Discuss on recycling on paper process
A] Importance
The recycling of paper is the
process by which waste paper is turned into new paper products. It has a number
of important benefits:
It saves waste paper from occupying
homes of people and producing methane as it breaks down. Because paper fibre
contains carbon (originally absorbed by the tree from which it was produced),
recycling keeps the carbon locked up for longer and out of the atmosphere.
Around two-thirds of all paper products in the US are now recovered and recycled,
although it does not all become new paper.
After repeated processing the fibres
become too short for the production of new paper, which is why virgin fibre
(from sustainably farmed trees) is frequently added to the pulp recipe. There
are three categories of paper that can be used as feedstocks for making
recycled paper: mill broke, pre-consumer waste, and post-consumer waste.[2]
Mill broke is paper trimmings and other paper scrap from the manufacture of
paper, and is recycled in a paper mill.
Pre-consumer waste is a material
which left the paper mill but was discarded before it was ready for consumer
use. Post- consumer waste is material discarded after consumer use, such as old
corrugated containers (OCC), old magazines, and newspapers.[2] Paper suitable
for recycling is called "scrap paper", often used to produce moulded
pulp packaging.
The industrial process of removing
printing ink from paper fibres of recycled paper to make deinked pulp is called
deinking, an invention of the German jurist Justus Claproth.
B] Objective
The process of waste paper recycling
most often involves mixing used/old paper with water and chemicals to break it
down. It is then chopped up and heated, which breaks it down further into
strands of cellulose, a type of organic plant material; this resulting mixture
is called pulp, or slurry. It is strained through screens, which remove plastic
(especially from plastic-coated paper) that may still be in the mixture. It is
then cleaned, de-inked (ink is removed), bleached, and mixed with water. Then
it can be made into new recycled paper.
The share of ink in a wastepaper
stock is up to about 2% of the total weight. Industrialized paper making has an
effect on the environment both upstream (where raw materials are acquired and
processed) and downstream (waste-disposal impacts).
Today 40% of paper pulp is created
from wood (in most modern mills only 9–16% of pulp is made from pulp logs; the
rest comes from waste wood that was traditionally burnt)[citation needed].
Paper production accounts for about 35% of felled trees. Recycling one ton of
newsprint saves about 1 ton of wood while recycling 1 ton of printing or copier
paper saves slightly more than 2 tons of wood.[8] This is because kraft pulping
requires twice as much wood since it removes lignin to produce higher quality
fibres than mechanical pulping processes. Relating tons of paper recycled to
the number of trees not cut is meaningless, since tree size varies tremendously
and is the major factor in how much paper can be made from how many trees.
In addition, trees raised
specifically for pulp production account for 16% of world pulp production, old
growth forests 9% and second- and third- and more generation forests account
for the balance.[7] Most pulp mill operators practice reforestation to ensure a
continuing supply of trees.
The Programmed for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certify paper
made from trees harvested according to guidelines meant to ensure good forestry
practices.
C] AIM
1. Energy
Energy consumption is reduced by
recycling,[11] although there is debate concerning the actual energy savings
realized. The Energy Information Administration claims a 40% reduction in
energy when paper is recycled versus paper made with unrecycled pulp,[12] while
the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) claims a 64% reduction.[13] Some
calculations show that recycling one ton of newspaper saves about 4,000 kWh (14
GJ) of electricity, although this may be too high (see comments below on
unrecycled pulp).
This is enough electricity to power
a 3-bedroom European house for an entire year, or enough energy to heat and
air-condition the average
North American home for almost six
months.[14] Recycling paper to make pulp actually consumes more fossil fuels
than making new pulp via the kraft process; these mills generate most of their
energy from burning waste wood (bark, roots, sawmill waste) and byproduct
lignin (black liquor).[15] Pulp mills producing new mechanical pulp use large
amounts of energy; a very rough estimate of the electrical energy needed is 10
gigajoules per tonne of pulp (2500 kW·h per short ton).
2. Landfill use
About 35% of municipal solid waste
(before recycling) in the United States by weight is paper and paper products.
42.4% of that is recycled.
3.
Water and air pollution
The EPA found that recycling causes
less pollution than making virgin paper. If a mill is producing bleached pulp,
it can be a source of pollution. Mill pollution is less than it was a few
decades ago. Papermaking uses recycled paper as an alternative fibre.
Hydrogen peroxide and sodium
hydrosulfite are the most common bleaching agents used to bleach virgin pulp.
If no chlorine-based compounds were used in the recycling process, the paper is
known as PCF.
4. Greenhouse
gas emissions
Studies estimate the emissions of
recycling paper to be between 0. 2 and 1. 5 kilogrammes.It has material. About
70% of the CO2 emissions are connected with the production of virgin material.
D] Methodology
In 2018, paper represented 11.8
percent of MSW deposited in landfills, a total of 17.2 million tons of paper
and cardboard MSW. By recycling paper, we can slow the rate at which these
landfills expand, while saving space for waste that cannot be reused. The
ecological benefits of paper recycling cannot be underestimated.
According to the EPA, recycling can
save just one ton of paper 380 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and
enough energy to power the average American home for up to six months. Paper recycling
also saves our natural resources. Recycling one ton of paper can save 17 trees
from being cut down.
Stanford The university recently
recycled over 2,303 tons of paper, saving approximately 32,115 trees. Paper
recycling has excellent benefits for businesses as well.
Diverting paper from landfill can
significantly reduce business waste costs, especially if your business churns
out large amounts of paper products. Companies with recycling initiatives can
often adopt tax credits from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and will have a
better chance of reaching environmentally conscious consumers who they want to
do business with sustainable organizations. Shredders are good for hiding
personal information from prying eyes, but they make recycling difficult.
The small strips of shredded paper
can easily get caught in the complex machinery of the recycling facility and
damage the machines or slowing down the entire process because the machines had
to stop to fix stuck scraps. It's unusual for a curb recycling services accept
shredded paper, but some do, so check with your local facility before leaving
any location.
E] Observation
C&D waste management has been in
place for several decades in countries like Germany and Austria.Austria has led
the recycling race until the last 3 years and has C&D initiatives on the
state and local level.For instance The city of Vienna created a guideline.
C&D waste is collected across the country.80 percent of the mid-sized
companies are members of the Austrian Association for Recycling of Building.The
materials.
The EPA promotes sustainable
materials management in the U. S.The association is trying to promote C&D
recycling. The CDRA and its members are supported by the man.They are working
hard to improve environmental practices in the U. S.What are the biggest
obstacles to successful C&D waste management. Soft federal regulations were
among the top in 2015.
There are issues reported in Austria
CDW. Heterogeneity of quality of materials is one of the challenges.There are
incentives and speculation regarding the end-of-life status of
materials.Austria has developed a strong legal framework in order to progress
its C&D waste practices.
Quality norms, enforcement, and
collaborations between industry and policymakers are some of the things that
have been done. In the same effort, US C&D.This waste stream is being
worked on to increase recycling.
F] Conclusion
One of the biggest problems in the United
States right now is out how to sort and deal with plastic waste. It’s super
important for everyone to learn how to sort & recycle things properly.
Take Germany, for example! They are really
good at recycling. Their sorting system is simple. Every bottle or glass jar
goes into special glass bins. They even sort glass by color! If you look
closely, you’ll see different slots for green, brown, and clear glass. Plus, in
towns everywhere, there are colored bins—green, blue, yellow, brown, and gray.
Each place has its own color system, but it's really organized and
well-publicized. This helps everyone know exactly where to put their
recyclables.
In America, we need more recycling resources
like clear bins and easy pick-up spots. Just like in Germany! Ideally, homes
will have recycling bins that are easy to spot. Public places too! Oh, and
places where construction happens could use them as well. The labels on
recycling bins should be straightforward, obvious & easy to understand.
Also, we should think about starting sustainable waste management companies! Companies like General Kinematics are already making recycling easier with new technology and designs. Lastly, we can’t forget that we need to tackle construction and demolition waste to improve recycling in the U.S.A. Let’s work together for a cleaner future!