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 different sources of these recycled fibers. For example, wastage from the manufacture of paper is recycled within the paper mills. There has been a major move in recent years by municipal and national authorities to put in place policies to encourage post-consumer waste recovery. This consists of anything from old newspapers and magazines to old corrugated containers.
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.
When fibers are recycled they have to be broken down by using chemicals and water. Chopping them up and applying heat reduces them to a pulp. Plastic and glue are removed from the pulp by straining it through screens. The pulp must cleaned, ink removed and bleached before it is ready to be used again for making 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.
The quality of products produced from recycled fibers has improved dramatically over the past few years. They are now able to compete with products made from primary fibers with regard to brightness, opacity and smoothness. The price too has become competitive. Just about every paper company now produces products with recycled content and the wide range and quality satisfies the demands of even the most discerning consumers.
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.
Manufacturers are actively seeking to increase the waste paper content of their products, not only for cost reasons, but also for environmental reasons. Consumer demand for products made with secondary fiber is increasing too as progress is made regarding their quality and variety. This trend is likely to continue in the years to come.
There are different sources of these recycled fibers. For example, wastage from the manufacture of paper is recycled within the paper mills. There has been a major move in recent years by municipal and national authorities to put in place policies to encourage post-consumer waste recovery. This consists of anything from old newspapers and magazines to old corrugated containers.
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.
When fibers are recycled they have to be broken down by using chemicals and water. Chopping them up and applying heat reduces them to a pulp. Plastic and glue are removed from the pulp by straining it through screens. The pulp must cleaned, ink removed and bleached before it is ready to be used again for making 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.
The quality of products produced from recycled fibers has improved dramatically over the past few years. They are now able to compete with products made from primary fibers with regard to brightness, opacity and smoothness. The price too has become competitive. Just about every paper company now produces products with recycled content and the wide range and quality satisfies the demands of even the most discerning consumers.
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.
Manufacturers are actively seeking to increase the waste paper content of their products, not only for cost reasons, but also for environmental reasons. Consumer demand for products made with secondary fiber is increasing too as progress is made regarding their quality and variety. This trend is likely to continue in the years to come.
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