Pro Carton Fact File – Module 4 – The Pulping Process

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RECYCLED PULP CARTON & BOARD MAKING Recycled pulp is made from paper and board, including recovered cartonboard from recycling collection schemes. The cartonboard mills buy back the sorted material from recyclers, this is the final loop in the circular business model. Fibre separation is achieved by mechanical agitation in water. Pulp made in this way is known as recycled pulp, recycled fibre, recovered fibre, waste paper fibre or simply secondary fibre. THE PULPING PROCESS ENERGY SOURCES USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF PULP, PAPER AND CARTONBOARD Chemical pulping results in a by-product which is used as an energy source for pulping and, where appropriate, bleaching. In integrated mills, where paper or board is made at the same site, the wood by-products also provide energy in the form of electricity and steam, for the manufacturing process. This energy source is, therefore, renewable and sustainable. It accounts for around 50% of the energy consumed in pulp, paper and cartonboard manufacture. The mill operators are continuously increasing the share of renewable energy to reduce use of fossil energy sources. The mills in Scandinavia are the first to approach carbon neutrality, the ultimate target of the industry for all mills. RECYCLED PULP PRODUCTION Recovered recycling materials Hydrapulper fibre separation in water Cleaning Board machine Board THE CARTON PACKAGING FACT FILE All contents copyright © BPIF 2017.
WATER USED IN PULPING CARTON & BOARD MAKING Water is used in mechanical and chemical pulping to separate, process and transport primary or virgin fibres, i.e. fibres made directly from wood. Water is also used in the recycling of fibres from recovered paper and board. All mills have processes in place to minimise the amount of “lost water”. Water is cleaned and reprocessed in closed loops before being released back to nature. THE PULPING PROCESS In fact 90% of the water that is taken out at the beginning will be returned to the environment at the end of the process in a better and cleaner quality than before , with the remainder either being evaporated or remaining within the product. This is due to the increasing demands on European regulations forcing innovative technologies to be used in the Mills, (Cepi 2015). After use the water is treated to meet the local regulations and returned to nature. Action is being taken to moderate the amount of water used in the manufacturing process to reduce the environmental impact of water use. Cepi has stated that water consumption in European mills has been reduced by a third in the course of a 10 year survey. ADVANTAGES OF CARTONBOARD MADE FROM VIRGIN FIBRE Cartonboard made from primary or virgin fibre is generally whiter, smoother and has a less pronounced surface structure than cartonboard made mainly from recycled fibres. It can be up to 25% lighter for the same strength and therefore reduce the overall weight of the carton. Fibres made directly from wood are more “consistent”. This consistency means that cartonboard made from virgin fibre readily meets the needs of direct food contact and pharmaceutical packaging and wherever the products packed have sensitive flavours and aromas. One of the most sensitive products to pack is chocolate. When put in direct contact with packaging made from virgin fibres the pure taste of the chocolate will be protected. Cartonboard made from recycled fibre utilises valuable recovered waste paper and board which would otherwise be discarded into landfill sites or disposed of by other means. Energy and material resources are invested in the manufacture of paper and board hence recovering and recycling the fibre is therefore an efficient use of those resources. Cartonboard made mainly from recycled fibres can also be more cost effective as it utilises a lower cost raw material with the minimum necessary amount of more expensive virgin fibres. In order to ensure a truly circular and sustainable future for the paper and board industry it is important to continue to recover as much used fibre as possible and use virgin fibre sustainably to support developments for new and existing products. To meet varying customer requirements and to keep our circular model running we need both virgin and recovered fibres. Each post consumer carton collected and recycled will add tremendous value to our circular business model. THE CARTON PACKAGING FACT FILE All contents copyright © BPIF 2017.
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Pro Carton Fact File – Module 4 – The Pulping Process

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