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Paper recycling is the process of turning waste paper (post-consumer) or scrap paper (pre-consumer) into usable products. This includes separating the fibers and forming them into new sheets of paper or burning the paper for energy.

Barge with recycled paper to be processed, on the Hudson River in New York City

Overview

Paper products are the largest component of municipal solid waste, making up 31-38% of the composition of landfills in the United States. They are also the largest component of recycled materials in the United States, with 45 million tons of paper and paperboard being recycled in 2001. This means that today, about 45% of all paper and paper products are actually being recycled. Although this number does seem impressive, it has remained fairly steady with slight increases for a number of years and has never reached the 50% recycling mark set by the United States. Paper packaging recovery, specific to paper products used by the packaging industry, was responsible for about 74% of packaging materials recycled with 21 million pounds recycled in 1999. However, while the supply of postconsumer paper has remained fairly steady, the demand for it has not. The selling price for recycled paper has been notorious for wide fluctuations. This means that the expansion of the paper recycling industry may be stymied.

Process

Paper almost always goes through the same recycling process. First, there is a separation of the material into component fibers in water, which creates a pulp slurry; this is called resuspension. Second, this slurry goes through a cleaning to remove nonfibrous contaminants and often a detergent washing. Sometimes a third process is included, which is a de-inking of the fiber by sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate. This often goes further into a bleaching stage, where peroxides or hydrosulfites are used to make the paper appear whiter. Lastly, this clean and ready fiber is made into a new recycled paper product, either by mixing it with virgin fibers from trees or simply creating 100% recycled paper material.

Environmental effects

Creating recycled paper materials uses less energy and water than pulping virgin trees, and reduces water and air pollution compared to the virgin paper-making process. However, one of the biggest problems with the process is the use of bleaching. The US paper industry’s reliance on chlorine-intensive bleaching places this industry as the worst water polluter in the world. Using chlorine with an organic material in this way often produces organochlorines, specifically dioxins, that are very dangerous to the environment.

External Links

References

• Environmental Chemistry, 3rd Edition, Colin Baird & Michael Cann, Freeman, New York, 2005.
• S. Selke, "Recycling of Packaging Materials," Recycling of Municipal Solid Wastes, CRC Press, Inc., 1994.