Industrial Paper Recycling: Lesson 15

1. Industrial Paper Recycling: Lesson 15 Information and photos taken from The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. www.tappi.org

2. Objectives • Students will define key vocabulary. • Students will summarize and present the paper recycling process to the class.

3. Standards • E.12.C.4 Students know processes of obtaining, using, and recycling of renewable and nonrenewable sources. E/S • N.12.B.4 Students know scientific knowledge builds on previous information. E/S

4. Vocabulary • Pulp: a soft wet mass of fibers derived from wood, used in papermaking. • Deinking: the process of removing ink from the paper pulp.

5. Vocabulary • Flotation:a process in deinking where air and soap-like chemicals are injected into the pulp. This removes the large particles of ink from the pulp and floats them to the top of the vat. • Refining: the separation of pulp into individual fibers. • Virgin Fiber:new wood fibers.

6. Class Work • Divide the class into 7 groups. • Each group will create a poster to describe one step of the industrial papermaking process. • Each group will present their poster at the end of class.

7. Sorting • Paper must be free from contaminants, such as food, plastic, metal, and other trash. • Contact your local recycling center to see how they prefer the paper to be sorted based on grade, type, etc.

8. Collection and Transportation • Take your sorted paper to a recycling center or bin if you do not have curbside pick up. • At the recycling center, the paper is wrapped into tight bales and transported to a paper mill where it will be recycled into new paper products.

9. Storage • Recovered paper is separated into grades (newspapers, boxes, etc) and stored in a warehouse until needed. • Once ready to be used, forklifts move the paper onto conveyor belts.

10. Repulping • Paper is moved to a vat called a pulper containing hot water and chemicals. The pulper chops it into small pieces and then it is heated and turns into pulp.

11. Screening • Once the pulp is ready, it is forced through screens to remove small contaminants such as bits of plastic and globs of glue.

12. Cleaning • Pulp is also cleaned by spinning it in large cone-shaped cylinders where heavier contaminants such as staples are thrown to the side and lighter ones fall to the bottom.

13. Deinking • Small particles of ink and “stickies”, such as glue residue are rinsed in a process called washing. • Large particles and stickies are removed through flotation. The pulp goes into a vat where soaplike chemicals and air are injected into the pulp. The ink and stickies loosen from the pulp and float to the top of the mixture leaving the clean pulp behind.

14. Refining, Bleaching, and Color Stripping • During refining, the pulp is beaten to make the recycled fibers swell. If there are any large fibers, they are separated into individual fibers. • If the paper is covered, color stripping chemicals removes the dyes. • If white recycled paper is being made, the pulp may be bleached.

15. Papermaking • The new clean pulp can be used alone, or blended with new wood fiber to give it extra strength. • The pulp is mixed with chemicals and water to make it 99.5% water. • The pulp enters a giant metal box called a headbox, and then is sprayed in a continuous wide jet onto a flat wire screen.

16. Papermaking continued • Water drains from the screen and the fibers bond together to form a watery sheet. Rollers squeeze out excess water. • The sheet passes through heated rollers to dry it. • The finished paper is then wound into a giant roll and removed from the machine. The roll can be as wide as 30 feet and weigh as much as 20 tons!

17. Can all of my paper be recycled? Photo taken from: http://www.baycapinc.net/waste_processing/images/paper_recycling.jpg

18. Can all of my paper be recycled? • As much as 80% can, but 20% can not since it isn’t paper, but rather trash such as paper clips, staples, plastic, etc. • Other ingredients in recovered paper that hinder recycling are ink, clay, coatings, adhesives, wood fibers, and fibers that are too small from being previously recycled.

19. What can be made from recovered paper? Photo taken from: www.north-herts.gov.uk/slide1-9.jpg

20. What can be made from recovered paper? • Most recovered paper is recycled back into paper and paperboard products at a similar grade or lower grade than the original product. • Recycled pulp can be molded into egg cartons and fruit trays. • Recovered paper can be used for fuel, insulation, paint filler, roofing, animal bedding, cat litter and more.

21. Worksheet • Describe the process of each of the following: • Sorting • Collection and Transportation • Storage • Re-pulping and Screening • Cleaning • Deinking • Refining, Bleaching, and Color Stripping • Papermaking • Questions: • Can all of my recovered paper be recycled? • What can be made from recovered paper?

22. Paper

23. Additional Link • “Abitibi Paper Recycling Video” • http://search.live.com/video/results.aspx?q=paper+recycling+video&docid=814598980158&FORM=VIRE5#docid=442114441446