of papers and paperboards. For example the high value of opacity is need at the printing papers, but opacity of translucent paper must be lower. The paper producer must understand the physical principles of the paper structure and to determine their characteristics composition. It is possible to characterize nondirect the paper structure. The opacity characterizes the paper ability to hide a text or a figure on the opposite side of the paper sheet. The paper brightness is a paper reflection at a blue light use. The blue light is used because the made fibers have yellowish colour and a human eye senses a blue tone like a white colour.The typical brightness of the printing papers is 70 – 95% and opacity is higher than 90% ( Niskanen 1998 ).

3. Paper ageing

The recycled paper is increasingly used not only for the products of short term consumption (newspaper, sanitary paper, packaging materials e.g.), but also on the production of the higher quality papers, which can serve as a culture heritage medium. The study of the recycled papers alterations in the ageing process is therefore important, but the information in literature are missing.

The recycling is also another form of the paper ageing. It causes the paper alterations, which results in the degradation of their physical and mechanical properties. The recycling causes a chemical, thermal, biological and mechanical destruction, or their combination ( Milichovský 1994 ; Geffertová et al. 2008 ).The effect of the paper ageing is the degradation of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin macromolecules, the decrease of low molecular fractions, the degree of polymerisation (DP) decrease, but also the decline of the mechanical and optical properties ( El Ashmawy et al. 1974 ; Valtasaari & Saarela 1975 ; Lauriol et al. 1987a ,b,c; Bansa 2002 ; Havermans 2003 ; Dupont & Mortha 2004 ; Kučerová & Halajová, 2009 ; Čabalová et al. 2011 ).Cellulose as the most abundant natural polymer on the Earth is very important as a renewable organic material. The degradation of cellulosebasedpaper is important especially in archives and museums where ageing in various conditions reduces the mechanical properties and deteriorates optical quality of stored papers, books and other artefacts. The low rate of paper degradation results in the necessity of using accelerating ageing tests. The ageing tests consistin increasing the observed changes of paper properties, usually by using different temperature, humidity, oxygen content and acidity, respectively. Ageing tests are used in studies of degradation rate and mechanism. During the first ageing stages—natural or accelerated—there are no significant variations in mechanical properties: degradation evidence is only provided by measuring chemical processes. Oxidation induced by environmental conditions, in fact, causes carbonyl and carboxyl groups formation, with great impact on paper permanence and durability, even if mechanical characteristics are not affected in the short term ( Piantanida et al. 2005 ). During the degradation two main reactions prevail – hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds and oxidation of glucopyranose rings. As a result of some oxidation processes keto- and aldehyde groups are formed. These groups are highly reactive; they are prone to crosslinking, which is the third chemical process of cellulose decay ( Bansa 2002 , Calvini & Gorassini 2006 ).

At the accelerated paper ageing the decrease of DP is very rapid in the first stages of the ageing, later decelerates. During the longer time of the ageing there was determined the cellulose crosslinking by the method of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) ( Kačík et al. 2009 ). The similar dependences were obtained at the photo-induced cellulose degradation ( Malesic et al. 2005 ).

An attention is pay to the kinetic of the cellulose degradation in several decades, this process was studied by Kuhn in 1930 and the first model of the kinetic of the cellulose chains cleavage was elaborated by Ekenstam in 1936.This model is based on the kinetic equation of first-order and it is used to this day in modifications for the watching of the cellulose degradation in different conditions. Hill et al. (1995 ) deduced a similar model with the

Alterations of DP (degree of polymerisation) of cellulose fibres due to recycling and ageing at the pulp fibres drying temperature of 80°C, 100°C a 120°C.

contribution of the zero order kinetic. Experimental results are often controversial and new kinetic model for explanation of cellulose degradation at various conditions was proposed ( Calvini et al. 2008 ). The first-order kinetic model developed by these authors suggests that the kinetics of cellulose degradation depends upon the mode of ageing. An autoretardant path is followed during either acid hydrolysis in aqueous suspensions or oven ageing, while the production of volatile acid compounds trapped during the degradation in sealed environments primes an autocatalytic mechanism. Both these mechanisms are depleted by the consumption of the glycosidic bonds in the amorphous regions of cellulose until the levelling-off DP (LODP) is reached.

At the accelerated ageing ofnewspaper ( Kačík et al. 2008 ), the cellulose degradation causes the decrease of the average degree of polymerisation(DP). The DP decrease is caused by two factors in accordance with equation

DP = LODP + DP01.e -k1.t + DP02.e -k2.t ,

where LODP is levelling-off degree of polymerisation. There is a first factor higher and quickdecreasing during eight days and a second factor is lower and slow decreasing and dominant aftereight days of the accelerating ageing in the equation. The number of cleavaged bonds can be welldescribed by equation

DP 0 /DP t – 1 = n 0 .(1-e -k.t ),

where n 0 is an initial number of bonds available for degradation. The equation of the regression function is in accordance with Calvini et al. (2007 ) proposal, the calculated value (4.4976) is in a good accordance with the experimentally obtained average values of DP 0 a DP 60 (4.5057). The DP decreased to cca 38% of the initial value and the polydispersity degree to 66% of the initial value. The decrease of the rate constant with the time of ageing was obtained also by next authors ( Emsley et al. 1997 ; Zervos & Moropoulou 2005 ; Ding & Wang 2007 ). Čabalová et al. (2011 ) observed the influence of the accelerated ageing on the recycled pulp fibres, they determined the lowest decrease of DP at the fibres dried at the temperature of 120°C ( Fig. 10 ).

The simultaneous influence of the recycling and ageing has the similar impact at the drying temperatures of 80°C (decrease about 27,5 %) and 100°C (decrease about 27.6%) in regard of virgin pulp, lower alterations were at the temperature of 120°C (decrease about 21.5%). The ageing of the recycled paper causes the decrease of the pulp fiber DP, but the paper remains good properties.

4. Conclusion

The recycling is a necessity of this civilisation. The paper manufacturing is from its beginning affiliated with the recycling, because the paper was primarily manufactured from the 100 % furnish of rag. It is increasingly assented the trend of the recycled fibers use from the European and world criterion. The present European papermaking industry is based on the recycling.

The presence of the secondary fibres from the waste paper, their quality and amount is various in the time intervals, the seasons and the regional conditions. It depends on the manufacturing conditions in the paper making industry of the country.

At present the recycling is understood in larger sense than the material recycling, which has a big importance from view point of the paper recycling. Repeatedly used fibres do not fully regenerate their properties, so they cannot be recycled ad anfinitum. It allows to use the alternative possibilities of the paper utilisation in the building industry, at the soil reclamation, it the agriculture, in the power industry.

The most important aim is, however, the recycled paper utilisation for the paper manufacturing.

Acknowledgments

This work was financed by the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA (project number 1/0490/09).

• 11. CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries). 2006 Special Recycling 2005 Statistics- European Paper Industry Hits New Record in Recycling. 27.02.2011, Available from: http://www.erpa.info/images/Special_Recycling_2005_statistics.pdf
• 12. CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industrie). 2010 Annual Statistic 2009. 27.02.2011, Available from: http://www.erpa.info/download/CEPI_annual_statistics%202009.pdf
• 18. European Declaration on Paper Recycling 2006 2010 , Monitoring Report 2009 (2010), 27.02. 2011, Available from: http://www.erpa.info/images/monitoring_report_2009.pdf

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Basic Information Details

This page provides detailed basic information about paper recycling, including:

Benefits of Paper Recycling

Source reduction/lightweighting.

• Paper Industry's Recovery Goal

Use of Recovered Paper

• Paper Making and Recycling
• Best Practices

The environmental benefits of paper recycling are many. Paper recycling:

Recycling one ton of paper would:

• Save enough energy to power the average American home for six months.
• Save 7,000 gallons of water.
• Save 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one metric ton of carbon equivalent (MTCE).
• Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: Facts and Figures
• Energy Information Administration Kid’s Page
• US EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM)
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that can contribute to climate change by avoiding methane emissions and reducing energy required for a number of paper products.
• Extends the fiber supply and contributes to carbon sequestration .
• Saves considerable landfill space.
• Reduces energy and water consumption.
• Decreases the need for disposal (i.e., landfill or incineration which decreases the amount of CO2 produced).

On the other hand, when trees are harvested for papermaking, carbon is released, generally in the form of carbon dioxide. When the rate of carbon absorption exceeds the rate of release, carbon is said to be “sequestered.” This carbon sequestration reduces greenhouse gas concentrations by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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Source reduction is the process of reducing the volume or toxicity of waste generated.

One form of source reduction is “lightweighting.” Lightweighting means reducing the weight and/or volume of a package or container, which saves energy and raw materials. As early as 1983, companies manufacturing food service disposables began reducing the weight of plates, bowls, containers, trays and other tableware. Manufacturers of paper food service disposables have been able to source reduce by decreasing the paper stock required to manufacture food service containers and coating the containers with a very thin layer of polyethylene or wax. The coating enables the container to maintain its strength and food-protection functions.

Paper packaging is also a good example of where lightweighting has been achieved. Product manufacturers work with their packaging suppliers to identify the best combination of effective protection for the product using the lightest weight package.

Another way to reduce the amount of paper used is to reduce the margins, whether it is in newspapers, books, or everyday printing. For example, reducing the margins in Microsoft Word from 1.25 inches to 0.75 inch could result in average paper savings of approximately 4.75 percent (1).

For more paper recycling statistics, please visit:

• Frequent questions , which has paper recycling facts and figures
• Municipal Solid Waste Characterization Report

Paper Industry’s Recovery Goal

AF&PA reported that in 1988, about 25 percent of the raw materials used at US paper mills was recovered paper. In 1999, according to AF&PA, that figure rose to 36.3 percent and has remained around 36-37 percent through 2007. More than three quarters of America’s paper mills use recovered fiber to make some or all of their products. Approximately 140 mills use recovered paper exclusively. As a result, virtually all types of paper products contain some recycled fiber. According to AF&PA, the brisk rise in paper recovery is attributable to strong demand overseas for US recovered paper and solid gains in domestic consumption.

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