Information About Paper Recycling Machines
Paper recycling machines help change old useless paper into new exciting products while helping to keep the planet green and clean. Imagine a 10-foot pile of newspapers as the equivalent of one 100-foot tree. Recycling paper helps save trees from being cut down unnecessarily. It also helps to decrease landfill waste and actually saves water because there is a significant amount of water used to produce new paper.
The process of recycling paper begins with understanding what types of paper you can and cannot recycle. For example, cardboard should not be considered paper because of the thickness. While cardboard can and is recycled, it is not included in the paper recycling process.
Sorting
Paper that is fit for recycling must be clean and free from debris, food or other garbage. Paper is sorted by grade so you should check with your local community or recycling center for details. They are more than happy to explain how sorting should be done.
Re-pulping/Screening
Sorted paper is transferred to a moving conveyor belt and placed into a vat that has water and other chemicals that help to break everything down. After a while, the paper is transformed into a mixture called pulp. Screens filter out all of the contaminants leaving a more raw material.
Cleaning
Screened pulp is placed into a mill that uses centrifugal force to remove more contaminants. The process can take as long as 24-hours to complete.
Refining
Clean pulp becomes separated into fibrous material. This is accomplished by beating the pulp so the fibers swell.
Color Stripping
Paper that was originally colored must be stripped to the raw, natural state. All of the dye is removed using color stripping.
Bleaching
Recycled paper that will be white in color must be bleached after the color stripping stage. Three different types of chemicals can be used: Hydrogen peroxide, oxygen or chlorine dioxide. The pulp does not need to be bleached if the paper will retain a natural, earth-tone color like paper bag brown.