Office paper recyclability: fibrous characteristics

BENITEZ, J; KOGA, M.E.T; OTERO DE ALMEIDA M.L.; FELISSIA, F. E; PARK, S.W.; AREA, M. C

O PAPEL

ABTCP

Lugar: Sao Paulo; Año: 2014 vol. 75 p. 48 - 53

0031-1057

Recyclability is the ability of a material to reacquire the same properties it had originally. The aim of this work was to verify the recyclability of three printing and writing papers, from the characteristics of their fiers after two recycles. Three ECF bleached kraft eucalyptus commercial bond papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied (A, B, C). The papers were repulped and refied using different levels and intensities of energy (1 st recycle). Laboratory sheets were produced, and they were repulped and refied again (2nd recycle). The microscopic characteristics of repulped papers were obtained by automatic equipment based on image analysis. Differences found in the behavior of the different samples can be explained by fier parameters. The fier length was signifiantly different in the three papers (A > B > C) and globally decreased in the second recycle (about 6%). Sample A had the highest initial fier length and length/width, but it largely decreased with refiing conditions in the 1st recycle (length fall 12%, generating fies by cutting), whereas it fall 9% between the 1 st and 2nd recycles, and nothing with refiing conditions in the 2nd recycle. Sample B fall by 5% with refiing conditions in the 1st recycle, and 9% between the 1st and the 2nd recycle, but suffered few alteration in the second recycle. Fiber length of sample C was unaffected by refiing conditions and only decreased 9% between the 1 st and 2nd recycles. In all cases, the generated fies increased lightly with refiing in the fist recycle, but were two-fold higher in the second recycle than in the fist one. The fier coarseness of the 3 samples was similar in the fist recycle, but decreases signifiantly in the 2nd recycle.