Paper and Pulp Industries
Raw materials for Paper:
>Nonwoody raw material- ex: wheat straw, Baggase bamboo, cotton linter, rice straw,
cotton stalk, grasses
>Woody raw material- ex> poplar (hardwood), eucalyptus (hard wood), douglas fir (soft
wood)
> Both hard (deciduous) and soft (coniferous) wood used but softwood preferred because
longer fibers.
> Bark cannot be used because not fibrous and diFicult to bleach.
Properties of Pulp can be determined by:
1. Ash content in pulp but it is not important property of pulp.
2. Dirt content of pulp particularly of recycled pulp is important for its suitability to make
fine paper.
3. Moisture content of Market Pulp- important from storage, transportation, and handling
point of view.
4. Fiber length of pulp
5. Fines content an additional measure of pulp particle size is the percentage of fines.
6. Kappa Number of Pulp – determination of relative hardness, bleach ability or degree of
delignification of pulp.
7. Permanganate number (K Number) is a chemical test performed on pulp to determine
the degree of delignification.
8. Viscosity of Pulp- solution viscosity of a pulp gives an estimation of the average degree of
polymerization of the cellulose fiber.
Pulping Processes – the goal of pulping is to release the fibrous cellulose from its
surrounding lignin while keeping the hemicellulose and celluloses intact, thereby
increasing the yield of useful fibers.
> Fibers obtained naturally colored % must be bleached before used to obtain good color
without degradation and loss of yield.
> Some work better on softwood than hardwood, some give high-yield lower quality papers,
some give low-yield superior papers.
> Major processes are sulfate or kraft process, groundwood and thermomechanical
process, semichemical process, and sulfite process.
Process Description
> this process utilizes sodium sulphite cooking liquor which is buFered with sodium
carbonate or NaOH to neutralize the organic acid liberated from the raw materials.
1. Cutting of raw material- non-woody raw materials come in the precut state and cut into
small chips before the further processing.
2. Dry and Wet Cleaning- Wheat straw is collected from the storage and is then sent for the
dry cleaning. For this purpose, air is blown into the raw material.
> Dry wheat straw is then subjected to wet cleaning, which removes the remaining dust
particles.
3. Screening- is to remove oversized and unwanted particles. Ex: vibratory gravity &
centrifugal separators.
4. Digestion- as the raw material enters the digester, steam is introduced at the bottom and
liquor containing sodium sulphite is injected.
> It is revolved at 2.3 RPM and temperature of 160-180℃ is maintained.
5. Blow tank: The cooked material from the digester is blown tank and then pumped to
centrifugal screen for the separation of cooked from uncooked materials.
6. Bleaching- it is done with chlorine or hydrogen peroxide. After washing, the unbleached
pulp is sent to the chlorinator where chlorine at 4-5 bar pressure is injected.
> After chlorination, pulp is washed with hot water at 60℃ and then sent to the storage
tank. After drying, the pulp is ready for the manufacturing of paper.
7. Paper making Machine
- a basic fourdrinier type of machine is used for paper making.
Unit Processes Involved
1. Halogenation
2. Oxidation
3. Sulfonation
4. Amination
Classification of boards
1. Fiberboards- are rigid and semirigid sheets formed by the wet- or dry-felting of fibers. The
low-density kinds are generally used for insulation. The new medium-density types go
mainly into furniture, and the high-density types into furniture and paneling. The fiber used
is usually from soft or hardwoods, cull timber, and mill residues, and the wood is pulped by
mechanical, thermomechanical, or explosive processes.
2. Particleboard- Particleboard manufacture uses sawdust, shavings, and wood flakes of
special shapes to combine good physical properties with attractive appearance. Synthetic
resin adhesives and diFerent pressing conditions give varying density, strength, and surface
embossing. Boards with resin adhesives are high strength and can be made with
predetermined engineering properties. They have their basic elements aligned substantially
in one direction. Particle- boards are used for subflooring, core stock for veneered furniture,
and decorative paneling are used for subflooring, core stock for veneered furniture, and
decorative paneling and are replacing plywood and lumber for some structural applications.
3. Paper-based laminates are multiple sheets of resin-treated paper bonded together
under high pressure and heat; under these conditions they become rigid and have no
characteristics of paper. Depending on the process used, these products are termed resin-
filled or resin-impregnated. They possess several characteristics, such as stability and
strength which make them useful in the building industry.
Environmental EFects
1. Deforestation- wood is used widely in the formation of paper which cause deforestation.
2. Air Pollution- NO2, SO2, CO, particulate matter, methanol, and other chlorinated
compounds are emitted during paper manufacturing causing acid rain.
3. Water Pollution- solid waste such as sludge derived from their pulping and bleaching
operations.
4. Energy Use- the pulp and paper industry use 84% of the fuel energy consumed by the
forest products industry. It is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions.
What can we do to save our environment?
Recycling- In Europe, an average of 56% of used paper is recovered. The recycling process
includes the following stages: sorting, dissolving, de-inking, mixing and papermaking
process.
