Common Process
Process used for relatively rough-surfaced paper such as brown paper towels.
1.) Paper is collected and sorted and items such as plastic wrappings, paper clips and staples are removed.
2.) Paper is shredded, beaten into a fibrous pulp and mixed with water and chemical preservatives in pulping machines.
3.) The pulp is pressed through giant rollers that flatten it into sheets and squeeze out the moisture; it may also be dried in furnaces, with blast of hot air.
4.) The paper is then cut to the desired size and shape before being packaged for distribution.
Process for Finer Grades
Process used for the conversion of waste paper into finer grades suitable for printing.
1.) Collection and careful sorting are required for this process. Waste paper is now divided into categories such as newsprint, typing and computer paper, and magazines. Any shiny paper that contains colored inks will need special treatment.
2.) Ink on any paper must be removed. This is done by soaking the paper and breaking it up into small pieces in giant washers, then treating it with chemicals that loosen the ink so that it can be rinsed away. Sometimes more than one such chemical must be used because many types of ink must be removed.
3.) Wet, shredded waste paper is blended with other materials according to the type of end product that is desired.
4.) Rags, which are still used to produce the finest, most expensive grades of paper, may be mixed in. Wood pulp and other forms of cellulose such as straw may also be added in varying proportions.
5.) If white paper or paper for greeting cards or stationery is to be produced, bleach may also be added to lighten it; if newsprint is to be produced, a mixture of red and blue dyes is added to reduce the grayness of the final product.
6.) Chemical preservatives are added.
7.) The fully treated material is a sort of liquid sludge that is ready to be made into paper; papermakers call it "stuff". The stuff usually passes through a machine called a beater, which is essentially a very heavy roller that presses the fibers in the stuff together and squeezes out the water.
8.) The paper is formed and held together by the natural interlocking of the long cellulose or rag fibers as they are pressed and dried. No glue is used in the process. In fact, the natural glue in wood, lignin, is removed chemically before the paper is made.
9.) A refining machine brushed the roll of stuff to smooth out irregularities. The papermaking machine presses the stuff into thin slices, which are then further dried by pressing or in furnaces.
10.) The paper is polished or chemically treated to give it the proper finish and packaged as ordered by the customer, in cut sheets or rolls.
Section I: Introduction
Section II: Present (YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THIS SECTION)
Section III: Future
Complete Table of Contents
Reference