Newsprint Recycling an Education, Assessment, and Research Project

Alternatives for Newsprint Recycling An Education, Assessment, and Research Project

Polhtion -- Prevention Research Center

Dr. Tom Joyce Dr. John Heitmann Dr. Michael Overcash

Wood and Paper Science and Chemical Engineering Departments North Carolina State University Center for Waste Minimization and Management EPA OfRce of Exploratory Research The News and Observer Publishing Co. , Raleigh, N.C. Pollution Prevention Program, N.C.DEHNR Pub 1 i shed By :

Pollution Prevention Research Center Dr. Michael Overcash, Director Department of Chemical Ehgineering North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina (919) 737-2325

April 1991

The search for technologies to utilize or recycle post-consumer newsprint is increasingly important as the public commitment grows to collect this material. A project involving both the education of university students and the development of technological alternatives was thus undertaken by the EPA Center for Waste hIhimization and Management at North Car- olina State University. This project was initiated by the Raleigh News and Observer, with additional support from the North Carolina Pollution Prevention Program through the North

Carolina State University Industrial Extension Service.

Physical and chemical properties of newsprint dictate the range of technical alternatives for reuse. The fibrous nature of wood pulp in paper, the absorbent quality, and chemical/fuel characteristics were determined to be the more important qualities in developing recycling alternatives. The students developed and described, in a summary format, 16 end uses for post-consumer newsprint. It was recognized that no list of alternatives could be absolutely complete but these end-uses were viewed as a wide range of potentidy interesting choices that might stimulate follow-up by interested organizations.

Utiliaing their education in chemical engineering and in wood and paper science, the students narrowed the alternatives based on intuitive notions of feasibility. Six technologies were chosen for preliminary engineering evaluation and were 1)pressed board, 2) fuel, 3) paper production,

4) livestock bedding, 5) tissue and toweling absorbents, and 6) packing materials. As with most catalogues of technological alternatives, the next stage for a state or society is to select and further establish actual facilities which might recycle post-consumer newspaper. This

3 process is likely to depend heady on the private sector and the commitment of citizens to ? supply old newspaper for recycling. 3 Six technologies believed to be the most feasible were examined on a preliminary engineering basis. The details of technical design, research needs, market feasibility, and recommendations I are given for each technology. Probably the most powerful in total demand and proven tech- 'I nology is consumption of old newspapers as fuel, leading to substantially lower SO, and NO, emissions. Utilization of post-consumer newsprint as secondary fibers in paper or as material

-1 for absorbent products are two technologies that are also proven and represent larger demand '7 than the full newsprint supply of North Carolina. The absorbent product use is less common than recycling to a paper product. Pressed board-related products appear feasible and might 11 be on the order of 25% of the total newspaper supply. Livestock bedding is a less technol- .I ogy intensive choice with a typically local, probably small scale, base. The bedding would eventually be returned to the land to add to organic matter of soil. Findy, post-consumer -1 newsprint conversion to packaging material appears feasible but might utilize 1%- 2% of the 1 North Carolina supply. These technologies can and should be evaluated in a state-wide process of assuring recycling options are available to communities. .-I

.-'1 I 4 d1 1 ii J 7 -1 1

__1 1 '1 1 [1 'I 1 -1 .I 1 .f I 3 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The support for and genesis of this project by the Raleigh News and Observer, Inc. has been

a strong addition to the Center for Waste Minimization and Management, both for education 1 and research. Important support by the North Carolina Pollution Prevention Program has ‘1 allowed greater technology transfer for this work. A number of individuals have spent important time and intellectual effort to make this project

.-I a success. These include from Chemical Engineering, Dr. George Roberts, Dr. John Setser, ‘1 Mr. George Rutledge, and Dr. Ed Stahel (whose untimely death has taken a significant contributor from this University). From the Industrial Extension Service, Mr. Wayne Friedrich, I Mr. Don Preiss, and Mr. Tom Stephenson have been instrumental in this effort. From Wood and Paper Science Dr. Dick Thomas has also encouraged our work. 1 11

..1 1 .I

J iii J '7 1 11 -1 -1 1 1 1 Table Of Contents '1 1 I Executive Summary i I1 Acknowledgements iii

I11 Project Accomplishments 1 1 IV Overview Of 16 End Uses For Newspaper Recycling 2 v Summary 6

'1 VI AppendixA '1 Summaries Of Possible Uses For Post-Consumer Newsprint Production Of Pressed Board From Used Newsprint A1

:I Possible Uses Of Paper (Cellulose) Fibers In Composite Material Manufacture A6

.I Recycle Newspaper In Flooring Substrates A9 1 Recycle of Wastepaper To New Paper A10 I Paper Recycled To Organic Compounds A13 Composting Recycled Newspaper A15

>I Newspaper As Absorbent Material A18 .1 Conversion Of Used Newsprint Into Rayon Fiber A20 .I Paper Lining A22 Recycled Newspaper Used For Disposable Clotbing A32 i Newspaper As A Bulking Agent A34 7 Recycled Newspaper As A Material For Acoustical Ceiling Tile A36 d 3 J

Fuel Ethanol From Waste Paper A40

Use Of Waste Newspaper In Diaper Production A43

The Recycling Of Waste Newspaper Into Fuels A46

VI1 AppendixB Preliminw Engineering Evaluations Of Recycling Technologies For Post-Consumer Newsprint

Pressboard Production Utilizing Waste Newsprint BO

Waste Newsprint Uses As A Fuel B16

Newsprint Production From Secondary Fiber B34

Recycling Old Newsprint In Livestock Bedding B49

The Use Of Recycled Newsprint As A Raw Material In The Manufacturing Of Tissue And Toweling Absorbent Papers B76

Recycled Newspaper: Feasibility For The Construction And Operation Of A Facility To Manufacture Packing Material From Old Newpapers B96 3 PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The educational background of this project was provided through three senior-level courses.

The goal was to teach students in Wood & Paper Science and in Chemical Engineering the conditions and technology that might contribute to the recycling of post-consumer newsps per. Three courses were utilized to provide several background lectures covering necessary information for subsequent technical evaluations. These were:

Chemical Engineering Process Design (ChE 451)

Wood and Paper Science Process Management and Analysis (WPS 415)

Chemical Engineering Projects (ChE 497)

At the start of the semester, a number of lectures were provided related to paper, process technology, economics, and waste minimization. Then two levels of technology evaluations were initiated centering on development of a very wide range of possible end uses for post- consumer newspaper. These two levels were

0 brief overview of 16 end uses

0 preliminary engineering design analyses for 6 priority end uses

As these possible alternatives were examined during the semester several additional educational elements were added. The technology for paper and fiber usage is already in use and

1 I I thus it was beneficial to show the students such full scale facilities. Three site visits were i conducted.

With the conclusion of both levels of technical review for potential uses, the final step was to I provide the students with a forum to summariae each technology. A meeting, January 16,1991, 1 was organized with the sponsors, Raleigh News and Observer, Inc. and the North Carolina Pollution Prevention Program. The open discussions provided an important exchange and I critique. This report is thus a summary of an overall process to help advance the understanding I of alternatives to reduce the IandfiUing of post-consumer newspaper. OVERVIEW OF 16 END USES FOR NEWS= I PAPER RECYCLING i The development of recycling alternatives for post-consumer newspapers begins with iden- i tifying the properties of this material. Discussions centered on the physical, chemical, and I biological characteristics, with the following descriptions, for post-consumer newspaper. I

0 absorbent I 0 short, weak fibers I 0 biologically available i

0 fuel value i

0 stiff or formable 7

0 yellows with age

2 I 1 1 0 fibrous: 1 - cellulose 1 - hemicellulose ‘1 - lignin 1 0 transmits some light ‘1 0 thermal or electrical insulation ‘I 0 compressible 0 not anaerobically degradable .I 0 potentially large amounts (~1,400tons/d in North Carolina) .I

1 Based on these physical and chemical properties, the students began to list possible end-uses for which post-consumer newspaper might serve. These are listed in Table 1. In Appendix A

1 each end-use is described in brief to provide an overview of possible utility.

1 F’rom these overviews, The senior design students in Chemical Engineering and in Wood and 1 Paper Science selected six priority end-uses. These were to be evaluated in greater technical detail, with some economics, and with recommendations for further work. Selection of the six

I technologies was made by the students and they then chose which end-use to study; Table 2. d The detailed reports are given in Appendix B. zi .1 3 J TABLE 1

POSSIBLE USES FOR POST-CONSUMER 1 NEWSPAPER

1. Press Board I 2. Composite Materials I 3. Flooring, Tile Substrate I 4. Paper 5. Conversion to Organic Chemicals 6. Compost 7. Absorbent Spill Material 8. Synthetic Polymer I 9. Bedding 10. Disposable Clothing I 11. Bulking Agent Inert I 12. Acoustical i 13. Fuel Conversion 14. Diapers i 15. Tapes -1 16. Direct Fuel i

4 TABLE 2

Preliminary Engineering Evaluations

Pressed Board George Edwards Angela F’reuler Linda Jones Fuel James E. Brown Mark Best Paper Production James Best Keith Kirkpatrick Livestock Bedding Greg Venditti Allen Turner Tissue and Toweling Absorbents Patrick Low Lori Pearce John Windley Packing Materials Doug Estridge Karen Schmidtke

5 "I

SUMMARY

Post-consumer newsprint recycling remains a complex phenomenon, controlled as much by public attitude as by technical choices. The goals of identifying alternative technologies and 1 of educating students to this societal issue were achieved. The proposal to examine this issue I made by The Raleigh News and Observer and reinforced by the North Carolina Pollution Pre- vention Program has been a meaningful recognition of the EPA Center for Waste Minimization 1 and Management and of North Carolina State University. A number of logical actions could I emanate from this initial evaluation as a part of a long process to actually achieve significant post-consumer recycling for North Carolina. ! I i I I I i I f

6 APPENDIX A

Summaries of Possible Uses for Post-Consumer Newsprint

J ?

J PRODUCTION OF PRESSED BOARD FROM USED NEWSPRINT

Linda Noel Jones - Chemical Engineering

INTRODUCTION

With the increased awareness concerning solid waste management, it .is appropriate to explore the possible uses of old newsprint. One potential use for used newsprint is in the manuhture of pressed board. The phrase npressed board” broadly refers to a variety of products ranging from paperboard to hardboard. Paperboard is simply a material resembling very heavy cardboard. ’1 On the opposite end of the pressed board spectrum, there is hardboard which is a dense and rigid material. Since the processes for producing all varieties of pressed board are similar, and the content herein is to be brief, this report shall focus primarily on particleboard and fiberboard. ‘I Used newsprint has been used in pressed board production in the past. Available research indicates the newsprint was not used as the only raw material but rather as one component 1 serving as a source of fiber and bulk for board production. Documentation on the use of newsprint in pressed boards is apparently fairly limited. This lack of documentation should not be taken as an indicator for the lack of potential, but rather as an indicator of a field in need i of reseaxch and exploration. Indeed this field presents itself well as a research topic due to the potential positive environmental impact. The conversion of solid waste to usable forms such as pressed board is an idea that needs to be addressed very seriously due to its potential benefit ‘1 for all of society. 2 I TECHNOLOGY The processes used in the production of fiberboard and particleboard are very similar. Fiber- 1 board is produced by first reducing wood to its basic fiber form by grinding, explosion or chemical digestion. The natural lignin of the wood is then used as the primary bonding agent for forming the fiberboard. For pazticleboard manufacturing, the wood is reduced to particles 1 by cutting, tearing and grinding. The only adhesive in particleboard is a synthetic reain such as urea-formaldehyde or phenol-formaldehyde (Johnson; p285). Fiberboards may employ synthetic :.j resins.to form the board but the resin does not serve as the primary bonding agent. Due to its J -I method of production, newspaper does not contain as much lignin as is found in virgin wood. Therefore fiberboard produced from old newsprint might require the addition of a synthetic resin to aid in the formation and solidification of the board. For the mandscture of particleboard from newsprint, the first step would be to physically prepare the old newsprint. This might require soaking or drying depending on the desired processing conditions to yield the desired board properties. Also required would be the shreading of the paper into fine particles. The finely ground material would then be conveyed either mechanically of pneumatically to a storage area (Milton; pp87-89). The prepared newsprint would then be combined with a synthetic resin and thoroughly mixed to a desired concentration (p92). Depending on the type of particleboard being produced, layered, varying density or dorm, the material would then be combined with other materials (for uniform or varying density types) or left done (for layering). The mat-laying process is one of the most critical steps in the production of particleboard. This Btcp is vital in ensuring uniform density and reducing warpage of the product. The material is laid on cap18 which are then used to transport the material to the pressing unit. The cauls must be covered evenly with the material. This even application of material is critical in maintaining density variations to within plus or minus 2.5 percent. A conthuously moving belt can be need to achieve constant density boards. This method is rarely used in industry due to the inability of presses to accomodate the continuously moving belts. In order to lay multiple-layer boards, multiple passes of the caul are often used. Other methods of laying the materid include volumetrically controlling the dispersal of the particles onto belts. One additional method of mat-laying employs vibrating equipment and screens. Weighing machines are generally used to check the uniformity of the boards. This can either be done before or after pressing (pp93-95). Once the material haban distributed into layers, pressing of the particles into board occurs. Some pruslring operations have the material enter the press on a caul plate and be.pressed by another caul plate. In more recent years the material has been separated from the caul plate before entering the hot pressing unit. The layers are loaded into the press after which the preslring operation is carried out according to specified process conditions. Boards are then separated from the cauls (pp96-97). Pressed boards are generally stored for several days after pressing to equilibrate with the surrounding atmosphere. Two main mechanical finishing operations are cutting and thicknessing. Cutting operations involve sawing, both longitudinally and cross-wise. Thicknessing primarily involvm planars, drum sanders and belt sanders. The actual process performed depends on the finish required. The particleboards would then be ready for finishing processes including lacquering, painting, veneering, adding grain prints and others (p101). Fiberboard is made by a similar process as psrticleboard. The material would first be pulped or partially pulped. This would be followed by conveying, drying, felting into mats, and pressing at a critical temperature to activate lignin bonding. The fiberboard is then finished in a similar manner as particleboard. Many variations on the basic process are used for fiberboard

A2 production. The processes vary as to whether the product will be produced batchwise or continuously and whether the process will be dry, wet or semiwet. Fiberboard uses lignin as its primary bonding agent but occasionally a synthetic resin is employed to add stability and aid in bonding. Newsprint .may not have enough lignin for unaided bonding. (Information concerning exact lignin content of newsprint and lignin content required for bonding was not located for inclusion in this report). One area in need of additional research is the percentage lignin required for proper fiberboard production. This could then be compared with the lignin content of newsprint in order to assess the foasibiity of produeing fiberboard from old newsprint. The mruiimum allowable percentage cif newsprint in fiberboard and particleboard is another area in need of research. This maximum percentage dowed will depend on the mechanical strength desired in the fished product, a~ well as, the bonding properties of the natural lignin in.the newsprint.

ECONOMICS

Little information was located concerning the current production of pressed board in North Carolina. Even with the lack of formal information it can be determined that the markets arc continually expanding due to the desire for low cost materials. North Carolina is a large furniture producing state and this allows for great potential growth in the particleboard market. In. addition to furniture, particleboard is also used €or countertops, cabinets, doors, wallboards, rubflooring, and subroohg. Fiberboard is used largely for thermal and acoustical.iaealation, wallboard, and hardboards such as Masonite. Due to the wide variety of pressed board products, the potential marketability.of suchproducts produced from old- newspapers is virtually bitless. The current sources of raw material are largely wood left over from the manufacture of furniture and virgin wood. The use of recycled paper in such products as pressed board would alleviate industrial dependence on our dwindling forests.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1) Obtain an analysis of lignin content in newsprint. 2) Obtain approximate percentage lignin required for fiberboard bonding.

3) Research properties of pressed board produced .using 100 .percent newsprint with. additives such an synthetic resins.

A3 4) Research properties of pressed board produced using less than 100 percent newsprint. 5) Analyze the total market and potential market growth in North Carolina. 6) Analyze costs of production with newsprint and without newsprint. Use this analysis to determine the effects of newsprint use on pressed board cost and profits associated with its manufact we.

7) Primarily focus research concerning the use of newsprint in pressed board products to fiberboard production. This seems to be the most viable pressed board product for the use of old newsprint. Due to the high degree of mechanical pulp contained in newsprint, the fibers will lend little strength to particleboard but will contribute highly to the lignin based fiberboards. The effectivenees of newsprint in fiberboard will probably increase as the overall density of the fiberboard product increases.

A4 1 REFERENCES CITED

-1 Johnson, E. S., editor; Wood Particle Board Handbook; August 1965 by The School of Engi- neering, North Carolina State College, Raleigh, North Carolina. 1 Milton, L., editor; Particleboard Manufacture and Application; July 1969 by Novello and Com- ‘I pany Limited, Kent, England.

J POSSIBLE USES OF PAPER (CELLULOSE) FIBERS IN COMPOSITE MATERIAL MANUFACTURE

David G. Crowther, CHE 451

Although an extensive literature search was conducted regarding the topic of cellulose composite fibers, it appears that there is no evidence of any current use of these fibers as a reinforcing medium in composite materials being manufactured today. A computerized periodical search was done at D.H. Hill Library. Several main topics were investigated. Within each main heading, all possibly relevant sub-headings were researched. Numerous articles were found regarding carbon or glass-reinforced composites. These materials consisted of fibers in a polymeric resin substrate. There was no indication, however, of any type of cellulose or paper fiber being either manufactured or developed for this purpose. A possible use of cellulose composite materials was proposed by this author; low-strength vehicle body parts of recycled paper composite materials. One periodical (Automotive En- gineering, April 1990) mentioned composite material use for truck bodies, however D.H. Hill Library did not have that particular issue. Several other periodicals carried articles concerning use of composite materials for the manufacture of aircraft and automobile use, however, all these composites again utilized carbon or ceramic fibers as the reinforcing media.

In conclusion, it would seem that if any research is being conducted in this area, the results are yet to be published. For a listing of possibly relevant periodical sources to be monitored for future developments in the area of cellulose fiber reinforced composites, see accompanying bibliography. This bibliography is divided into main topics and further divided into subhead- ings.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Note: Researched issues listed after periodical title.

FIBROUS COMPOSITES

0 Manufacture:

A6 - European Chemical News, Nov. 16,1987

1 - Modern Plastics, Sept., 1988

- Rubber World, April, 1989

0 Production:

- Plastics World, March, 1989

0 Usage:

- Automotive Engineering, April, 1990

- Production, Feb., 1989

- Chemical & Engineering News, Oct. 10,1989

0 Research:

- American Metal Market, May 9,1989

0 Forecast:

- European Chemical News, May 23,1987

0 Automobiles:

- Modern Plastics, Dec., 1989

- New Scientist, July, 1989

A7 0 Aircraft: 1 - Chemical Marketing Reporter, Sept. 5,1988

- Business & Commercial Aviation, Sept., 1988

- Machine Design, April 7,1988 1

CELLULOSE FIBERS 1 - European Chemical News, May 28,1990 1 - Pulp & Paper, May, 1990 1 WASTE PAPER

0 Recycling: 1

- Pulp & Paper, Nov., 1989 I I I I I I 1

I .j

A8 J 1 -1 RECYCLE NEWSPAPER IN FLOORING ’1 SUBSTRATES 1 Jack C. Martin, Chemical Engineering

1 INTRODUCTION

The use of recycled newspaper in flooring substrates has viable potential. This potential is based on two factors; first the flooring substrate or paper backing must meet minimum tensile strengths, and second recycled newspaper must be in regular and dependable supply for it to :I be economically feasible. The basic duty of the flooring substrate is to be a medium between the tile flooring and the 3 actual floor nodyconsisting of wood or cement. The paper must have enough strength to hold the tile to the floor via the glue, or the flooring will become loose and eventually tear.

-7c. -I TECHNOLOGY

The current availability of techniques to make the necessary quality paper liner for the flooring __‘1 substrates is somewhat limited and not readily accessible in current technical journals. Based on information from personnel fiom pulp mills making corrugated mediums, the type of paper used in flooring substrates is similar in strength to liner board. General practise for making L.I liner board is to use 30-40% recycle cardboard. It also can be assumed that if recycle newspaper can be integrated with virgin pulp to make the paper board in flooring substrates that 30-40% recycle product could make a viable substitution to the current recycle cardboard process. :I Since the appearance of the flooring substrate is inconsequential, the processes of ink removal would not present any technical difliculties. li 1 %I ECONOMICS I 3 Since no data is readily available on the amount of paper produced specifically for flooring substrates it is impossible to make economic analysis concerning the use of recycle newspaper. -i J A9 RECYCLING OF WASTEPAPER TO NEW PAPER

GEORGE WALLACE ChE

INTRODUCTION

Wadepaper recycling is becoming an increasingly inportant issue in the United States. In fact, one of the most important environmental issues in this country today is the problem concerning garbage. Most recent estimates have shown that Americans produce approximately 160 milion tona/yesr of municipal solid waste. It has also been estimated that by the year 2000, this number will rise to almost 200 million tons/year. In 1987, approximately 10 percent of this 160 million tons of waste was recycled; another 10 percent was incinerated and the remaining 80 percent went into the nation’s landfills. The problem is that the number of landfills in this country is rapidly decreasing and it is expected that within.3-6 years the landfills in the U.S. will be at capacity. Furthermore, there are presently no new landfills being sighted. Once a lendfill Bight is-selected however, it can take several years before becoming operational. Waste incineration has also become a problem because of new, strict environmental regulations that are bung applied in many parts of the country. For these reasons, it appears as though the most attractive option to solving the solid waste problem is recycling, and when recycling becomes an alternative, much attention is focusedd on paper recycling because paper and paperboard products make up about 40 percent of total municipal solid waste.

TECHNOLOGY

The main hinderance to recycling wastepaper is deinking. Deinking is a process by which ink pigment and ink particles are chemically and/or mechanically separated from fibers, thereby rendering the fibers re-uoable. Although there have been continuing developments in deinking technology, the growing diversity of printing processes and inks has become a tremendous challenge for the recycle industry. This is especially true in recycling of newsprint because of the increasing use of mineral pigments, new types of specialty pigments, and new printing processes. However, it is crucial that these challenges are overcome because newsprint recycling has become one of the most dynamic areas of secondary fiber utilization. The primary challenge in deinking of old newsprint, is to efficiently separate the fibers from the ink pigment particles, the oil vehicles, and any small amounts of binders and similar additives that might be present. The

A1 0 ammount of these contaminants present in old newsprint depends greatly on the type of printing process that was used for printing. The three types of printing processes most comonly used are lithography, letterpress, and flexograpphy. Conventional deinking technologies have shown offset and, especially, flexography inks to be more difficult to efficiently deink on account of higher amounts of binder in the ink to increase rub-proofness. Therefore, new developments are needed for.deinking the various types of inks present in old newsprint..Conventional deinking methods employ a number of different types of processes and equipment. In most cases, the equipment is wed either to perform separate functions or to remove different types of contamination. The following is a brief description of the various stages of a deinking system. Pulping: The pulper is the fist stage of the deinking process and can be a batch or continuous process. This stage is where the wastepaper, water, and deinking chemicals are added aad the slurry is pulped to a certain consistency. .Low condstancy pulping (4-8 percent) is used in newsprint recycling to prevent the ink pasticles from being driven into the fiber which could have a negative &'t on final brightness. Screening: Directly after the pulper is usually a coarse type of screening process with 7-9mm holes to remove large contaminants. Folowing these screens can be multi-stage pressure screens. These screenr are operated aat consistencies of about 2-3 percent. Cleaning: Unlike screening, which removes contaminants on the basis of eiae, cleaning removes contaminants on the basis of weight. Cleaning by weight is a technology that is based on rpeciflc gravity and can be separated into heavy cleaning and light cleaning. Heavy cleaning is urually done wiht types of equipment known as forward cleaners. These cleaners are centrifugal seperation devices that use a flow split to separate fibers from high density contaminants (density greater than 1). Reverse cleaner^ are also centrifugal cleaners and are used to separate fibers from lighter dendty contaminants (density less than 1). Most modern mills use these cleaners in a bank-type or canister-type configuration in order to increase throughput. Washing: Washing is a mechanical process of "rinsing" of displscing the ink, dirt, and ash that is prerent in wastepaper. Washing can be performed over a wide range of stock consistenciess and operating conditions using a number of different types of equipment and processes. Conventional washers combine gravity deckers, sidehill screens and dewatering screws. A typical system might include a dewatering screw in the prewash position, a gravity decker in the first stage, and finally sidebill screens.

Flotation: Flotation is a process that is based on achieving separation of ink and fiber by influencing the wetability with water of the particles to be separated. This process is comprised of a flotation cell or series of cella in which the pulp slurry,.chemica,ls, and air are injected. The chemicals help separate the ink particles from the fiber and the ink then adheres to the air bubbles which then rille to the surface of the cell where the €oam is then skimmed off and discarded or recycled. Physical variables such as particle size, particle density, size of air.bubbles, consistency, temperature of slurry, and flow conditions in the cell, are all very important in the overall ink removal efficiency of the flotation process.

A1 1 Deflaking or Dispersion: Dispersion is a method by which ink particles are broken down into smd fragments that are not removed but that become too small to be seen by the naked eye. This particle size reduction can be done by the shear forces in pulping, pumping or other mechanical mixing units. One such mechanical device is know as a deflaker and is found in many eecondary fiber mills today. Dispersion can also be accomplishedd by injection of steam or by the addition of chemicals.

ECONOMICS

There many economical reasons for recycling wastepaper. Market pulp prices have a tendency to trend in the upward direction and for many companies fiber is one of the largest expenses. For this reason, there is great demand for pulp substitutes, and secondary fiber is presently the eecond largest source of fiber for the paper and paperboard industry in the U.S. Furthermore, according to a reeent study by the James River Corporation, the cost of building a secondary fiber mill is approximately 1/3 the cost of building a new kraft mill. Govanmental legidation is another reason for the increased interest in wastepaper recycling. For example, the state of New Jemey has adopted laws requiring mandatory separation of garbage in the homes. These laws require the separation of paper products from all other waste so that the paper waste can be easily collected. In addition, Florida has passed a law that would place a 10 cents/ton tax on dl newsprint but would then credit 10 cents for each ton of recycled fiber ured.

A1 2 1 I PAPER RECYCLED TO ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

1 Robert Nevruz CHE 1 :1 INTRODUCTION

:I :I Recycling is very important in today's society. Especially in the last few years, the public awareness of the environment ha grown.drastically and interest in.recycling has grown as.well. Recycling has many benefits.in the paper world as well as in other industries. As previously 'I'- mentioned, it aids our environment. Recycling also has economic advantages. One aaves money because of.energy conservation and because lees virgin materials are used and purchased.

This paper will focus on the use off recycled paper being transferred into organic compounds. Many organic compounds can be produced from recycled paper. Some of these compounds indude methanol, ethanol, glycols, isopropyl akohols (as well as .many other alcohols), and many other compounds.

TECHNOLOGY

Since there are so many organic compounds which can be formed from waste paper, this report will single out one. The compound to be studied will be ethanol. There are four basic eteps.in .the production of ethanol from waste paper. .They are: (I.).material preparation, (11.) saccharification, (111.) fermentation, (IV.) distillation. The intial step in the process is material preparation. Here the cellulose fibers are mechanically reduced to develop a surface area as big as possible for the enzymes. In order to do this, the fadstock, which contained waste paper, had to be air dried. It was then sent to a hydrapulper. F'rom the hydrapulper, the batch was fed to a beater where it stayed for twenty minutes. The consistency of the pulp was then increased from 3 percent to 10 percent by sending the pulp through a plate-and-frame filter press. Steps I1 and I11 may overlap considerably. In the saccharification step, the cellulose is enzy- matically digested. Two different enzymes are used in the process. The first enzyme cleaxes between the glucose units in the cellulose chain. This enzyme, however, may become locked on a glucose dimer and become inactive. To prevent this from happening, a second enzyme is added.

A1 3 This enzyme converts the dimer to glucose and further insures that the primary enzyme does not become inactive. Ideal conditions are met when glucose production is kept at a minimum. Other ideal conditions include: a reaction temperature of approximately 60 degrees celcius and a pH between 5.0 and 5.5 In order to meet the ideal condition of having minimal glucose production, fermentation was be intiated before saccharification is completed. In order to allow for this overlap, a temperature snd ethanol tolerant yeast must be utilized. At this point chloramphenicol is added. This will prevent the growth of bacteria which would hinder ethanol production if allowed to manifested.

This process has proven to generate ethanol as well as a large bottoms product. The bottoms should’be atiliied as a recycle stream. ‘A bonus to this processls that dye, printing’ink, and fdlers in the waste paper feedstock did not hinder the actions of either the enzymes or oof the yeast. In addition, the process is not .difficult to control and can be carried out in btltcch or semi-continuous modes.

ECONOMICS

Yet another bonus to this process is that it can be carried out using equipment commonly found in existing paper mills. This in turn leads to low capital investment. Further economic advantages include the fact that less virgin material is necessary in this process, thus lowering some purchasing costs. The lone economic disadvantage is the extremely high price of the entymes used in the process.

RECOMMENDATIONS

My recommendation is to keep researching this technique. If there is a way to lower the enzyme costs or amount used, this process will be very instrumental in the production of ethanol. A second recommendation is to keep building pilot plants. By this other uses may be discovered such cheaper glucose production.

A1 4 1 COMPOSTING RECYCLED NEWSPAPER

GEORGE EDWARDS CHE 497 3 INTRODUCTION

Each day tons and tons of solid waste are generated in cities across the United States. Between 40 and 50 percent of the waste consists of paper and paper products; nearly a quarter of this is in the form of newsprint. When one considers the large proportion of our total solid waste output that paper represents, the benefits of reclaiming it in some form become obvious. First, reclamsfion would decrease our need for 1andfIl.space (which is becoming more and more scarce as time goes by, especially in the northeast). Second, use of any waste materials in an 3 economically justifiable manner constitutes a more efficient docation of societies resources. One possible route to take in the recycling of newsprint is that of composting. Municipal wasterr have ban proven make good quality compost, suitable for soil conditioning and land reclamation. Newsprint, when cocomposted with other wastes and sludges, may be reclaimed in this manner.

11 TECHNOLOGY

The technology for composting municipal wastes already exists in functioning form in the United States. In these systems, all noncompostable items are removed from the solid waste and the rest, including newsprint is composted. For newsprint to be composted on a large scale, only a few significant problems exist. Currently newsprint makes up only a small fraction of the solid wastes that are composted. For newsprint to be composted on a large scale the composition of the newsprint and its effect on compost quality must be considered.

Newsprint consists mainly of short fibers of celluloses, hemicelluloses and lignin. What this means in terms of compost production is that the paper is a good source of carbon but a poor source of nitrogen, both of which are vitally important in soil and soil conditioning composts. To make effective use of large amounts of newsprint, it must be cocomposted with a good source of nitrogen in order to keep the C/N ratio at a biologically useful level. This may be accomplished cocomposting with sewage sludge. These two components are very good compliments for one another. The sludge provides a good nitrogen source for the paper and the paper, properly shredded could act as an absorbant and bulking agent for the sludge. J A15 This brings up the other major weakness of newsprint as a composting agent, its fibers are short and weak. Thus the fibers will not be able to provide all of the void volume (and thus aeration) necessary to allow for aerobic degradation of the compost components. This problem may be solved by addition of a third component as a bulking agent. Two agents that have been tried are shredded tires and dried compost product. Data on the success of various bulking agents does not appear to be widely available, but the literature seems to indicate that an ample supply of adequate bulking agents are available in the solid waste stream. The main economic advantage of composting newsprint is convenience. It does not need to be sepatsted fiom the solid waste stream or it may be added in bulk to the compostable waste stream after shredding or grinding. The composting process can then continue without modification. There are two general catagories of composting processes: windrow or mechanized. Generally in the U.S. and definitely in North Carolina the windrow system is economically advantageous because it is an open, exposed system that is relatively inexpensive to prepare and maintain. The site consists of an area of about 4 hectares per 100,000 in population supplying the &e on which heavy equipment can move a shelter to prevent saturation from rain or snow. Windrows are then set up by alternating layers of solid waste, sludge, and bdhg agent, if neccesary. Heavy equipment is then used to turn the piles to provide adequate aeration until the components have decayed sufficiently. The compost may them be stored or used immediately.

The only question of feasibility that does not seem to be addreaed in terms of using newsprint in comporting is that of toxicity. The literature did not reveal anything about the possible effects af toxins in the ink. This possibility should be considered because animals (including humans) could eventually consume toxins absorbed by plants grown in waste composted soh. It should be noted, however, that this is more than likely not a significant problem and definitely is not a fatal one. Concentrations in the end product would be of the most minute proportions and any such problem could be fixed by a change in the chemical compostition of ink.

.ECONOMICS

Composting is certianly a viable alternative to landfilling wastepaper. However, there are problems with compost as a.marketsble product. While it is producable at a reasonasble eost, it is bulky and rather difficult to transport and apply to large areas of land, as would be necessary to market large amounts of composted wastes. Its effectiveness as a soil conditioner has been documented. EPA studies have shown that compost treatment of soils increases yields but not to an extent to justify application costs (tobacco was an exception). If application methods are devised that increase the profitability of crops, a demand will thus be created.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A1 6 while composting waste newsprint is a good idea, it is probably not the most marketable alternative. Waste newsprint should be channeled to other uses such as recycled newsprint or fiberboard &st and market excess should then be used for composting.

A1 7 i I NEWSPAPER AS ABSORBENT MATERIAL ! Paul Peters, Chemical Engineering I ! INTRODUCTION I Environmental legislation requires industrial plants to actively work to "ize waste and maximize recycling opportunities. this applies to absorbent materials used to contain spills and leaks. Absorbent materials provide an efficient and cost-effective method of controlling I and cleaning up industrial and hazardous waste spills. Many factors must be considered when evaluating an absorbancy material; absorbent efficiency, ease of handling, labor costs, and I disposal of absorbent materials. The most common form is a loose material, generally clay, which is sprinkled or poured onto the spill. The second , newer spill absorption type is a tubular sock filled with either cellulosic materials, naturally occurring minerals, or synthetic i polymer fibers. Loose clay is the most common absorbent used in industry. Other loose materials such as I peanut hulls or sawdust have been used to a much lesser degree. The primary reason clay is the most used material is that, until recently, it was one of the few materials available. On the surface clay chips seem to be an inexpensive absorbent (pennies per pound), however, it I has several problems. First, clay chips only absorb about 10 to 15 percent of their own weight in waste material. This means that it would take approximately 450 pounds of clay to absorb a 5 gallon waste spill. In addition, it takes valuable time, which emergency response teams do I not have, to spread this much clay. Second, cleaning up loose clay chips takes quite an effort. Since the chips are loose they are easily spread throughout the rest of the plant, Third, clay ! chips generate dust which contains abrasive materials such as quartz and aluminum which can contaminate product and cause wear to moving machine parts. Clay also has a problem with waste minimization due to its low absorbency. Landfill disposal costs typically run $400 per ! 55 gallon drum and up. The only way to recover any value from oil-soaked clay is to incinerate it but this still results in an equal volume of ash that has to be disposed of. I The second form of absorbents is tubular socks filled with absorbent materials. The chosen material depends in part on what type of waste will be encountered. Chemically resistant materials are not needed if only oils, solvents, or other hydrocarbons are the only chemicals 1 handled. However, if corrosive acids and caustics are to be encountered a compatible material must be found, The three most popular fillers are cellulosic, mineral, and synthetic polymer. 1

A1 8 I i 7

Cellulosic socks contain biodegradables such as ground paper, wood pulp, cotton, corncobs, or sawdust. These socks are very absorbent in comparison to clay. They generally can absorb 200% of their own weight in waste material. The chemicals that will be encountered must be considered when using cellulosic materials because they do not work well with acids. For example, when nitric acid contacts cellulosic fibers flammable gases may be formed. Dust from other fillers such as sawdust, cotton fibers, and wood pulp also may contribute to the possibility of fires. Another big problem with cellulosic materials is disposal. The EPA has banned such materials from landills due to the fact that the fibers break down and release whatever hazardous wastes they have absorbed. One alternative is to incinerate the used socks. Another more expensive alternative is removal of the waste fluid by centrifugation.

Two other materials are used for sock filling; minerals and synthetic polymers. The mineral socks are generally full of clay chips and are, therefore, heavy and poor absorbents. The polymeric socks are generally filled with polypropylene or polyethylene. They are extremely absorbent (up to 1000% of their own weight) and are primarily used when an inert absorbent is needed. However, these materials are also exempt from landfill even though they aren't biodegradable. This is due to the fact that liquid is released when the socks are squeezed.

t TECHNOLOGY

The trail fiom old newspaper to absorbent tubing material is quite short and direct. The newspapers would need to be merely shredded up and placed within an appropriate sock material. The only constraint would be not to shred the newspapers too small as this would promote dust and fire hazards. The company who uses the absorbent should also know which chemicals to avoid with the cellulosic material.

ECONOMICS

No data could be found on the current need for this sort of material. As paper is approximately 200% absorbent the current waste paper rate of 2000 tons/day would be able to contain 4000 tons/day of spills. This (hopefully) is an outrageous amount of waste spills and says that this use could probably only account for a couple percent of the total amount of newspapers available. Even though this use would not use up a major portion of the available newspaper I believe it is still a good idea. Newspaper is more abundant than clay, cheaper than polymers, and extremely cheap and abundant.

I J A1 9 J I

CONVERSION OF USED NEWS PRINT INTO I RAYON FIBER 1 Robert F. Green, Chemical Engineering i

Ii INTRODUCTION

iI The conversion of wood pulp into rayon fiber for alternative applications, for example, textiles has long since been mastered and directed towards implementation. It is mainly environmental pollution control and resource preservation initiatives that have led to the possibility of I transforming old newspaper into a new usable rayon fiber. Essentially, by conserving our natural resources through an efficient recycling scheme such as this, one observes that an already compounding strain on the environment can, to a large extent, be avoided. Indeed, the recent I resurgence of public popularity and new government regulations on the use and abuse of our land resources, make this endeavor increasingly justifiable for the paper industry. I

TECHNOLOGY I I Before attempting to describe a process by which used news print can be considered as a possible input to rayon production, one must have a broad idea as to how wood pulp is currently incorporated in its production. I Solvents: i In order to extract the cellulose fiber contained within the wood pulp, one must obtain a suitable solvent mixture. Generally, this step is the most costly, cumbersome, and hazardous to induce, which makes it a major barrier to any new recycling technique. One method for ! dissolving cdulose for further use, is to take advantage of its properties as a base in inorganic solvents such as sodium zincate and hydrozine. Organic solvents would include, triton qua- ! ternary hydroxide and amines. Another method employs the use of cellulose derivitives where relatively new processes have been developed to form these dissolved derivitives into rayon fibers. N104-DMF Process: 1 A20 I I I An example of a process, or similar to a process that could be used, is the NaO4-DMF process. Currently, a cellulose containing wood pulp is dissolved into a NzOd-DMF solvent, whose applicability could be realized fro both hard and soft woods. This process entails supplying 1 160 parts kraft pulp, 1540 parts DMF,and 300 parts NaOl. All of which are held between -4°C and 10°C to impose favorable conditions for the exothermic reaction to take place, which will in turn the newly made derivitive to be used in the fiber formation step. Another - allow 1 similar process is the CHZO-DMSO method, which employs some of the same baeic steps mentioned above. However, one major drawback that is associated with these two schemes -1 is the inability to effectively dissolve cellulose from newsprint, and therefore a suitable means for using either process with newsprint does not yet exist. 1 Recovery: Once a suitable solvent is found to obtain the cellulose fiber from used newspaper, the next &1 stage involves recovery into a usable fiber. Usually this can be accomplished with the implementation of a regeneration bath by which the cellulose can be collected and spun into a fiber, Next the fiber is sent to a primary regeneration bath and then on to a secondary bath followed n by another spinning godet. Desired stretch conditions for the fiber can be accomplished by adjusting godet speeds. In addition, by modifying regeneration bath compositions, one can produce Merent grades of rayon fiber, for example, regular rayon staple or medium high performance rayon.

II RECOMMENDATIONS Since the conversion of wood pulp into rayon fiber is currently being enjoyed, it would probably .I be profitable to use this idea on converting old newspaper into a usable product and at the same time save a valuable natural resource. A viable process, however, must be found either by modifying the two mentioned processes or an entirely different approach. '1._

!1 A2 1 J PAPER LINING

Adrienne N. Brown, Chemical Engineering

INTRODUCTION

According to recent studies in Florida, Sanford County, and Moore County, the cost of conventional livestock bedding is increasing and availability is decreasing. Many new bedding materials are being introduced for use in the future. The horse industry are among the first to test these new materials. One of the materials currently under testing procedures is paper. Not just used typing paper or even new typing paper, but all types of paper products. Not only does this new experimental paper use help the bedding industry relieve its problem, but this use helps relieve the paper recycling problem. There are many warehouses of newspaper, office papers, government papers, etc. just waiting to be recycled or disposed of. From the environmental standpoint, studies have shown that there are no toxic elements in the ink that are harmful to plant or animal life. The shredded paper is completely biodegradable. This approach to solving the unused paper problem seems to be feasible and has current research projects underway in Animal Science Department at North Carolina University.

TECHNOLOGY

Current technology in this field is still primarily new. The research facility in Moore County is just beginning to set up their facility. The studies in Florida have been in existence since the early 1980’s. These studies were conducted at the University of Florida Horse Research Center. These studies compared shredded unused paper to straw and wood shavings. There was no unusual machinery used. The paper was bailed using the straw bailer, and the paper was shredded by a valby shredder. It is unknown at the present whether the ink will cause any long term problems for the livestock, but at present, there seems to be no damage. The present materials used, straw, sawdust, and woodshavings are not as absorbent as newsprint or office paper, according to E. L. Johnson and E. A. Ott. The technical aspect could be made more complicated by enhancing absorbancy, but this would increase cost thus making paper not as economically advantageous.

A2 2 -I ECONOMICS 1 The economical advantages are not yet known at this time. It is possible that they could be !I great given several important factors: 1. How fast will the paper mix with the ground for biodegrading? This may cause a trash problem in the surrounding community.

-1 2. How high must the grade of paper products be to suitably meet the absorbance criteria? Can recycled newsprint be used or will it be too weak or thin? 'I 3. Will the paper market catch on with the livestock community? 1 RECOMMEND ATIONS 1-

1. If this study is to be attempted, it should be in conjunction with the study in animal science. I1 [Ref. E. &. Johnson and E. A. Ott, "Use of Shredded Paper as a Bedding Material", Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Gainsville, Florida, Department of Animal Husbandry].

:I 2. Investigate the possibility of sweet smelling paper for kitty boxes and dog houses. People love sweet smelling, floral colored for their houses and pets.

'1 3. Look into increasing absorbance without significant increase in cost or paper use. .I Contact s: .1 0 Steve Mobley, Dept. of Agriculture, 733-7136 .I 0 Bob Mowrey, at. 2761 1 0 Brad Mallow, (919) 947-3188

3 s I A23 J I I NEW i BEDDING I

MATERIAL I

Dr. EL. Johnson i Extension vie Speadist University of on&, Gahcrville 1 University of Florida reports on what may be ! the staU bedding material of the future ...p aper. I

A test was recently conducted by tk University of Ronda Horse i RdCenter to compare a shredded paper bedding nutai;ll against straw 8nd wood sfwings. This mated wa rmdc by shdding nw,Uncil&ted I paper rtock that contained no metal such Is staples. or harf.i paper stock d B urdboud. Thc tcrt wscon. i I

OtZKrvatiora were deurd rreordtd ! Is to the war8the horsts hd to Mt bedding mated. A- kstr were Ibo conducted on uch d the mataiak. i Two horses were bedded on straw, 1

I I A24 I / d USE OF SHXDDED PAPER AS A BEDDIEG MERIAL E. Lo Johnson L E. A. Ott' 0 i' I Paterials fir the beddfng of str11r and pens for all'classer of lfvestock are becming fncreasingly difficult to find, and the cost of these materials . has increased dramatically over the past feu years. Hany new bedding materials are now belng utllfzed by the horse industry in place of the tradf- tional straw, Wood shavings and sawdust. bong these new materlals is a paper product made by shredding waste paper. The quality of the product depends upon the quality of the paper. Thfs ranges from ntw uncirculated stock that . is purchzred tpecifically'for shredding to used paper that It gathered at varfous locations and brought to 8 central faclllty to be shredded. Shredded paper beddfng has been and it receiving conslderable use in this country by the broiler Industry and from the horse and dairy fndustry in England. .It Is now galning attention from the horse Musty In theUnfted State.

8 Experfment . T$e Univetri ty of Florida Horse Resesrth Center conducted an experiment .consisting of two trials comparing shredded uncirculated paper beddihg against d the tradf tional straw And wood shaving bedding materials. Trial I The first portion of the experiment was designed to detennlne the absorbency of the three materials.' The pmcedure for this .test was to weigh a gfven volums of these matertals, saturate them wlth water and then weigh the .materials to determine water uptake. To accomplish this 1090 milliliter containers were filled with the various materials and then weighed. The weights of thesbedding materials were 74, 43, and .248 gram, respectively, for shredded paperr stra~, .and WOOJ shsvfngs. Two hund.red fifty mil 1 i1 i ten of water %as poured over the samples and let stand for one hour. The excess was poured off and the smolts weighed, which allowed for detemlnatfon of water abrorbe-d: There were two : replications of this test- frtal I1 This trial, conducted over b 23 day period, was designed to detencine on a quantitative basis the relative usage of the three materials. The trial .utilized 10 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse yearlings. Horses were housed for 7 hours in each 24 hour period in 12 x 12 stalls that were stripped of all bedding materials prior to the beginnfnjl of the trial. Bedding rcaterialt were weighed into the stalls before the horses wcre placed fn tht% Stalls were spot cleaned on a daily barfs and 8dditlonal beddfng added as needed. This materfal was wefghed and recorded as tt went Jnto the stalls. fn 8ddttfOnr visual observations were made to note any significant charscttrist4cs or problems. 7p -ji LJ 1Johnson, Assf rtrnt Pmfessor, fxtensbn Equh SpecSa'llrt rnd Ott, Professor, 1 Xnirral fiutri tionirt, Department of Anhl Science, t?intsvi\le, n, Lj I

A25 .a. ... . J \ Trial I The average amxnt of water absorbed by shredded pbper. straw and shavings uas 470, 240, and 85 grams per I00 grams material respectively (Table 1). Shredded paper absorbed 2.7 times its weight, straw absorbed 2.4 times its weight and wood shavings absorbed only .85 tfmes its weight. The absorbency of shredded paper was slightly better than straH and superior to wood shavings. 6 Trial 11 b Hones bedded. on shredded paper required 12.2 pounds bedding per day. Those on straw required 17.9 pounds per day, and those on wood shavtngs requited 39.5 pomds per day (Table 2). Bedding stalls with pcper re uired tess materjal than using ei-ther straw or wood shavings. this may be 9 ue to the fact that paper is mo~absorbent than the other two materials as indicated by table 1. The paper beddfng was a dustless, clean product and no anlmats were observed trying to eat the bedding material. It did have a slight tendency to pack In the horses' hooves which permitted the hortes to track small quantitjes out of the stalls. Also, some horses were apprehensive the first time they entered stalls bedded with paper. Neither of these i$ems posed serious probl ems . Tests conducthd by other stattons indicate there are no heavy metals or other toxic elements In the ink'that are harmful to animals or plants. The material is completely biodegradable and miikes an excellent mulch. There are two management areas that should be addressed. First, if the material. is to be spread on fields via an open conveyance it must be covered or dampned to prevent the material from blowing if there is much dry material being transported. Secondly, though no flaiiability tests were conducted, It would be reasonable to assum that It 1s more flamable than the other mateti- ah, therefore greater cautlon should be exercised in the barn area with matches, cigarettes and other materials that could start a fire. There seems to be no problem with using this materjal for bedding fm an animal standpoint and only mfnor problems from the mnagencnt standpofnt. Themfore, due to frequent shortages of conventional bedding materials and the high cost of transportatfon., materials of this type may find considerable use in the equine industry. Other factors that may lead to increased use of such materials as shredded paper are year round availability, reduced labor, and use for horses that have allergic reactions to other bedding materials or are suffering from respiratory problems. These materiblr may also compete with traditional bedding fronr an econaiic stand?oint.

-i

A2 6 *. t

TABLE 1 Beddjng Density and Water Absorbancy of Test hterfais

Beddi ng fes t rest Density . t

460 470 Shredded paper * 74 480 24 0 240 Straw 43 , 240 Uood shavings . 248.. 80 90 85

*Agrl-Bcd 21, provlded by Consolidated' Fibres fnc., Atlhnta -Excel lent .qua,? ty oat straw.

.-1

TABLE 2 Quantity of Hater ia1 Used

Haterfa1 Use Haterial Number Ptr Stall per day I of horses - (Pounds)

\ .J Shredded paper+ 4 12.2 Stran (oat)- 2 17.9 Wood Shavlngs 4 39.5 m 0 *Agtl-Bcd 11, rovidcd b Contoltd;ted Fibres I&., Atlanta . ~txcclltntqua Pity oat s r raw.

0 0 A2 7 0 . J

Loading Limit Maximum Appl icrrtion I Most Restrictive Case Concentration of Newsprint to Land Hi1 1 ion Pounds/Acte 1 -Metal (Pounds /Ac re 1 I Site Lifetime:

J Annual : 41 .45 + Ca dmi um 0.45

Note: Loading limits set by U. 5. EPA and Wisconsin DNR.

I 7HEVA;BvSkFECLEQ The b“’,’C‘irt)at. :--* :* :c ?:I. ;a26 ‘ecrr, -;qeccs !-e VaiDy Sni3’ sq?t:S;i’ IS a- 6:Z-t;mC0‘,a nIc” VC~UTI~. io* maintenance Shredder II will Shred 2 to 3 tons per hour and dlrcharge it directly into your baler Slmplictty. safety and low mainterlarce requirements are convinclng reasons to Consider a Valby. HOW DOES IT WORK? Powered either by an electrtc motor or by the PTO from a farm tractor, paper is dropped into the 49 chute. Gravity forces the paper to sllde downhill for 3 112 feet until It comes Into contact with the spinning 560 Ib. cutter disc. Three 11.6-inch by 5.5-inch knives sltce the paper every 5184nch. As the knives cut, they also pull and the paper is instantly gone. Up to &inch thick bundles of newsDaper can be effortlessly fed into the shredder. The impeller inside the cutter dtsc discharges the shredded paper through an internal recutter, up a 9 lI24nch pipe and directly into your baler. Tho rhroddod papor can k brlod lor rtorrgo end rhlpplnp with I rlrndrrd hey baler. PAPER FLAKES FROM NEWSPRINT The Valby shredder produces flaked paper that wlll not wrap around the animals’ feet. Paper flakes from newsprint is the finest livestock bedding and it can be made rlght on the SAFETYFUTURES farm. Paper flakes provide cushioning for the animals when The discharge height is 79’ (optionally 9 lI2 feet) abovc they are laylng down and dry paper flakes also provide insula- ground 80 the discharge is above eye level. To accomplist tlon In cold weather. 80fe operation in various wind directlons, the Valby shrea Shredded newspapers are more absorbent than straw and ders’ discharge direction is adjustable W. break down faster when scattered on a field. Paper does not The deflector bonnet enables placing the material near o Import weeds to the fields as straw brought in from elsewhere far. The Valby shredders also have several noise-reducinf might. Paper Is also first choice in slurry systems as paper features. The discharge opening is above ear level. It is aa di8solves completely. justable and can be directed away from the operator. Thc Paper can be baled for storage and transport with a regular noise coming up through the feed chute Is greatly reduced b. hay baler. The bales weigh 50 to 90 pounds. the flap which covers up the feed chute. The shredder Is very rugged. The cutting system is capablt of cutting Sinch diameter, solid, seasoned hickory. Newsprint is safe to spread on the soil, as it is low in heav\ metals. U.S. EPA limits allow spreading of 3.7 million pound: of newsprint per acre.

TECHNICAL DATA 94231 SHREDDER POWER SOURCE: Electric motor or farm tractor POWER REQUIREMENT: 540-1000 rpm, 40-100 hp For tractor models specify 6 or 21 spline tractor end PTO shaft PRODUCTION: 2-3tonslhour SHREDDING ROTOR: Diameter: 41 5/16” Weight: 560 Ibs. Three 11.8” x 5.5” knives FEED HEIGHT: 38” DISCHARGE. Adjustable 36OU HeiQht. 93” Optional discharge height. 115” SHIPPING WEIGHT: 1170.1230 IbS. depending on options i nnnwr 1 i L 1018. i H.A FLODS*~II~*US Tests of Chemical Content of XewsnaDer-based emir CHI* s* Ani351 Bedding

logy Nc) ~1-1302 ctrmrn 7-1 3-81 International Unltod Cberr.lcr1 Co., Xnc. S t & b 1 e Kcw 8 CECEI\'ED 6-8-81 P.O. 06607 - 3\

Hercury 0.085 ppm

Atrrcnic

Lead 4.4 PPm

C8dmium 0.07 ppm

Heavy Metals. 20 PPm

rluoridc. Les8 than 1 PPP

PCB Loot than 0.1 ppm

*We find that thio sample nects the requirements of State of California Rtpulstions for Commercial Peed, (California Administrative Code Sections 2679 and 2680) for heavy acta1r.rnd fluorine. There are no #toto tequirerzcnta on PCD. The ~amplt mBete I'cderal rcquireEantP for PCB content.

i A30 VALBY SHREDDER RECYCLED NEWSPAPER USED FOR DISPOSABLE CLOTHING

Sharon Bokeny, Chemical Engineering

INTRODUCTION

Disposable clothing is not a new idea, though using recycled newspapers to manufacture it is. Paper clothing is used in the medical and industrial fields for items such as surgical gowns, overalls, aprons, and workers’ vests. Styles in disposable clothing for the general consumer market were introduced in the mid to late 1960’s. The idea was met with mixed sentiment. Thomas Hall, Jr., product director of the Non-woven Fabrics Division of Chicopee Mills, Inc., said: “This morning, many of you may feel that the disposable dress is a fad, a hula hoop. Well, if it is, it’s the world’s biggest ...When this short-term interest subsides and premium offers expire, we believe we will see a strong new industry emerge.’’ Oliver J. Sterling, Jr., president of James Sterling Paper Fashions, predicted: ”By 1980... disposable clothing in dollar volume will amount to at least 25% of the apparel industry.” Much of the initial success of the disposable clothing was attributed to ”high fashion.” Several manufacturers divided their merchandise into two distinct lines, one of better quality, allowing for full mark-up, for department stores; and one with a lower profit margin for chin and discount stores. The lines of disposable clothing ranged from undergarments to bridal gowns. Advantages of disposable clothing lie mainly in the industrial and medical fields. It is often cheaper and more convenient to purchase disposable clothing rather than launder regular work garments. Disposable clothing could also be beneficial for travelers. For an individual who likes a varied wardrobe for a low cost, disposable clothing could be a good alternative.

TECHNOLOGY

Fabric is often judged by ”hand”, squeezing a piece of fabric and releasing it. The terms relating to hand are: flexibility, compressibility, extensibility, resilience, density, surface con- tour, surface friction, and thermal character. These factors need to be carefully considered

A3 2 in treating the paper for production of clothing. The garments, of course, must be treated in order to be fire retardant. Disposable clothing was made several ways. One method used 97% cellulose and strengthened it with 3% nylon scrim. Another method used 75% cellulose and 25% dacron polyester. Paper fabrics are really "non-woven" fabrics. Non-wovens are made by bonding, a process of pressing fibers into thin sheets that are held together by adhesive or plastics. Obviously, in manufacturing disposable clothing, the strength of the recycled newsprint must be considered. It must be able to withstand normal wear.

ECONOMICS

Little information was available concerning the economics of manufacturing disposable clothing. From published information, it is a risky market. This risk factor is increased since the output is dependent on waste paper being returned to the mill for recycling.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Manufacturing such a product will require a tremendous amount of in depth research as well as a complete and thorough economic analysis. The safest focus for use of disposable clothing should be in the industrial and medical fields since a market already exists there. Consultation with companies such as Kimberly Clark, Scott Paper Co., and Mars Manufacturing who pioneers in this industry would provide a lot of necessary insight into the marketing and manufacturing of disposable clothing.

A33 NEWSPAPER AS A BULKING AGENT

Sarah E. Gay, Chemical Engineering

A potential use of recycled newspapers is as that of a bulking agent. In this form, the newspaper could be used to increase the eke, mass, or volume of numerous items, though its use to increase mass would probably be minimal. Also, as a filler or support, the old newspaper could add bulk and serve as an insulator to the surroundings of some fragile packaged object. Items that aze currently "stuffed" include toys (animals, dolls, etc.), furniture (chairs, couches, beanbags, etc.), pillows (disposable and others), display items in department stores (luggage, purses, etc.), and maay more. Numerous industries and agencies distribute packaged goods in boxes or other containers in which the contents is divided between the desired product and a large percentage of filler or insulator. The United States Post Office, United Parcel Service, and other shipping and mailing agencies, along with industrial producers of goods to be distributed to consumers, need a bulking agent when packaging and sending their goods. On a smaller scale, department stores and consumers who gift wrap items usually use some type of bulking agent to surround their main object.

In a,ll cases mentioned above, old, recycled newspaper could possibly be used as the bulking agent. The process of conversion from the initial product, recycled newspaper, to the finished product, the bulking agent or filler, would be a very simple one - shred the newspaper, or just wad it up on a sheet-wise basis. Current stuffings may include foam, plastics, etc. Recycled newspaper would be more readily available and much less processed than these manufactured goods, land it would also be less expensive. Several problems could arise if one sought to substitute shredded newspaper for the current bulking agents. Recycled newspaper, if untreated before use, contains print, which could easily rub off onto surrounding objects. If enclosed, as with stuffed animals and furniture, this would probably pose no problem. However, on display items or packages to be opened, the consumer may not want the purchase or the contents to be discolored by newsprint. Recycled newspaper is probably more susceptible to moisture than currently used bulking agents, and this may prove disadvantageous with either the stuffed items or the packaged goods, since moist newspaper would tend to lose its bulk. Degradation of newspaper is rather quick compared to foam or plastic; this is advantageous when the time comes for disposal, but many products in which bulking agents are used have long lifespans. For disposable pillows, newspaper present a noise problem. As mentioned, for use as a bulking agent, recycled paper would simply need to be shredded. Any individual agency or company using a bulking agent could easily and inexpensively purchase a shredder and devise their own recycling program as part of their newspaper supply. Thus the technology involved in using newspaper for bulk is quite simple, and an added advantage is that the source of the newspaper, not the actual paper, could set up a program

A3 4 and make use of the old newspaper by setting up a shredding center and distributing it from there to interested buyers. Supply of newspapers would probably noOt meet demand for bulk- 7 ing agent; though exact figures are virtually impossible to compile because of the numerous agencies that use brtlking agents of some form, it seems unlikely that, even at 1400 tons/day maximum, newspaper could fill the need. Though the process is simple, disadvantages of old 1 newspaper are great. As mentioned earlier, print, moisture susceptibility, and degradation are three obvious obstacles to widespread use of newspaper over the current sources of bulking agents. A deinking process would not be cost effective. Though figures for the amount of bulking agent used were not specifically available, the American Statistics Index and Census of Manufacturers guides gave the following figures on cost: 1. In the furniture/textile industry of North Carolina, $30.1 million/year was spent on uphol- stery filling and padding material - 1982. I1 2. For foam products used in transportation, packaging, building, and construction, and consumer and institutional goods, 51 companies in North Carolina spent $284 million/year to ::1 buy materials needed for the manufacture of these foam products - 1987. 3. Though North Carolina has no substantial toy/stuffed animal industry, 232 companies throughout the United States spent $189 million/year buying materials necessary to produce ._ these toys - 1987 - South Carolina and Georgia have substantial industries for this. On a small scale, the system of recycling newspaper, shredding it, and then using it as a '1 1 bulking agent could be implemented - i. e. , pinpoint some company that may be willing to incorporate this system as a small part of their overall business and as a small percentage of their overall supply of bulking agent. With the simple technology involved, it seems reasonable .I that, on a local basis, such a program could at least be tested.

.J A35 RECYCLED NEWSPAPER AS A MATERIAL FOR ACOUSTICAL CEILING TILES Joanne C. Brailsford, Chemical Engineering I I INTRODUCTION i Wastepaper, along with all refuse, has become a reason for concern in this time of overcrowded living conditions and poor drinking water. As members of the technical society, and society in I general, we are faced with the necessity of reducing waste. With the pending landfill crisis, the nation will be short 56 dontons per year of landfill capacity by the year 2000. Recycling is a practical solution to a small portion of the refuse problem we face today. The scope i of the pulp and paper asd chemical engineering seminar was to brainstorm possible uses for recycled newsprint. By using recycled newsprint we hope to reduce the load on refuse disposal facilities while producing a useful and economical commodity. A number of possibilities for ! recycled newspaper were given by the class. This paper will focus on acoustical ceiling tiles as an end-use for recycled newspaper. I i TE CHNOILO 'GY I Before the application of recycled newsprint to make acoustical ceiling tiles can be discussed, a description of the process to recycle newspaper is needed. The waste newspaper must first be sorted. The sorting process removes large contaminants such as wood, metal, rubber, I plastics, cups, strings, etc.. . Methods to perform this sorting process vary. The sorting can be conducted manually as the waste passes on a conveyor belt. The waste paper is then sorted i again by 'expert sorters' as the wastepaper moves along a rotary table. The sorted wastepaper is then put into bales and sent to the mill for the pulping and cleaning process. ! First, the bales of old newspaper enter a pulper. A variety of batch process pulpers are in use, depending on the needs of the mill. Basically, a pulper mechanically mashes up the bales of newspaper, emitting pulp of a consistency characteristic for the particular pulper. The batch -1 pulper can is usually accompanied by a tub detrasher where the contaminants are washed from the tub after the pulp is removed. The continuous pulping process begins with separation, I

A3 6 collection, and removal of contaminants. Contaminant removal begins at the ragger. The ragger is the collection point for the baling wires, dowing said wires to form a rope as the pulper swirls. An alternative to the ragger is the bucket and chain junk removal. This piece of equipment consists of a series of perforated buckets attached to two strands of chain. The buckets travel to the bottom of the unit where heavy debris exits from the pulper into the buckets. These above-mentioned older processes are being replaced by any of the following; dual extraction detrashing system, low intensity pulping system, or a downstream extraction detrashing system.

The decontaminated pulp is then processed through a pressurhed screen. The piece of machinery is used to improve the stock quality and cleanliness by removing fibers and binders. The pulp is then washed. The washing process removes the printing ink solids, this is accomplished by either a mechanical washer or a flotation cell. The salvaged pulp can now be used a~ part-furnishes for making a wide range of products, in the case of this paper, acoustical ceiling tiles. Acoustical tiles are made from a variety of materials including paper or perforated paper (Hornboster). These acoustical tiles are used in building where acoustic treatment is relatively important. Paper pulp acoustical tiles axe available plain, perforated, textured, or patterned. Dimensions are; 1 x 1 ft and 1.33 x 1.33 ft and 1/2 and 3/4 inches thick. Paper pulp boards and panels are available in a variety of textures, surface finishes, colors ani3 patterns for interior wall finishes. The major advantages of paper pulp tiles are: limited acoustic value, easily installed, flame resistant, durable, thin, withstands relatively rough usage, acoustic properties can be controlled by quantity and size of holes and acoustic value of pads behind it, are easily painted, available in prefinished baked enamel in a wide range of colors and are flame resistant. Disadvantages included: necessity of acoustic pads and requirements of support.

The acoustical tiles require a porous structure consisting of a random matrix of fibers or particles. The sound waves are converted kom vibratory energy into heat. Acoustical performance depends on the material of the tile as well as the frequency of the sounds. Acoustic performance was not cited in any of the references found for paper or paperpulp, however, information was given with respect to sprayed-on cellulose fiber. This information can be of some value as paper pulp consists primarily of cellulose. Absorption coefficients were cited for a range of frequencies. An absorption coefficient of 1indicates that the highest level of sound absorption, the following absorption coefficients are given: FREQUENCY: 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 NFC ABS COEF.: .08 .29 .75 0.98 0.93 0.76 .75

Speech sounds are produced in the higher frequency range while ambient noises (doors closing, clocks ticking, machinery, etc..) axe transmitted at the low frequency end of the spectrum.

J A3 7 J I

One can conclude kom the information cited above that paper and paperpulp are good sub- I strates for acoustical tiles. the discussion will focus next on the economics of recycled paperpulp as a material for acoustical ceiling tiles. i

ECONOMICS i I As no economic information is available in the literature, this student called a local building supply store to ask the name of the ceiling tile manufacturer. Armstrong reportedly manufactured the only ceiling tiIe the store kept in stock. The product relations representative &om i Amstrong stated that she had "no way of knowing how many ceiling tiles are manufactured or shipped a year". Another avenue in which to pursue this information may be to ask all the Raleigh area building suppliers how many ceiling tiles they sell in a given time period. I This rate of sale in the Ueigh area can be multiplied by a population factor. The population factor would be the population of Raleigh divided by the total population of North Carolina. The result from this calculation will yield an estimate of the number of acoustical tiles sold i in North Carolina, which in turn can be scaled to the appropriate per dim basis (for comparison with the generation of old newspaper in NC or approximately 2000 tons/day). Time I constraints limit this investigation to the literature search and telephone conferences discussed above. i It appears to be intuitively obvious that manufacturing acoustical ceiling tiles kom pulp of recycled newspaper is economically advantageous to performing the process with virgin pulp. The primary variable one must consider when calculating the costs of processing recycled pulp i versus virgin pulp is the cost of the start-up cost of the mill itself. The start-up cost of a recycling mill with a newsprint mill is significantly less than that of recycling mill with newsprint mill, $160 million versus $180 million, respectively (Jeyasingam). Energy requirements for a I recycling newsprint mill are half of those needed for the virgin fiber pulp mill with newsprint machine, 20,000,000 BTU per ton versus 40,000,000 BTU per ton, respectively (Jeyasingam). The raw material costs were not available in literature, however, logic dictates that recycled I materials would cost less than virgin pulp. i RECOMMENDATIONS

The acoustical ceiling tile industry currently manufactures their product with a variety of i materials, including pulp and paper. The primary consideration for the product material selection is its absorption of sound waves. Cellulose fibers were reported to have good absorption

A3 8 coefficients in the mid- to high-frequency end of the spectrum. This student concludes that recycled newspaper pulp is a good, economically advantageous material for acoustical ceiling :-I tiles. It should be noted that this may not be the only viable application for recycled pulp, nor does this student know if the manufacturing demands are sufficient to warrant further investigation. -1 This student therefore recommends further investigation into the manufacturing market to '1 determine if there is sufficient demand for recycled newspaper in this industry.

I 3

J A3 9 J FUEL ETHANOL FROM WASTE PAPER

James Edward Brown - ChE 497

INTRODUCTION

I The incressed use of "clean" fuels has.been a goal of environmentalists for many years. Among J the most feasible clean fuels (natural gas, alcohol, and hydrogen), ethanol has several distinct advantages: its manufacture produces little or no haqardous by-products, it is a renewable energy resource, and it pr0vides.a reasonable substitute for most commonly used liquid fuels. i There are, however, several disadvantages to the use of ethanol as a fuel, not the least of which is cost. At its current level of production: fuel grade ethanol brings a market price of about $1.50/gdon; at this price, ethanol could not be considered a reasonable alternative to petroleum i distillates, such as gasoline .or #2 .diesel. Further .economicstudy reveals, however, that .much of the production costs can be attributed to the cost of the grain feedstock. Therefore, a less 1 expensive feedstock could bring ethaaol substantially closer to being cost-competitive with less expensive petroleum based fuels. The search for this less expensive feedstock has led to widespread research into ways to convert I cellulose into fermentable sugars. Cellulosic wastes such waste paper, forest residues, and as 1 agricultural wastes could provide a low cont, abundant feedstock. The use of waste paper has ) two major advantages. First, much of the resources necessary to concentrate and re-distribute waste paper already exist, and with recent advances in solid separation processes, it may even be feasible to retrieve cellulosic wastes from unsorted municipal garbage. Either way, the use of cellulosic wastes as an ethanol production feedstock helps relieve the world's ever-increasing waste disposal problem, which is the second major advantage.

TECHNOLOGY

The first major advance in the area of cellulosic waste conversion was the discovery of 2% I choderma reesei, a fungus that produces an active cellulase complex, which can break down cellulose into fermentable sugars. In its research on T. reeeei, the U.S. Army Natick Research 1 and Development Command has since produced the mutant strain QM9414, which produces four times more cellulase than the original fungus. Economical production of the cellulase enzyme is a major goal; therefore, work continues in the development of a stable, robust microbe 1 that produces as much cellulase as possible. A4 0 1 Once the microbial source of cellulase has been selected, the eneyme production process utilizes a two-stage continuous culture system. The growth medium consists of sources of nitrogen, carbon, and.oxygen.to-support ,the T. recsei. .In the growth medium developed at Natick, nitrogen is supplied by a combination of Ammonium Sulfate and Ammonium Hydroxide, which is also used to control pH. Lactose is combined with relatively ''pure'' cellulose to furnish carbon, and oxygen is furnished by aeration. Optimization of this eneyme production process is vital to the economic feasibility of cellulose fermentation.

Relatively "pure" cellulose, such as most pulp and paper mill wastes, can be treated with the dulase enayme and produce a reasonable yield of fermentable sugars. The lignocellulose found in wuste newapaper, however, is not very susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis by the.dulase complex. Therefore, some type of pretreatment is required to either remove the inhibiting lignins, or to otherwise expose the cellulose and make it available for hydrolysis. The pretreatment method that seems most promising for waste newspaper processing is ~ompre8aim,or two mZZmdZing. By passing the materid between two rolls that turn at different speeds, the fibers arc subjected to both compressive and shearing forces. It is thought that this process violently alters the cellulose crystallinity and lowers the degree of cellulose polymerization. Nevertheless, this relatively quick, low cost process increases the susceptiblity to hydrolysis dramatically. Following pretreatment, the cellulosic substrate is then combined with the cellulase enzyme. Th@hydrolysie stage is carried out under optimum temperature and pH conditions. Other &e&s, such as slurry composition, extent of pretreatment, and enzyme type, are not as well eetabUshed. Nevertheless, laboratory. studies have shown that improved conversion results-when the hydrolysis is actually carried out within the fermentation vessel, where temperatures arc maintained somewhere between the optimal levels for the individual processes. The advantage of this combination is that the products of the cddase reaction are immediately consumed by the yesst in fermentation to ethanol. Therefore, the hydrolysis reaction is not inhibited by the presence of excess productsJeaving only the ethanol itself as a rate limiting component. Beyond the.hydrolysis/fermentation stage, the process is essentially.the same.as.that for production of ethanol from other feedstocks. The ethanol solution is removed from the slurry, and the ethanol is distilled off. The residual solids can be used as a feed, fertilizer, or fuel, as appropriate. Most of the remaining stages have already been optimized from an energy and economic standpoint.

Ethanol trom cellulosic wastes is no different than ethanol fiom corn or sugar (the currently favored feedstocks). The use of this alternative feedstock involves the addition of two stages: the eneyme production stage, and substrate pretreatment. Any subsequent studies should be c 1 focused of these two stages, in addition to the combined hydrolysis/fermentation stage. There may also be some merit to a study into the use of fuel ethanol within the production facility itself, to help fill its energy needs (true environmentalists may object to the use of coal or oil as i an energy resource to produce ethanol, a "clean" fuel).

J A4 1 3 ECONOMICS

Economic feasibility of the use of ethanol as a fuel depends on many technological, political, and economic factors. As stated earlier, ethanol from waste paper is no different than any other ethanol, except that its.feedstock is very.inexpensiue. Ethanol from waste paper would not cause a rise in the prices of agricultural goods, but the technology could be extended to create M outlet for cellulosic agricultural wastes. In essence, the feasibility of fuel.ethanol depends on (1) improved technology what will allow ethanol to.be priced competitivelywith-fossilfuels, (2) improved technology'for using fuel ethanol, particularly'in internal combustion engines, and (3) expanded markets that allow ethanol to be produced on the same scale as fossil fuels. A feedstock of 2000 tons/day of waste paper could yield about 90,000 gallons/day of fuel grade ethanol, at a cost of about $.94/gdon. This production figure faz exceeds current demand for f'uel ethanol in North Carolina. Therefore it would be imperative that this demand be increased, pderably by converting some energy consumers kom fossil fuela to ethanol. The easiest hcilities to convert would be those that already bum liquid fuels, such as oil fired power plants and oil furnaces that burn residential heating oil. Converting these facillities is as simple as replacing a fuel delivery node with a larger ab. (Ethanol yields sliqhtly 1-8 BTUs per gallon than fuel oils do, so the fscility may require a larger nosale to deliver the somewhat higher flowrate necessary to maintain the same firing rate). Distillate he1 oil consumption in the U.S. is estimated at 0.5 gallons/day per capita; therefore, making this simple conversion would create plenty of demand within North Carolina for the 90,000 gallons/day of ethanol that could be produced here. It may even be feasible to incorporate the ethanol facility into an existing power plant, using the low pressure steam from the turbmes for its energy needs (again, taking a waste and using it for something productive), and returning ethanol for fuel.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Mnch.of the technological data used in this.study was published in the early 1980s. Therefore, it is etrongly recommended that .more up-to-date re8ources be sought. out before MY commitment is made to. a laboratory or.field study. *Itis also possible that the work of the U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Command has advanced well beyond what is presented here.

A4 2 USE OF WASTE NEWSPAPER IN DIAPER PRODUCTION

KAREN SCHMIDTKE CHE

INTRODUCTION

Disposable diapers have become a mainstay in the American society and parents show a pref- :I erence for the convenience and reliability of disposables. The diaper industry has come under attack in the past wveral yeam for the environmental problems assoeiated with nondegradable diapers. Attempts at producing a biodegradable product so hr prove futile. Perhaps one way :1 to justify the use of these disposables is to use recycled paper in the manufacturing. Rather than provide apace for both used diapers and waste newspapers in our landfills, space would be needed for diapers only. Considering the great concern with the environmental issue of land 3 pollution, perhaps parents would be willing to use a diaper containing recycle paper if their use contributed to the landfill solution. Of course many factors affect the acceptance of a diaper II made with waste paper, such as whether the new diaper offers a comparable product. s TECHNOLOGY In order to use the waste newspaper, first the ink must be removed to allay any concerns of the consumer. The consumer associates purity with whiteness and the dark color may not be appealing. If the recycle paper is used on the inner shell of the diaper only, the outer visible shell must’be white. .J A diaper consists of two portions, the inner shell and the outer shell. The inner shell, where absorption of fluids occurs, includes tissues, fluff pulp, and superabsorbents. The outer shell I is designed with a one-way porous lining against the skin to ensure dryness and a moisture proof bottom layer against the clothes. One type of diaper consists of fluff from fibrilated wood pulp enclosed in a tissue layer, and enclosed again in a top tissue layer to produce the j basic sandwich-like construction used in most disposables. These layers are then emboased to allow fluid to absorb evenly throughout the diaper. Another type of diaper design combines a I superabsorbent with a fluff pulp layer and a tissue layer. 3 J A43 The use of newspaper as a replacement for the tissue, fluff pulp, or superabsorbent poses a problem in its absorbency level and must be altered to provide increased absorbent abilities. S. C. Johnson and Son, Iiic,, out of Racine, Wisconsin, has attempted to fit the superabsorbent industry to the customer by devising a process which can transform any absorbent substrate into a superabsorbent, and they include paper in sheet form as a possible substrate. The technology concedes that .the newspaper substrate be treated with a mixture of polymeric chemicals.and subjected to the radiation of an electron beam. The chemicals are cured by the radiation into long, super absorbent polymer chains which are bonded into and onto the substrate fibers. This transformation provides the paper with increased absorbency. The unknowns include abaorbency of the newspaper and how much more absorbent the treated paper becomes. Superabsorbents can hold several times their weight in fluid and in some in- stances thousands times their weight. Newspaper obviously will not exhibit this kind of absorbency and research could determine the amounts of body fluids, enzymes, and water that 1 gram of newspaper could hold. This is important in deciding the amount of absorbent recycle paper to use in each diaper to provide a reliable product. In an attempt to counteract the wder absorption capabilities, using a stronger liner against the skin may help provide more drpES.

The population of North Carolina is approximately 6.5 million people, including an average of 85,000 births per year(average taken from 1980-1985). Assuming a market for baby diapers for those infants and toddlers three years and younger, there are approximately 340,000 possible diaper wearers in any year in N. C. The assumption that 90 percent of these children use disposable type diapers instead of cloth provides 306,000 diaper wearers. On the conservative guar of using 4 diapers per day per child, that totale to 1,224,000 diapers used per.day and 446,760,000 diapers that could conceivably be demanded for one year. If we assume that a medium diaper weighs 90 grams and half that weight, 45 grams, is treated newspaper, then we would use 55,080,000 grams of newspaper per day of the total 1,816,000,000.grams of newspaper produced per day. This represents only 3 percent of the total weight of newspaper per day in N. 'C. Some factors which influence the purchase of one particular brand of diaper include absorbency, odor control, color, price, safety, and supply. The consumer would surely Eot be interested in a diaper which did not absorb efficiently, even if it did contribute to environmental pollution control. The inconvenience of a leaky diaper would outweigh any of those benefits. Perhaps a quality one-way, porous liner would help in keeping dryer. Odor absorbency would be another problem since newspaper may not be capable of controlling emitting odors. The color of the diaper would not be a pure white due to the mount of ink on the paper. This is a color factor

A4 4 and could also be considered a safety factor. Parents may not want to expose their children, even if it is only an imagined risk. If only the inner stuffings of the diaper were recycled paper, the outer visible shell could be white or some other color and the consumer would never see the recycled portion.

The avera6e price of a 44 count box of medium diapers in 1990 is approximately 9.00 dollars. 3 Diapers containing superabsorbents are generally more expensive. Diapers which contain recycled materials would conceivably be less expensive, thereby offering a cheaper price to the :1 consumer. The abundance of recyclable newspaper offers increased production and a plentiful euPPlY*

RECOMMENDATIONS

Using our waste newspaper to produce diapers would not be the best way to remedy ous paper pollution here in North Carolina. The supply of waste newspaper exceeds the amount needed for supplying N. C. with diapers by 33 times. The recycle product will most likely not.be comparable with existing items. Absorbancy may not be matched, the thickness of the diaper may be cnsidered.too bulky, and the consumer must be convinced that they are safe.for their children.

J A4 5 I i THE RECYCLING OF WASTE NEWSPAPER INTO FUELS 1

Lori Pearce, Chemical Engineering I 1 I INTRODUCTION I

With the growing concern for the environment and for the rapidly depleting fuel reserves, the I idea of recycling waste as fuels has been taken very seriously in recent years. The focus here, however, is on recycling the fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) known as newspaper ipto direct fuels. Upon analysis of MSW it can be seen that waste newspaper composes 9.4 I percent by weight, a substantial amount second only to the 23.38 percent of corrugated paper boxes(1). It is known that the fuel fraction comes primarily from paper and wood debris 80 waste newspaper is definitely a good candidate for recycling as fuel since it is in such I abundance(2). Upon combustion of solid wastes, "53 percent paper content will effect 70 percent of the heat output"(1). I i TECHNO1LOGY I The basic scheme of the MSW processing is as follows: (A) the MSW is collected and transported to the waste recycling facility (waste newspaper included in MSW), (B) the MSW then goes through a primary shredding process, (C) it is transported through two to three I stages of air classification for maximum paper recovery (this process is omitted if waste is 100 percent waste newspaper), (D) the paper is then taken to the boiler for use as fuel alone or in I conjunction with another fuel such as coal in order to generate steam or electricity(1). The current source of fuels that are employed for this purpose consist of natural gas, fuel oils, and coal. What is technically unknown at this time is how to implement a sufficient separation J process of the waste newspaper from other MSW. i

ECONOMICS I

A4 6 I I The idea of recycling waste newspaper for fuel is made more attractive by the continuing rise of conventional fuel prices and also by the ever-present tension in the Middle East. The United States is affected because it relies on these countries for fuel oil and a switch to recycling waste for fuels would curtail this dependence somewhat. On the homefront, the U.S. has almost depleted its fossil fuel reserves with than a twenty years supply of both natural gas and fuel oils(1). Coal, however, is relatively abundant but the environmental technology has not yet advanced to a level that is sufficiently beneficial to the public(1). The volume of waste newspaper produced in the U.S. daily, approximately 2000 tons/day in North Carolina alone, would produce a continuing resource of fuel far into the future. As long as trees are planted, waste newspaper for the production of fuel will always exist unlike that of fuel '1 .I reserves which can never be replenished. Fuel from recycled newspaper combines the creation of energy and disposal method into one step thereby reducing the need for landfills. Recycling is advantageous also because it conserves natural resources and reduces air and water pollution 11 as mentioned before. :1 RECOMMENDATIONS :I The recommendations for a better yield are as follows: (1) Since paper is the most volatile :I component of MSW and produces the greatest heat output, encourage people to separate their garbage for easier and more efficient fuel production, (2) Separate collection for waste newspaper versus other solid waste, (3) to ensure cooperation, fine those who do not cooperate,

I SOURCES CITED

1. Cheremisinoff and Morresi, Energy from Solid Wastes. Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1976.

2. Martin Grayson, Recycling, Fuel and Resource Recovery: Economic and Environmental '1 Factors. John Wiley and Sons, 1984. I 1 -i -4 \1 A4 7 J 1 7 -1 i .I 1 I ‘I I :1 I 1 ‘I 1 .I APPENDIX B

Preliminary Engineering Evaluations of Recycling Technologies for Post-Consumer Newsprint I

PRESSBOARD PRODUCTION UTILIZING WASTE NEWSPRINT

I I I GEORGE EDWARDS CHE 497 ADVISOR - DR. MICHAEL R. OVERCASH ANGIE FREULER WPS 416 ADVISOR - DR. TOM JOYCE I LINDA JONES CHE 487 ADVlSOR - DR. MICHAEL R. OVERCASH i

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Newsprint is an excellent raw materid for production of vasious composite panels. These products include but am not limited to medium density fiberboard and flakeboard. Medium Denaity Fiberboard (MDF)can be produced from 100 percent wastepaper which is reduced to a fibrous mass, blended with reain and other additives, pressed and baked. The find product is suitable for use as MDF as well as beams, bearing walls and insulation bod. Paper flakeboard is produced by shredding the paper into nmwstrips, mixing the flakes with binding resin and molding the mixture into a mat. This mat is then placed in a heated press to produce the end product. The flakeboazd produced by this method is suitable for use in furniture, cabinets, shelves, and acoustical panels. Both of these products are examples of the technology available to produce viable, durable products from wastepaper. The mazket for these products seems enormous. The furniture, building construction, adcabiiet manufacturing indugtries are only a few of the markets to which these products could be aptly applied in North Carolina. Therefore, due to the apparent technologid and market feasibility, it is our recommendation that the products described be investigated further. Our suggested approach to this investigation includes pilot plant studies, physical prop erty analyses, and additional marketability studies.

B1 Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILfTY 4'1

3 RESEARCH NEEDS 8 I 4 MARKET FEASIBILITY @ 'I 5 DISCUSSION l2 I 6 RECOMMENDATIONS lS I 7 LITERATUR,E CITES 14:I 8 APPENDIX 1s 1

B2 1 INTRODUCTION

Sixteen billion pounds of newspap are thrown away each year in the United Stah.(Q) En- vironmentrl concerns stemming from this fact have fueled legislation to hue deadlina Mng the newspaper induntry to hpiement progsams using designated minimam pacentqu of recycled nmprint in their publications. The problem is that the supply of recycled newsprint is not rdWent to meet thir demand.(ll) In addition, ib newsprint miU equipped with a deinking facility requiru a 400 - 500 million dollar investment. Although every effort rbdbe made to use recycled newsprint whenever possible, product quality limits the wnount of waate newsprint thrrt may be practically placed into the newsprint production process. Additid umkr this waste newsprint mollt be explored. One possible we of newsprint is in the composite or pressboard industry. United States Patento currently adrt which detail the production of a variety of pressboard products which tue, either pcutirlly or wholly, newsprint ILB a component. These products range in application from ceiling haulation boud to decorative higb pressure hx1Gnatrw.(12,13) Two of the molt Wble and locally applicable products are medium density 6- and paper &Leboard. Them two products have highly diversified markets and can be produced with the teddogy that corrcIltly exiats. For the donmentioned muons these two pxduct~will be the tibcrrr Of thi6 PSpet.

B3 2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY I I I. Medium Density Fiberboard Medium density fiberboard (MDF) is a panel product manuhctured &om lignin rich cellulose 1 fibem and biidcr rubjected to heat and prcssure. It is wed in a detyof industria, but ita nme an core rtoJ fnr the farnitart indurtry is probably the most widely recq@ed.('l) A similar pduct can be produd ut;licinP wastepaper M the chief component. I Several U.S. patents currently &t which detail the procedure by which newsprint along with other 'IIIstcpIpcT, b amverted into a rtructurd materia, This materia inclub, but is nut limited to MDF. I One of the moat intriguing processes, rubmitted by King Even and &urge Lama in 1973, utiliser 100 percent wantepaper to achieve a product with remarkable potential hr amastic I material, bearing w&, beunr, etc.(S) Perhaps the mollt important rspcct of the pductiolp proarr of tbmaterial 5 the relative simplicity of the manufacturing pmcas. I The dry waatepaper b firrt loaded into a 24 inch diameter hammdand operated at sped of 1600 rpm. Thio dumthe paper to a fibrous mass in only a few mintlkr. It may be of I intereat to note that the wantepaper combted of not only newrprint but rlao of mquka, punpbhtr, and other Don-newrprint components of newspapan. The resulting fibrow lluill io removed by a v1c\1011pthrough a wire mesh with 3/8 inch.openings. This procera remove6 large, I unacceptable piear of paper from the process rtream. 1 The dry fibroor wastepaper L then thoroughly blended with an aquum resin in a doof 1 I gallon rain to every 10 pun& of material. Common bmdm used are polyvinyl chbaide, urea fomddhyde, and phenol tormaldehyde. The final product can be tailored to meet the naedr of the end use by addition of water repellents, peat rtpellents, flame retudantr, etc. The resin coated fiben axe placed into a mold to produce the desired product. For tbir di" d MDF, we rhdl uume a deet form in desired, but a variety of rhapu are pdbk. In order to compact the fib,impregnate them with the resin, and pre~out excew binder, I the deet ia rubjected to a prar which applies approximately 6OOO psi. Thir renders the sheet J relatively dry and quite dense. The amount of pressure required will vary deperrding upon the end we of the product. 1 To complete the drying and to polymerhe the resin, the mold is then baked at 250 degreu F. After cooling, the rheet ir considered completed and ready for proceasing into other products. 1 Even and Larren produced a structural shape with a density of approximatdy 40 pounds per cubic foot, however the density ia variable with adjustments in press load and flllem 4.The material b suitable for conrtruction and industrial applications. The process is simpk, and the

B4 1

teth.dog to prodow the pedcurrently drtr. In frct, the procedure dacribed k vv.imilrr I to that of MDF "ktw. 't

MEDIUM DENSITY FIBER BOARD I HAMMERMILL 'I &=I

I I +I' '1i- MOLD II ~MPRESS I

EXCESS I .1 BINDER BAKE

:I FINAL PRODUCT

-1 B5 11. Paper Flakeboard Procesom de0 mat which do not require that the newsprint be reduced to fibrous form in order to produce a useful product. John J. Balatinaa, a professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, has patented a process that uses newsprint exclusively aa the dulosic raw material for the production of flakeboard. A flowsheet for this process is provided on the next page. First the newrprint is shredded into small fragments roughly three to four times greater m length than in width. These fibers may range from .25 in. x 1 in. to 2 in. x 6 in. The flakes are then pluced into a hddity control device to adjust the moisture content of the flakes to between 6 and 12 percent of the dry weight of the of the paper. N&, the flakcu~arc blended with urea hrmddehyde resin in which the binding solids comprise between 40 and 60 percent by weight of the emulsion. The emulsion is then added to the flakes such that the resin soli& uebetween 6 and 15 percent of the dry weight of the paper. At thia &age, additives which will affect the physical characteristics of the final product should be introduced into the process. Wsx could be added for water repellency, arid mono- or di- ammonium phosphate could be added for flame rctardency.

The blending process takes place in a horieontal &-type blender. In thia device, sprayers at the top of the dram add renin and additives to the flakes M rotating bladea at the bottom ensure proper mixing. The output of the blender is then discharged into a srvge tank or other holding device prior to procasing. The flske-resin mixture is fed from the surge tank into a molding device called a deckd box. The deckel box forms the flake-& mixture into a mat which is processed into the tinrl product. Simultanmualy, a caul plate is prepared for the mat by spraying a mixture of resin uLd wood flour on the plate to a uniform thickness between .001 and .005 of an inch. This layer "es to give the bottom of the board a smooth and uniform shand hathe ovadl strength of the board. The mat is then ted from the deckel box onto the caul plate and built up to the desired thickness by the addition of more matting. Prepreared thickntsaea range frora 2 in. to 24 in. to produce tiniahed boards 1/4 in. to 1 1/2 in. thick. After the desired mat thkknesa haa been achieved, an additiod coating of the wood flour and resin mixture is applied to the upper surface of the mat by spraying or wet rolling. A plate is then applied to the upper sprtaCe and the coated mat is compressed at ambient temperature and pm8- ranging &om 160 psi to 600 psi, depending on the derrirtd thickness and density of the product. The compdnratios malting &om this prepreaskg range from 8:l to 16:l. After prepmaing, the flakeboard is placed in a hot hydraulic press operating at temperatures ranging from 200 degreea F to 450 degrees F and pressures ranging from 150 psi to loo0 psi for times between 6 and 20 minutes. Again, these parameters arc regdated by the desired characteristics of the product. The product is then machined and sanded to the desired specifications. Densitits obtained f"this process range from 20 to 75 pounds per cubic foot.

B6 A continuour method of producing the paper flakeboard deecribed herein also exists. In this method the flake and the resin mixture is fed into an extrusion preas and driven by means of a hydraulic ram into a heated front prere operated at temperatures between 200 degms F and 4tiO degrees F and prcseurer 150 psi and 600 psi. Moisture content of thir process mtut be maintained between 10 and 12 percent to emure proper distribution of the resin solids. Wtiea produceable hmthb procar range from 30 to 60 pounds per cubic toot and thicknaaes range &om 1/2 in. to 2 in. It should be noted that this continuous proass lacks the addition of the wood laour and reah mixtore to the top and bottom and thw would not have the rmoath rurfim of the rfoolementioned batch proass.

PAPFR FLAKE BOARD

I SHREDDER

c M.C.% CONTROL

DRUM MIXER 4 BINDERS

I DECKELBOX I

IIOT PRESS 1 I:1 NAL PRODUCT

B7 3 RESEARCH NEEDS

The processes &meed earlier are technically feasible and patented. However, a number of mearch ndrmust be dvedbefore either of the procesaea discussed in the technical Kction could be implemented on an industrial rde. Pilot scale models of either process would have to be created and the range of potential products examined. Phydd properties of specific interest are ahas strength, density, flnmmability, water rep&ncy/abrorbancy, machinablilty, defiection under loads, abrasion rubtance, impact resistance and ao forth. Process inpoto and emidons would rL0 need to be adydfor possible effEeds on human health and the envimnmmt. Anrlydr of potential ~lllllketrwould then be performed on the more viable prodtrctrr. Once the marketable productr are determined, the nekted procc#aea would then be opthkd and detailed ecunomic dysuperformed prior to fide-up. In addition to the general research procedures outlined above, each process contaka its own mearch nadr rpecific to a given product. Although these needs are not identifiable until the exact nature of the deojred product k determined, their general scape in the same in both proceases. Optimum ratios of resin m a percentage of the dry weight of paper wdd have to be determiaad. The moet rdtabk resin type must be determined m a function of cast, perfor- mrncechsnctenrticr, and environmental concerns. An area of environmental improtaua is the choice of bider for the proceuer. Urea formaldehyde is without a doubt the mort ccaaomica binding reain on the market today but is a known carcinogen. Other binding adhesives aze adable (phenol formaldehyde, polyvinyl chloride), but present their own health rinks adarc not u econorpid. Thedore, in pilot planting either of thae processes, careful attention should be pud to keeping formaldehyde emissions within OHSA regulations. Ab, depending upon daircd product chstsderisticn, optimum amountr of additivm must be choaen. Pramre and temperatrure characterirticr slro need to be determined. A ruearch quation unique to the oven cured proceaa k practicality of using UV cored resin biders. In other processes of the forest productr industry there resins have greatly reduced the time required to produce a hished product. Unique to the hkeboard procua, care must be taken to ennure that moisture content in the flake-resin mixture k maintained within .capt.ble limits throughout the procers. Research will need to be done to monitor aad maintain these lev& &om the original dryihg until the mixture reachen the caul plate.

B8 4 MARKET FEASIBILITY

In order to f’ully evaluate the feasibility of a recycling project, the marketability of the final product aa well u the ccollomic mors of the project must be explored. This proceus includes identification of potential markets, evaluation of raw material supply and a predicted cupitel expenditure dysi~.(?)By inspecting the markets and economics for currelpt pressboard production from virgin materidr, inhrmation concerning the propod products’ marltetrbility can be inkred. This or a similar process is necmsary due to the absence of recycled premboard prodtlct~in the current market, MDF undergou a variety of ibishhg proceases including aawing, thicknasing, lacqmsing, painting, “ring, unbarrinp grin prints, and lamination. Lamination is often performed ddq the actual preuing of the boued although it may be performed later. The actd process per- hrmd depenh on the Qnirh requidfor the desired end use. Once the composites are finished, they are ready for application in furniture mandktariog, conahction, delving, cabbetry, ami other indtutriu.

In modern cabinet and ahel€ production, particleboards aad fiberboude ut codyused, thtu indicating a potenfhl market hr the new recycled pressboard products. Thi, ir rt0 tm for the construction indtutry where pressboard products rte currently utilised aa countertopa, doors, ding tiles, wdlbd, subflooring and submfmg. Upon compktion of auboequent d,phyud chuacteriatics of the new product may be correlated with those of rimillr producta produced from dqin fibers. Thi~data may be d to tcuget potestid markets for the mcondary fiber prcubosrdr in the construction, cabinetry and shelving ind-. In addition to the previody identified markets, the furniture industry in North C& muat be considered in the fiberboard and flakeboard markets. The furniture industry olcl d qwtiticg of preuboud in the manufacturing of dinettes, computer farniture, tabla, chairs, bookccrsee and ~~hddub. North Cuoljlla’a status as a large furniture produdng state &om for great potentij growth in the recanduy fiber pressboard market. The fotnittue market in North Carolina can thus be identified not only as a potentially stable market for the pwpored pd~cts, but rlro u a market with the potential for expansion. Once the potential markets tor a product have ban identified, the raw matuid supply mort be evaluated. Currently pressboard products are manafactured using reddual wood fkom the frvniture indtutry u well M virgin wood. The current raw material ftequently muat be tram- ported tor long distrnar thus creatiq inconvenience and excess expenditures. By introduciq secondary fiber from newsprint into pressboard production, the industrial dependence on our dwindliq forests would be lerrened while alleviating much of the transportation coat of the raw material. Of course the availabaty of raw materib and the identification of markets ue not the only

B9 I &tom infiucncing the success of a new product. To be a feasible product to produce, the capital expendidure must be recoverable and the selling price must be competitive. Capital expenditures can be estimated using literature data and adjusting for the current year using the i Chemical EnginarirY Plant Cost Index (CEI). The base year mea can be mtrltipiied by the ratio of the CEI for the current year to the CEI for the base year to obtain an estimation for the current yeu.(l4) I Udng the previotlaly deacribed method of approximation, a bdmill producing partide board I at a rate of 29.7 tom per ei+t hour shif't is found to require an investment of approximately 1 43lnillion doh. (It should be emphathat this method of capital eatimation is a rough WP "ation and requires additional in depth andyeis. This method of esthatiin ie cpwrally COSUidCtCd to be accurate to within plus or minus 40 percent.) The primary raw makrial costs hclude the necondary fiber bm newsprint, the virgin fiber, and the synthd resin used in hdiqthe bod. Freqaently the moat sig&cant production cost is the synthetic adhdve which t@aUyranpa tnna 25 to 60 percent of the total production cost.(?) "he secondary fiber colt invdven transportation of the materid to the actd preaeboard production site. The vh$n fiber is rlro a contributor to the total production cost. This deet however is lessened .irniftcaatly if the percentage newsprint contained in the product ia considersble. i The coet of the pductr produced udqrecycled newsprint primarily depends on the unarrnt of rain required tor d've boud production. According to literature, the propod resin content I in similar to that of bomb produced from 100 percent virgin fibers.(?) Considering the resin amtent of the propomed composites and the presence of the secondary fiber, the sdiing price 1 would pmbably be comparable to the selling price of currently marketed products. Therefore the apitrl uponditure could posably be recovered with the "pdt" obtained from the rde of the productr. (Again this is a rubject meriting farther investigation). Accordiry to Mike Holk of the National Particleboard Association, CtlMIlt yearly puticiebosrd production in the United Statea is approximately 4 billion square fat on a 3/4 inch bruio. This 1 annual rate hu been verified with such sources as the April 1989 issue of Ftnwt Idwtrk. Using the pupdation of North Carolina and the United States, the consumption rate in North Cda can be athated as 112 million square feet. Using a low to medium density partickbod density of 25 pounds por cubic foot, the average daily mass of particleboard used in North CIudina is 491 thoaund pound8 (245.5 tons). i Accordiry to Forert Indudden, an estimated rate of medium density fiberbod production in the U.S. ia approximately 950 million square feet on a 3/4 inch basis. Using an average density of 40 poundr per cubic foot and the aforementioned population ratio, the average daily rima of I MDF COMW~in N.C. is estimated to be 190 thousand pounds or 95 tons. The estimated consumption of particleboard and MDF, 245.5 and 95 tom respectively, can be 1 "idered a low estimate for the state of North Carolina. Using the population to scale data gives an approximation, but due to the preaence of the furniture industry in North Carolina, the actd usage of pmsboard products would be considerably higher than this data indicates. I B10 I -1 Due to the fsct that pressboard mills require substantially lese capital than a pulp and paper manufacturing facility of comparable sk,(7) the feasibility of this project from a capital expenditure perspective i~ rearonable. The availability of the necawuy raw materids is a positive I factor iniiuencing the overall Mbility of undertaking the propolred project. Given the per- spdve markets for the recycled products (furniture, cabinets, Conrrtructbn, etc.), and their prerence in the state of North Catolins, the fedblity of initiating the recyckq project under 1 hveotiption ia noteworthy. In determining the porubiity of undertaking such a project, the volume of udle wute muat clolllcly correlate to the volume of wute generated. Thir is not an unreasonable requirement conaidering the volume and poauible expansion of COrtQlt pnw- "1 boud uqe. The ptodmify of the hvniture industry provides a vast xnarket for the prarboard productr pduced ruing mxondary fiber. The diversity of potential end umtor the rmrkrirlr dbwr fbr new markets, u w& a8 traditiod ones, to be targeted lbll COMuners of -1 bJly pdnced recycled pmsborud. Therdore thorough consideration of the potential mar- &a, raw mrtdal aupplJr and capital expenditure, the propod products pmmt themselves as 1 a valid use of secondary fiber from newsprint.

B11 DISCUSSION

Both the procam described in the previous text are badon the dry end mat fotmrrtion of the fibers. It G not feasible to produce fiberboard &om repulped newsprint in a alnrry due to the 1 extremely low level of fieenear in the newsprint fibers. Even when low percentages ot newuprint tiber uc krtroduced into the slurry, drainage rates on the fourdhier can dmd”tically, Not dydoes this dow production to an unprofitable rate, it atso leads to undesirable water 1 pdution and efEuent treatment problems.(4) In addition to the topicr tocared upon in this report, several other dternatives tor reusing newsprint were fimnd to dt.Gcndy, theae products included newsprint as 8 Irr, hetion 1 of the raw matdab than the procenseo discussed in detail here. The mat impressive of these produced an essentially nodmmable ceiling tile containing approximately 10 percent recycled i newoprint.( 13) Akro discovered during dwas a procear for producing decorative laminatea &om core d 1 materials contdhg anywhere from 10 to 100 percent recycled newspaper. Thebe lunialt# were mor0 &une and impact rabtant than the preseboard materials d u input for the process.( 12) The improved phyrical charaderiatics resulting from thh proee~mdc the pducts I mare mitable for me in the furniture industry. Options like these could 4in expanded msrkdr fbr recycled newsprint productr. I

B12 "1 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

lbeodiqthia topic yielded many possible methods of converting newsprint into various types of pressed board products. It W~IItound that most theoretically presentable idem have been pnvioorly remarched or attempted. While much experimental work has been daae in this area, little hu been done to mmmercialise these products. Rising environmental codousnw, the apparent market fcadbility, and the availability of the neceesary production kchnolngits indicate that the commercirlisation of recycled prcseboard could be profitable. Some spaeific technical .ad marketiq reaearch needs are outlined herein. Thedore it is our recommendation that firrther research of theae proceasee be conducted at leut to pilot plant sde. Facilitio for there studies are locally available at NCSU.

J B13 ! 7 LITERATURE CITES I i 1. Arends, GJ. and DonkmIoot-Shoaq, S.S. 1985, An Ovem'eto of Porible Used of Sawdust, pp. 119-136. Tool Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 2. Balatinaea, John J. Producing Reqcle Composition Paper Flakboani, US. Patent no. I 4,111,730, September 5,1978. 3. Balatinaerc, John J. , Profasor, University of Toronto, Cda. Telephone Interview, Novembeer 3,1990. I 4. Coggin, Bill. Technical Dirtctor, Abitibi Corporation, Roaring River, N.C. Telephone 1 Interview, October 26,1990. 5. Downs, Martin L. and Schmitt, G. Comporite Board adMethod of i#fundh,U.S. Patent no 3,736,221, February 27, 1973. I 6. Everts, King W. and Lanen, George H. Structud Shape Baaed on Wade Papa adMethod of Proding the Same, U.S. Patent 3,736,221, May 29, 1973. I 7. International Consultation of Insulation Board, Hardboard and Particle Boud, 1958. Fiberbocml and Padeboad, Food and Agticulttue Orgaslicstion of the United Nations, i Rome, Italy. 8. Koch, G.S. and Exstnun, B. 1987. AMduer for the Compode Wood Panel I', pp. 1 1-25, Noyea Data Corporation, Park Ridge, N.J. 9. Laundrie, James F. and McNatt, J. Dobbin. 1975 Dq Fomed, Mediwa Hard- i boad hmUrban Foreat Materiab, U.S.D.A. Forest Service Remuch Paper FPW, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wuconain. 10. Paul, Bill. "Newspaper Glnt Forces Town to End Projects," The Wdl Street Joumd, ! Auguat 31,1989. 11. Shenk, Jay D. Decodve Laminate with Care of Newaprint and Wood P*, U.S. Patent ! no. 4,012,561, March 18, 1977. 12. Shed, Jay D. Method of Retaining Teztuted Sutlfoce of Premed Ceding Bod,US. Psknt 1 no. 4,263,003, April 21, 1981. 13. Ulrich, Gael D, 1984. A Guide to Chemical Engineering kwDen@ and Econonzice, I p. 270. John Wdey and Sons, New York. 14. Yao, Joe. "Hardboard &om Municipal Solid Waste," UWng Bad and Wood Ruidues to 1 Sohre Technical Problem, Technical Sessions of the Annual Mdhgof the Forest Products Rmearch Society. Denver, Colorado, pp. 75-83, 1977.

B14 1 -I 8 APPENDIX -1

-1 1 Calculations for Market Feasibility Capital investment

'1 $1,31 0,000(1956) for particleboard mill @ rate of 29.7tondshift '1 3 ..

cost1989 = $1,331 0,000'(355.4/!34) 9 $4,952,910

:I Cost1989 $4.9 million

3 * Particleboard Consumptbn in North Carolina

4 x 109 #/year in United States 3 Average Density = 25 lb@ Thlckness I0.75 in Population in U.S. = 250 million :I Population in N.C. = 7 million :I (1 12mil.ftz&r)(O.75in)( 1W12in)(l yr/365d)(251b&)= 245.5 tondday .I Medium Density Fiberboard .J 950 million ft*/yr in US Average Density = 40 Ib& Thickness - 0.75 in -1 Populatlon In US = 250 million Population In NC - 7 million i Same method as above... 190 X t 03 Wday In ffi.- 95 tondday in NC J B15 J I WASTE NEWSPRINT USES AS A FUEL

I I I I

JAMES E. BROWN CHE 497 ADVISOR - DR. IICHAEL R. OVERCASH I MARK D. BEST WPS 416 ADVISOR - DR. TOM JOYCE I i I

B16 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Although one of the goals of any recycling effort is to turn waste into some useful product or raw material, it is not unreasonable to consider recycling options that involve the destruction of waste materials. Combustion, most definitely a destruc- tive process, appears to be an attractive option for dealing with waste newsprint for several reasons: First, newsprint makes up 8% of all the solid waste now sent to landfills, and with many of the nation’s landfills approaching capacity or overflowing, immediate priority must be given to reducing the newsprint burden, by any means. Secondly, combustion technology, even for wood products like newsprint, is already well developed, and waste newsprint combustion could easily be implemented in an existing or slightly modified facility. Thirdly, the supply of waste newsprint far exceeds the current demand; therefore, some method of recycling, preferably one with proven technology and available facilities, must be implemented immediately. It would be a disaster for the current recycling movement to lose its momentum due to the lack of a market for recycled waste. Fourthly, with a heating value of 7883 Btu/lb., the use of waste newsprint as a fuel could produce a useful commodity; namely energy, at almost no cost. Finally, environmental concerns have led to the exploration of alternatives to fossil fuels; so waste newsprint, a renewable resource like all other wood products, can have distinct advantages over other fuels currently in use. Therefore, conversion of newsprint into energy is a favorable alternative from a practical, economic, and environmental st andpoint.

B17 Contents

1 INTRODUCTION 3 1 2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY 5 1 3 RESEARCH NEEDS 12

4 MARKET FEASIBILITY 13 1

5 DISCUSSION 15 1 6 RECOMMENDATIONS 16 1 7 LITERATURE CITES l7 1

B18 1 INTRODUCTION

The practice of recycling has a two fold purpose. The primary purpose is to reduce the amount of waste generated by society. As a society, Americans throw away 160 million tons of garbage annually [4]. Of that amount, approximately 62% is considered recyclable [3]. Therefore, recycling could reduce the amount of garbage by more than half. A secondary purpose of recycling is to convert this waste into some useful material, thereby reducing the amount of ”virgin” raw materials that are consumed. Therefore, recycling not only reduces the use of land to dump wastes, it also conserves the other natural resources that serve as raw materials for an industrial society. Of all the recyclable wastes generated by Americans, over 40% is paper [8]. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that with today’s trend toward recycling, newsprint would enjoy a lucrative market. Unfortunately, such is not the case. Because of the large capital expenditures associated with facilities to de-ink newsprint for reuse, there is a lack of end-use markets for waste newsprint. An excess of old newspapers is growing proportionately to the momentum of the recycling movement itself. Even as capital does become available for new facilities, these facilities can take years to progress from the the drawing board to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, while old newspapers pile up at a rate of 16 billion pounds per year 171. Obviously, there is a certain degree of urgency to find a technically and economically femible newsprint recycling option that neither pollutes the environment nor requires large capital expenditures or a major constuction project. One such option may be the use of waste newsprint as a fuel. With a heating value of 7883 Btu/lb. [l],the approximately 1400 tons of newsprint discarded every day in North Carolina alone could replace 883 tons of coal. Many environmentalists may object to newsprint fuel as a recycling option because it would do nothing to reduce deforestation. Priority must, however, be given to the solution with the best short term feasibility, at least until other options develop. No true environmentalist can object to substituting a waste for cod as a fuel, especially if that waste would eventually end up in a landfill. Because of its significantly lower nitrogen and sulfur content, newsprint is actually an environmentally superior fuel to coal. Fuel nitrogen and sulfur are converted by combustion to NO, and SO,, which are the compounds that cause acid rain, a disasterous environmental result of industrialization. The dominant advantage that newsprint fuel has over other recycling options, however, is that it can be implemented using existing technology and equipment, with little or no modifications. Municipal waste incinerators are already equipped to burn solid wastes. In fact, as compared to unclassified municipal waste, newsprint is a much better fuel because of its uniform chemical and physical properties, as well as

B19 a much higher heating value than garbage. Moreover, properly ground or shredded newsprint could be fed to a combustion facility that is already equipped to handle coal, thus taking advantage of existing technologies specifically aimed at energy recovery from solid fuels. An even more attractive option is to use newsprint as a fuel supplement, feeding newsprint along with a proportionately reduced amount of coal while maintaining optimum combustion conditions. This option could conceiveably be implemented without any major equipment modifications what soever, making it the most attractive option mentioned so far. Nevertheless, regardless of whether newsprint is used alone or with coal, the relatively small time and capital investment required for using newsprint as a fuel makes it an option well worth exploring.

B20 2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

There are several technical factors to consider for the use of waste newsprint as a fuel. Among these are transportation and physical conversion to a fuel, feed systems and :1 combustion characteristics, and the environmental impact of the process. One thing that all of these factors depend on is the process by which the newsprint is collected. ‘t Modes of transportation depend on the scale of the project, as well as how localized the collection sites are. Also, as with any type of recycling, contamination can cause serious problems. Seemingly harmless substances such as rubber and plastics produce -1 dangerous chemicals when burned. Also, as with any other fuel, absorbed moisture reduces the heating value and can destabilize the facility because of extremely rapid evaporation within the firebox. On the other hand, other types of paper (such as glossy paged newspaper inserts and coupon sheets) may not be considered a contaminant for a combustion process, where they could cause problems for other newsprint recycling options. Nevertheless, purity standards must be maintained, as with any recycling operation. The simplest approch to newprint combustion is to convert the newsprint into a combustible consumer product, such as firelogs for home fireplaces and woodstoves. ‘-1.. - There are several major drawbacks to this approach as a solution to the waste newsprint problem, however. Rolled newspaper firelogs, because of their layered :1 structure, do not allow sufficient heat transfer to sustain combustion; consequently, they tend to self extinguish [lo]. Usually a one to one ratio of rolled firelogs and natural wood logs axe necessary to sustain combustion in a typical residential fire- place. Also, firelogs are a seasonal commodity that would have to be stored during the warm parts of the year. Even so, it is very doubtful that the demand for fire logs is or ever will be high enough to consume 1400 tons/day of waste newsprint. Nevertheless, there may be potential for the use of shredded waste newsprint in the applications where presently sawdust and other wood wastes are combined with wax to form composite firelogs. Toward the goal of providing an option that can con- :1 sume all of the waste newsprint, however, newsprint combustion will henceforth be considered as an industrial scale project. Since only a small portion of all newsprint is diverted toward recycling bins, a significant amount of newsprint is already being burned as a constituent of municipal waste that is burned in incinerators. In fact, an appreciable part of the heating value .J of municipal waste is derived from newsprint and other cellulosic wastes. Therefore, newsprint has already proven itself useful as a fuel. Municipal waste incinerators, however, are designed primarily to completely burn the 3 fuel, with energy recovery being a secondary consideration. Incinerators, using such technologies as rolling grates, fluidized beds, and rotating kilns, tend to maximize the residence time of the fuel within the firebox in an effort to improve the destruction

B2 1 and removal efficiency (DRE). Since newsprint is considerably more chemically and I physicdy homogeneous than garbage, it may be possible to shift the design emphasis toward energy recovery, and still achieve a good DRE. The ultimate limit of such a shift would be a design similar to the coal fired power boilers that furnish so much I of industry's energy needs today. i In using newsprint for its fuel value, the primary useful product is energy. With a I heating value of 7883 Btu/lb., waste newsprint can furnish slightly more than half the energy of the same amount of coal. Since coal is the most widely used solid fuel, many of the assumptions about the behavior of a waste newsprint fuel will be made I based on comparisons to coal. Table 1 shows an ultimate analysis of newsprint, as well as four common Eastern coals. A majority of the energy derived from the combustion of any organic fuel is from the oxidation of carbon to carbon dioxide, and I hydrogen to water. Obviously, newsprint has less heating value than coal because it contains significantly less carbon then coal. 1

Table 1: Ultimate Analyses of Solid Fuels [6],[9] I

-- Lou Sulfur -- -- High Sulfur -- I

Newsprint W. Va. Penn. w. Va. Penn. t

Carbon 49.14 75.0 72.0 72.0 71.0 Hydrogen 6.10 4.9 4.7 4.9 5.0 OXPg- 43.03 6.8 6.4 6.6 6.4 I Nitrogen 0.05 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.4 Sulf w: 0.16 0.9 1.6 2.0 3.1 Ash 1.62 ' 6.0 9.0 8.0 8.0 I

One major consideration in the industrial scale use of newsprint as a fuel is trans- I portation. Newsprint can be transported by rail in much the same way as coal, with the possible exception that paper is an absorbent material and therefore may need i more protection from the weather. While it is true that more newsprint would have to be transported to the plant in order to get the same energy output, it may also be true that transportation distances for waste newsprint will be less. Nationwide, coal I is transported from relatively localized mines to evenly dispersed facilities, while the sources of recycled newsprint would be as evenly dispersed as the facilities that would use it. Also, coal is often transported to a facility for washing and dewatering before 1 it is sent on to its final destination. Waste newsprint, if it is collected responsibly, should not require any such transportation to a cleaning facility.

B22 Once the newsprint has arrived at the combustion facility, it must be shredded or ground into a form that can be easily and consistently fed to the firebox. This is analogous to a coal pulverizer that breaks large chunks of coal into a fine powder that can be blown into the firebox with air. Figure 1 shows a typical coal fired power boiler. The product of this facility is steam. This steam, in turn, can be used to drive turbines to generate electricity, to provide heat, or both. A facility to burn waste newsprint would function in much the same way. The ground particles are fed as an air/solids suspension into the firebox, where the fuel is burned to produce three products: stack gas, ash, and heat. The ash is collected by the tapered bottom of the firebox and disposed of, the stack gas leaves the firebox by flowing between a mwe of tubes which absorb the heat to produce steam. The stack gas is treated to remove particulate matter and other pollutants before being released to the atmosphere. Aside from the combustion itself, a waste newsprint fired facility would be func- tionally identical to a coal facility. Figure 2 shows how the steam produced by the furnace is used to generate electrical power, as well as to provide heat to other parts of the process. Typical net plant heating rate (NPHR) values for a 600 MW coal fired power plant range from 10,000 to 11,300 BTU/kWh. The NPHR is a function of both boiler efficiency and the efficiency of the steam turbine cycle. By unit conversion, 1 kilowatthour = 3415 BTU; so it is obvious that a great deal of energy is lost in converting the chemical potential energy of a fuel to electrical energy. Most of the loss is in the steam turbine cycle, and is fuel independent, but the boiler efficiency depends on such things as fuel moisture content and combustion air requirements. Since newsprint combustion actually requires less air than coal, and assuming similar moisture contents, an NPHR value of 11,000 BTU/kWh for a newsprint fired facility should prove to be a conservative estimate. Nevertheless, this estimate would indicate that 1433 kilowatthours of electricity could be generated for each ton of newsprint [g]. There are several key differences between newsprint and coal, as far as their use as fuels. As mentioned earlier, newsprint has a heating value of 7883 Btu/lb., as compared to that of a typical eastern coal, which is 12500 Btu/lb [9]. Newsprint may, therefore, require larger or more powerful equipment to deliver the same firing rate (usually measured in Btu/hr). This added burden may, however, be partially offset by the lower air requirement. Because newsprint is 43.03% oxygen, as compared to less than 7% for most coals, a substantial part of the oxygen required for combustion is furnished by the waste fuel itself. Since a considerable amount of the energy released in combustion is absorbed in heating up the combustion gases and excess air, reducing the air requirement corresponds to an increase in the amount of energy that goes into steam rather than being lost to stack gases.

B23 I 1 i Drum i I I Waterwall Tubes i 0owncomer I I Windbox i 1 I I i I

Figure 1: Typical Power Boiler with Steam Superheater [SI 1

B24 . .. .

W TO Flue Ou Reheater N cn

Condenser Cooling Water Circ. Water System Hake-up Water Condensate Flue Gas Reheater

Condensate High Pnssure Low Pressure Deminerilizer F. W. tieaters P. W. Heaters (Full Flow)

Figure 2: Power Boiler Generator and Steam Cycle [9] The environmental aspects of burning newsprint are similar to the environmental aspects of burning any hydrocarbon fuel. Combustion products such as CO, COz, NO,, SO,, unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), and and airborne particulate (fly ash) can contribute to air pollution. Bottom ash, depending on the disposal method, could contribute to air, water, or groundwater pollution. Many power plants also use waters in nearby waterways to cool parts of the process; this can contribute to thermal pollution, which can be harmful to aquatic life. Essentially all of these issues are related to power plants in general, and not particularly to power plants that burn waste newsprint. Most coal fired power boilers come equipped with two items to reduce their environmental impact. The first is a particulate removal system, which consists of either a baghouse or an electrostatic precipitator. The second is a flue gas desulfurization system, whose purpose is to remove SO, from the combustion gases before releasing them to the atmosphere. SO, is generated by the oxidation of the sulfur contained in fuels. While CO and UHC emissions can be controlled by maintaining the proper level of excess air input, there is no practical way to remove the sulfur from the fuel or to alter the combustion conditions such that the sulfur is collected in the ash. Therefore, it must be removed from the flue gas, at a considerable capital and operating cost. Because newsprint has less than one tenth the sulfur content of cod, however, flue gas desulfurization equipment may not be required for a facility that burns 100% newsprint. Similar to SO,, emissions of CO2 and NO, are a direct function of the carbon and nitrogen contents of the fuel, respectively. The formation of NO,, however, occurs by two mechanisms: "thermal NO," is formed from thermally dissociated N2 molecules in the combustion air, whereas "fuel NO," is formed from fuel bound nitrogen. Since newsprint contains less than one tenth of the nitrogen present in coal, NO, emissions from wwte newsprint combustion should be significantly less, but only to the extent that fuel NO, contributes to total NO, emissions [9]. Although CO2 does not contribute to the acid rain associated with NO, and SO, emissions, there has been a lot of concern over steadily rising levels of atmospheric CO2 in recent years. The total environmental impact of atmospheric CO2 is not known. There is one difference, however, between COZ from coal and CO3 from waste newsprint. The carbon in newsprint comes from trees which derive carbon from atmospheric CO2, among other things. On the other hand, the carbon in coal comes from underneath the ground. Therefore, burning coal constitutes introducing carbon from underground sources into the air as C02, whereas burning waste newspaper is just part of the carbon cycle. There are several alternatives for implementing the combustion method for dealing with waste newsprint. The least attractive option, of course, is the construction of a full scale combustion facility from the ground up. A somewhat less expensive option, however, is to convert an existing coal facility, possibly one that can no longer meet

B26 SO, emissions standards due to lack of adequate flue gas desulfurization equipment, to burn newsprint. An even better alternative is to use newsprint in addition to coal in an existing coal fired power plant. Similar to the principle of adding 10% anhydrous ethanol to unleaded gasoline to form gasohol, the practice of mixing fuels operates on the premise that a small amount of an alternative fuel will not affect performance substantially. Besides, the 1400 tons/day of newsprint available from North Carolina could only completely supply one moderately sized power plant, at best. Therefore, the most immediately viable option for using waste newsprint as a fuel is to use it as a fuel supplement for existing coal fired facilities.

B2 7 3 RESEARCH NEEDS ! There are several questions that need to be answered before the project can proceed, First, a method of physical conversion must be developed. If newsprint fuel is to be fed into a furnace as a fuel-air suspension, the newsprint must be shredded, ground, or milled to a size that can be easily swept away by a stream of forced air. For the purposes of research, the reduction could be done at a pilot scale facility and the newsprint fuel transported to the combustion facility for testing. Once the optimum particle size is determined by the combustion test, a properly sized shredder or grinder can be installed onsite at the combustion facility. Also, the compatibility of crushed coal feed systems with powdered newsprint must be evaluated. The physical characteristics of powdered newsprint can be very dis- similar from those of pulverized coal fuel, depending on the size to which each is processed. A compromise may have to be made on the actual newsprint particle size that balances both combustion performance and material handling. Before a system to burn waste newsprint is designed or converted, it is necessary to have good estimates of the waste supply available for such a project [ti]. Awareness of any seasonal or other type of variation in supply or composition is also important. For a system that is to provide an uninterrupted energy source, such fuel estimates are critical. Variations, particularly in composition (such as a Christmas season increase in glossy-paged advertisements), may cause fluctuations in heating value, ash, and stack gas emissions. Therefore, the extent of variations, as well as the quantitative effects, must be determined. Finally, there are several areas to be researched involving the combustion itself. Pilot scale trials, or trials utilizing an existing coal fueled facility, are essential to determine how well waste newsprint can function as a fuel. Trials are necessary to determine the newsprint particle size that provides the most efficient incineration, as well as air to fuel ratios for both efficient fuel use and control of air pollutants. Experimental trials will also be necessary to evaluate waste newsprint as a partial fuel substitute in a coal fired facility. The effects on both efficiency and flue gas composition must be determined for percentages of waste newsprint substitution and addition to coal fuel.

B28 -1

‘I 4 MARKET FEASIBILITY 1 It is important to emphasize that utilizing waste newsprint for its fuel value is proposed as a stop-gap solution. Better, more economical long range options exist for I dealing with waste newsprint. Newsprint is undoubtedly worth more when considered for its fiber content than for its heating value. Consequently, it is expected that, as demand for recycled newsprint begins to increase, as it will when more de-inking ‘1 facilities are constructed, the rising price of waste newsprint will eventually cause combustion to no longer be an economically feasible recycling option. :I Although the time when all newsprint is recycled back into other forest products may be 20 years away, it is still not a good idea to invest a great deal of capital in equipment to utilize newsprint as a fuel. Instead, emphasis should be placed on using .I existing facilities to burn the waste newsprint. A good candidate would be an older facility that is on the verge of being shut down or undergoing major modification due to lack of flue gas desulfurization equipment. Because of its significantly lower :I sulfur content, newsprint substituted for coal could allow an older facility to comply with new air pollution standards, and thus postpone the necessary shut down or 1 modification. Obviously, this would be a great benefit to the facility owner. While environmental compliance problems may prompt a utility company to offer its facility for conversion to newsprint incineration, this alternative is more of a best case scenario. The alternative, however, is not much less attractive. An existing II facility can be modified to accept newsprint in addition to coal. This alternative has several technical advantages, but it also has the economic advantage that it does not .1 make the facility totally dependent on waste newsprint for fuel. Therefore, using newsprint as a supplementary fuel would minimize the extent to which the project :I would upset the facility operation. An important thing to consider in converting a facility to utilize newsprint, besides , capital cost, is the reversibilty of the process. Because of the likelihood that the -1 facility may eventually need to be converted back to 100% coal firing, one must also consider that cost when deciding whether or not to convert a certain facility. In dealing with the aforementioned facility, that would require extensive modification to :I burn coal anyway, reversibility may not be as important, but newsprint fuel cannot be considered a permanent fuel source. Beyond the necessary capital expenditures, operating expenses appear to be well .1 within reason. Assuming a nominal expense for collecting the newsprint, the major expenses associated with newsprint fuels would be transportation to the tacility, and physical reduction (grinding or shredding). Assuming these expenses are compa- 3 rable to the same expenses for coal, newsprint should be no more expensive than coal. Therefore, operating expenses do not detract appreciably from the economic 4 feasibility of using newsprint as a fuel. J B2 9 ,1 The conversion of waste newsprint to energy probably could be best carried out by the utility company that owns the facility. Therefore, an arrangement would be I necessary between the utility company and the waste newsprint collector to undergo a joint project. The utility company may or may not be expected to pay for the waste newsprint, depending on the arrangement, but it is highly unlikely that the newsprint generated electricity would be returned to the waste newsprint collector. The primary marketable product of the newsprint combustion process is electricity. Based on a net plant heating rate of 11,000 Btu/kWh, the 1400 tons/day of newsprint discarded in North Carolina could furnish over 2 Gigawatthours/day of electric power. At an average retail price of $.O'l/kWh, revenues could total over $140,000 f day.

B30 5 DISCUSSION

Although using newsprint as a fuel seems to be a technically, economically, and environmentally feasible option, there is a danger associated with its implementation, The predominant advantages that combustion has over other recycling options are the relatively small capital investment and the small time frame within which implementation can take place. Beyond this, the advantages cease. Were it not for the urgency of the problem, many more favorable alternatives could be explored, given more time. Unfortunately, exploration and development of these better alternatives is not a given. Should the combustion option succeed and expand, it could effectively remove the newspaper glut, which could discourage exploration of other options. Fortunately, it is likely that governments will intervene; some already have [7]. By passing laws that require publishers to use newsprint that contains certain percentages of recycled fibers, governments can and will force industry to build the de-inking facilities that are necessary to recycle waste newsprint. While is is clear that such laws are the result of landfill problems and not a genuine concern for saving trees, governments may or may not leave these laws in place for the sake of conservation of natural resources (should the landfill problems be solved). Nevertheless, newsprint combustion could definitely have a negative effect on long-term recycling options.

B3 1 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

Because of the existence of proven technology, it is expected that this option will require less study than many other options. Therefore, it is recommended that this project proceed forward as soon as possible. First, the necessary grinding or shredding equipment needs to be sized and priced, and a mutually beneficial arrangement needs to be negotiated with a local utility company or industrial power producer for the use of its facility. Then, within the chosen facility, tests should should be conducted to verify that the newspaper particles can be fed to the firebox similar to pulverized coal. Once the feed system is established, furnace probing and stack tests need to be performed [2] to see that proper combustion conditions are being maintained. It is at this point that the effects of coal/newsprint and air/fuel ratios should be explored, if possible. The goal is to match the consumption of newsprint to the supply, but if the facility can not be operated in such a way as to safely produce its rated capacity of steam and/or electricity, then adjustments must be made. It is always possible that one facility alone cannot consume the entire supply stream of waste newspaper and operate efficiently, but that can only be determined by experiment.

B32 -1 1 7 LITERATURE CITES 1 1. Corey, Richard C. Principles and Practices of Incineration. New York: Wiley- Interscience, 1969. 3 2. Diaz, Luis F., George M. Savage, Clarence G. Golueke. Resource Recovery fiom Municipal Solid Wastes, Volume 2. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, :1 Inc., 1982. 3, Elliot, Thomas C. Standard Handbook of Powerplant Engineering. New York: :I McGraw-Hill, 1989. 4. Fort Howard Corporation. US. Solid Waste Problem Facts and Figures. 5. Fernandez, John H. "Overview of Energy Recovery From Municipal Waste.'' :I Present Status and Research Needs in Recovery From Wastes - Proceedings of the 1976 Conference. New York: The American Society of Mechanical Engi- 1 neers, 1977. 6. Kaiser, Elmer R. "Chemical Analyses of Refuse Components." 1966 National Incinerator Conference. New York: The American Society of Mechanical En- 1 gineers, 1966. 7. Knight, Jerry. "Newspaper Industry on Collision Course with Environmental :I Groups Over Recycling." The Washington Post. 26 Sep. 1989. 8. Paul, Bill. "Newspaper Glut Forces Town to End Projects." The Wall Street Journal, 31 Aug. 1989. J 9. Shannon, Robert H. Handbook of Coal-Based Electric Power Generation. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Publications, 1982. :I 10. Shelton, Jay W. Solid Fuele Encyclopedia Charlotte, Vermont: Garden Way Publishing, 1983. '1 I1 -1 3 :1 J B33 1 NEWSPRSNT PRODUCTION FROM SECONDARY FIBER

JAMES BEST WPS 415 ADVISOR - DR TOM JOYCE XEITH KIRKPATRICKWPS 415 ADVISOR - DR. TOM JOYCE

B34 1 h

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY -1 With increasing environmental concerns facing the paper industry, production has turned more and more to to recycling. II With newsprint being the major single component in today's hm,state legislatures have begun "sing the burden on . 0. dmmshing landfill space by requiring newsprint producers in certain states to have a specific amount of of recycled fiber in their product. With these fadors in mind, the proposal of a recyded newsprint mill in Wake Co. or the surrounding area has significant implications. A 100 ton per day recycled newsprint mill using 30 percent old newspapers (ONP),15 percent old :I maglines and inserts (OMG), and 55 percent bleached virgin fiber can serve the area with a quality product. Using a :1 Combination of flotation, dispeirsion, and washing deinking, the recycled furnish should be quite ftee of contaminants and pm vide the paper machine with high quality stock. Concerns that need to be addressed are primarily capital costs. The project worb well in theory, but without a large capital base to stand on it is largely unworkable. A 200 ton per day recycle mill will cod about 30 million dollars, with a unit capital cost of 195,000 dollarsper ddy ton. Typical operating costs an? 140- 170 dollars per ton[2]. Although it is far cheaper to produce secondary fiber than virgin fiber, Start up costs are still very high. Other problems that need to be addrd an! a mill aite, a water source, and hture environmental regulations. Al- though North Carolina does not presently any laws mandating recycle content in newsprint, it is hard to predict what future legislation will require. A constant supply of secondazy fiber 1 B3 5 3 needs to be secured. A collection and sorting program for the I secondary fiber supply needs to be set up to provide the mill 1 with a steady supply of waste news. This collection will also hdlemagazines and inserts. Sources of market pulp need to I be secured rtlso. This project is very workable except for the cost involved* I

B36 7 n Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 4

3 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY 6

I RESEARCH NEEDS 7 n MAILICET FEASIBILITY 8 I1 DISCUSSION 9 3 RECOMMENDATSONS 10 1 LITERATUFUZ CITES 11 APPENDIX :-I* 12 1 1 3 3 ::I j J J B3 7 1 I I 1 INTRODUCTION I

Generation of municipal solid waate is increasing each year while OUT landfill space is decreseing. I Paper and paper products comprise about 40 percent (by wt.) of our lanm spsa. Newsprint I unnpriacd about 18 percent of landfillad wwte[4]. By tst, newsprint is the largeat single amp nent in landiilb. Increashg the amount of newsprint recycled rhould obvioruly deviate l~me 1 of the burden faced by decmuhg lanm space. In the U.S., 26 milla are pducing newsprint 1 at 8 rate of 13.6 million tom per year. of this production, about 9.2 &n tom arc of aa MSW. Accordiq to the Nmand Obmer, they produce about 30,oOO tons a yeat, af 1 which 18,000 are distributed in Wake Co., and only 6,800 tom per year are recycled. 1 Legidation in the U.S. in playing a big part in newrprint recycling. While Iwmetiz[Lg there laws dsfut their purpose or are unworkable, they have caught the attention of the paper industry. I C.lltarnia haa pda law that rtates that newsprint pduced should contain at ht25 percent recycled fiber by the 1991 and 50 percent by the year 2000. Penalties include a loo0 I dollar heper violation. Likewise, Connecticut mandatee 20 percent recycled fiber content by J the end of 1983 and a 90 percent recycled fiber content by the end of 1998. Mdusettes and bdaine have lawe pen- that are much the same aa Connecticut’s statute. Florida has a bwrtafing 8 M) percent reqded content by 1992. clearly rtate legialatrucll are hcuabg on the 1 uDooot of new~papersstored in landfills. Therefore it will be difactrlt to predict what kind of legidation will be pwed in North Cprolina. II To help the environment and rhow that there can be something done on a bca wale, the propodtion of a newsprint mill to serve this area is an appedins idea. This propod states 1 the mill produces about 100 tom per day of recycled newsprint rupplied to the ‘IMaagh zma. The htbh needed would be about 30 percent ONP, 15 percent OMG, and 65 percent virgin furninh with bleached Kraft pulp about 10 to 15 percent to maintain strength ptopaticll and 1 the remainder being Thermo-mechadcal pulp. I I I

I I

B38 I 1 3

7 2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY 1 The ovdmanufacturing proau loops for the production of newsprint are fairly wcell deflrred, but the myriad of optiona within each procam is sttaggering. A combination of the three types uf I deinking proarm will provide a very efiicient contaminant remod system. The mill will include a wmnclary fiber unit with flotation, diapertion, and washiq deink capability for the wutepaper. A second unit for the virgin furnish will be uaed without the deinking line. Fhn pulping, the --I stock goes to stock preparation and finally to the paper madhe. Since the operstion is not Kraft, there M no need foa a recovery boiler or lime kiln. The power will be supplied by an '1 ail-hd bailer. The pulping process for the wastepaper wilt include a high consistency pulper tub. The main advantage in deaedcontaminant breakdown which facilitates easier removal in the &tation I strge of The caustic added in the pulper swells the fiber which makes the ink wed on the fiber esrck and pal off, making in &er to remove fiom the fiber. If the pH hes 11 greater thra about 10 the groundwood pulp begins to yellow. Hydrogen peroxide is added to prevent thin yellowing. But, sodium dicate must be added to prevent the PeJcOaidc from decompodnl((5]. From the initial defibering, the stock flows to high denaity cleancn to ranom hewy contuninanta. The stock then flows to low reject rate icrap~land cltsnen where fewer are needed fot proper cleuring than older types. The iht deinking st- is scoomphhed by flotation. There has been found to be a beas relrtionrhip between clay content and ink removal[l]. The clay content in the nm@w furnish rhould be enough to fsdlitak a high ink removal without having to add zncxe chy to the proceu. Hydrogen peroxide will also be added in this stage as a bleach[5]. The stock flom to new reverse ilow-throqh centifugd clrancrs that have a high deaning d3delrcy. Ran the hers,the fdflows to thickening, where the oat of this pmms ie used aa dilutian water in each procsrr up to flotation. After thickening the stock flows to a dispersion unit to make the ink particha and other eontnmjnmtt~ad enough to wash through the pulp mat. After this elispenion, the slurry ia sent to the ktdeinLing stage, washing. The ink particlea adkrthaa 30 microns are washed through. The wad water is sent to a darifier to remove the surktants and ink by use of flocculanta. Flocculation aids are the oppomte of dispersants. The ink bss to be agglomerated into large enough particles 80 it can be separated from the water. The furnish then gar to storage where additional bhching oc-. The deiibering system for the virgin fiber will be straightforward. A continuous pulper with cauatic added will be the initial stage. Screening and cleaning will contain high errd bw density centifngd cleanem, coarse screens and slots, and primary and secondary bescreens. Since the fkbhb market pulp, the rejects rate should be very low. The reject8 from the eylkm should be recycled through the system to achieve M high of a yield M pabk. h the ckming ryetun, the stock flows to thickening, and finally storage.

B3 9 !

From storage the two stoch are fed to the blend tdwhere they arc mixed with with additives I for strength propertier, optical properties, and retention aids in the correct proportion for proper paper qwlitica. From the blend tank, the furnish flows to wet end operations such m the rdinen, I and the hn pump loop where 6mal screening, clesning, aetering, and dilution take +.The pulp ildy flows onto a Fourdrinia. It ie prefdover the more expensive twin wire formem, and the hrmation in comparable at lower speeds. The paper mschiae is a fairly well established I fechndoccp so there should be little change from standard practicer. The preu rection cuxnes next, Mowed by the dryers, and hally the converting operatiom. Tht mill rhould employ the bighest technology in its deinking line to assure the mod dcient I amt"t removal. The layout of the pulp mill should be designed is such a way that im inc" in capacity can be esrily Sccomplirhed. i i I I I I 1 I I

I B40 I

1 3 RESEARCH NEEDS

The major dconcern for this recycled newrprint mill is the determination of a mill site. Phtswhkh need to be further explored in regard to a dl dte are location, hdprocprcmcnt 1 and acquisition, dIluent and ak regulation. Due to the highly induatrislieed nature of Weigh and the land value, the location of a greenfield recycle mill is not only costly but not Wbh. -1 Thor our &rt courac of donwill be to determine whether it is more hsible to build or buy li mill. To build a miU would be our wcond option because of the high capital cost in regard to our &urn tOt profit at 100 tona/day production. We would build hein the vicinity of '1 Wake -ty whicb could home ncccllwy equipment to store, hydrapulp, bledand deink old magadam, old nmpapem and virgin fiber. Our &at option would be to acquire am OM ate upwthe equipment as well as acquiring new equipment to complete the proceea opmtmns -1 which will lu.rm the intiol capital coat. One factor which will && both of thac will be water. Although it ir highly pomible to design a water control loop with one hundred perant recycled mter, it will be necumy to have aa &ah water as makeup. Another fbctor to be urticipated I ia the pouible legidation by the date to either tax or charge dor municipal w&c. Anothet major u"tion would be to determine whether there will be supplier of newrp.per in la,rge qumtitea 0th than thore of the individual consumer. Potential contracts with pdncera at :I ldcopdlllJT newsprint and the converting operationa like the News and Obnemer, or the Durham ModqHerald may exiat in the future which will ai€& possible profits. The next amcern are the regrl.tory lawe cltlcrc1Dt and pending in respect to air, dlJioent rtreama and the e"t. 1 ALO dong with determination of regulatory laws a aweyneedo to be done to ewe pod& public tuuert and in- their knowledge of the nature of a recycling mill and its en~tdand ..1 monetary benefits.

I.. 1

II B4 1 J I

4 MARKET FEASIBILITY ! I Producing a recycled fiber in North Carolina is a very profitable and economical undertaking even with the high capital invortment. For inatance, the major group to be serviced would be the News and Observer and many other newspapers like the Doxham Morning Herd, An incentive I in rapphg theae locations with newsprint wodd be potential collection systems for aeamdwy fibm. In the tmaport of paper to tbconverting operations the driver of the trucks could bring back meum+ fiber from these operations which could act aa centdid ooSlection point for i them consnmw in 8 parti& area, Another fkctor which de&ler a need for a recyckd plarrt in the immediate area would be the 6Iling lan- and the coat aemciated with it. Very mon it will 1! be to cody to place any item in I",cepecislfy when that component can be brvnesscd and d as natural rcmtrcc. With the fillinl of landfillr, the need arises to build more hadfills which ddindicate one being bat in the immediate area in years to come. Thir b not a I dssltsd ruult. In Alyrrsta Newsprint Co. in Augusta, Georgia start up of a two hundred d Mymetric ton recycled fiber line which will convert one operation stone groundwood operation to 8 mill titilisiry seventy-five peranf thennomechanical pdp, eleven percent groundwood pulp I and €i" percent purchased knft pulp. The conversion of the Augusta project would be to 66 psrant (tmp) pulp, 25 percent fiber and 10 portent Kraft palp fiber. Tbis I pmject ia projected to colt twenty-ecmn million doh. Although this does not rekt the I magnitude of the large capitd investment indin building a greedcld mill, it dar the ollELdlDt cQIlDoDitppcDt beiq rmdc by industry in the development of mdary newsprint fik u ppermaLer's furnish and potential market trends. One other concern which dl beamre a i mum prevalent force in potential llpatltd trends is the environment. As America beeomer lz~ore andwith its living conditons and pups like "Earth First" and "C~~ECPPC(LLT"begin to lobby Ior 8 &mer America the papermaker's farnirh will incrtsee in the amount of recyckd I "print. With legislation moving to increase recycling, with the lower cort to produce frunithes with recycled newsprint, and with the ease at which the fiber can be potentially cdccted, it is very ksible to d recycled fiber faa profit. I i i I I

I B4 2 I i 5 DISCUSSION

Although recycle is not a new idea, and the industry haa made astounding growth in the de veloping of technology, there lingen a few questions to be anewered. Mecbanica pulp in the form of newsprint tjk to decompoee in landfills. With thia in mind will the dycontinne to move to one of one hundred percent recycling of recyclable materials? For example, the average American would be greatly intimidated by any dioxins generated in the duent rttestnr of tissue millr, but to produce a tiwue Fade of paper for instance which would be unbleached sad reduce the amount of chlotinc in the ofauent to sem, would not be deemad UI a desired product. This rigidity and hilure of detyto chqp promoter the very aspirations of sdentirt to produce a teddogy which will methe public. A good example for compaaision, would be the epdrrtian of the bluching sequence for southern pine from chlorine to chlorine dioxide substitution to owne blerchiry. Another inspiration for improvements in the process of waste paper wd be the threat of UL incinerator and/or landfill in someone's backyard. A concern which needs to be dedand disctused ia the recyclabfity of the mechanid pulp fiber, Pulp §bez in a mccfulJca duhg pmceas ia cut and fibdid but what happens to the strength of the recycled fiber? Can it be recycled over and over again? The commoll hypothesis would lead one to Wve that the fib wdone day not form a &e&. But this ir not necmady trtbe. Once again thia ir a rcbcuch need but it dects the industry in an overwhelming way. Far inrkacc, ? if the fiber can be recycled ovez and over again technology may lend it& to mbbbhiq a ' frrniirh which climialtea virgin fiber mpplementation and begin a recyclable msket a6 recyckd * paper. On the other hand, if the fiber ca.n ody be recycled twice to form a rhect for newmprint then we u an industry will need new technological discoveries to &w the municipal wute build up in Ian-. Another thought for the future are the poruhk kgidatirc control that the stater may seek over the taration or pouaible ding of municipal waste. Will there be only a certain amount &wed to be recycled while ulme ia allocated to be inamrated for the generation of power? What about the posmble increase of the price aa more recycled aemprint ia required in forairher as the supply decn".

B43 6 RECOMMENDATIONS hma purely andytical standpoint to build a grecdeld mill for recycled fiber is an casy but coltly endeavor. From the recyclabdty of the fiber, to the deinking and bleaching of a I recycled fiber the industry has a hhly developed and established this technology dso. Thus the only 0thdecision to be deis to ascertain whether the project should proceed or not. In this inrtrna after the technical and market feasibiity has becn taken into account, one other I a”eat nccdll to be made, whether the proposed mill will be profitable? The mill could ~ be pdtable three to f0ur yesn after start up, and the if comnt trendr in the industry are 1 genuine indicators then there is a definite need to produce and control a share of the market place Eoil: recyclable newoprint. Entering the mazket at a later date would lend itself to a higher capital coat and potential lms in the market. One may also find themselves co~~a good 1 to perform IL &a m opppoeed to producing, converting, and eelling newspapm. Bnt at our appnutimrtiOnr of what a profitable mill would need to produce, we can mot “ad 1 buMq a new greenfield mill. At one hundred tons per day it would be quite unmuonable ! nnlm. production could be addup to about four hundred and fifty tom in the fidlowing two yem. It would be ummonable because the profits earned by the production of one hundred 1 ton/day over the potential three years would be less than that of the day to day operstiaru lrad I intial CoIt bcurred in tho building of the facility (dependent upon whom the ma* investom were and the time dedgnrted hr return on capital investment). An dternative wdbe to 1 look into the buying of hcility which could howe a deinking facility, hydrapulper ada paper ’ machine to produce a smaller quantity of pulp fiber. This would lower the Malcapital uxt and diminbb the amount of time n(KxIwJI to become a profitable mill. Thu to b& a dl would 1 not lc~llcurible but to find and convert a place which could house the necmary equipment md meet environmental concerns needa to be investigated further. 1

B44

I 7 LITERATURE CITES

1. Braren, Lawrence A.,”Deinking of Secondary Gains Acceptance as Technology Evdves,”Ptdp and Paper, March 1990. 2. Braren, Lawrence A.,”New Technology, Economic Benefits Give Boollt to Secondary Hber Uie,” and Paper, November 1989. 3. Garcia, Debra A.,”Recycling Capacity to Increaae as Laws PmMerate,* Pu& and Pagcr, May 1990. 4. Iannad, liked D., Straw, Richard,”MunicipsS Solid Wade and the Paper Industry: The Next Five Ym,”Put# and Puper, Match 1990. 5. Scbriver, Kenneth E.,”MD Chemistry Mmt Be Considered Before Making Deinb Line,” and Papcr, March 1990.

B45 ‘1 I 8 APPENDIX 1

B46 Newsprint - 140 to 170 Tissue 275 to 375 Fine paper 300 to 400 c

Fine Newsprint Thsue Paper Major equipment 8 7 11 Total direct costs 30 28 41 Total capital costs 39 36 53 Unit costs 195,000 180,000 265,000 I ton'

Percentage of newsprint that must Date of compliance contain at least 40% wastepaper Jan. 1, 1991 25% Jan. 1, 1994 30 % Jan. 1, 1996 35 % Jan. 1, 1998 40 % Jan. 1, 2000 so %

B4 7 FIGURE f: North Amorican supply and dirporition of now wint-1988.

B4 8 -1 Recycling Old Newsprint in Livestock Bedding

Greg Venditti WPS 415 Advisor - Dr. Joyce Allen Turner VVPS 415 Advisor - Dr. Joyce

B4 9 :EXECZJTIV'E SUMMARY

Upon investigation of the utlilizat.ioeof newsprint as an animal bedding, we found old newsprint to be a highly attractive bedding ina-f eiial. 'Shdded newsprint 'has many properties which ni&t it more appeding to 'farmers than conventional bedding ma;t;eiids. The most important of these properties is the.high.eibe;orbance.ra~e.ofa.ewspri@ forboth .water and odor. Utilizing newsprint -asbedding can *allowthe enewspririt .to be recycled twice; once as 'bedchg and once as a field fertilizer. Our irtws tigation ahdiscoveretl-the most efficient and less -expensive mctans .of production .of the -material. The imple- mentaiioa of .a smd deindustry supp&ng .the product .to farm supply stores was foud found to be most attractive to

the fmlx Using newsprint as a sou.~:ce cjf animal bedding-is an idea'in which everyone wins. The newspaper compnay sells the print, the .consumer .reads.and recyles it, the .recycler shreds and bails it, the fanner buys it, the cows sleep it, the farmer spreads it on his fields, organism; consume it, and the soil gets richer. "Nowhere along the way is nature violated or degraded [6]."

B50

J Cantents

-1 .INTRODUCTION 3

2 TECHNICAL FXASIBILITY

3 RESEARCH NEEDS 16

'4 'MARKET FEASIBILlTY

b DISCUSSION :20 *

6 RECOMMENDATIONS 21

7 LITERATURE CITES 22

8 APPENDIX 23

B5 1

I I I I

iI I INTR(3DUCTION I 1 i ! Local governments nationwide currently kco EL inajor obstacle in what The Wall Street Journal I 1 calh the "garbage crisis" (101. Cities, states, mid counties engage in heated debates concerning proposed landfill, dump, or incinerator sites. Citizens often express two major objections to I , thefie facilities. One objection deals with heiilih concerns?.whilethe other.considers-a reduction

I in property vaues r.em the waste management fircilities. Asthe current facilities continue at near I capacity levels, politicians and envirctnmentalistr; have stepped up efforts to increase recycling rates.

The first step in schie-ving this objective is to establish effective collection programs for the I reqrclables. Many comrnunities have been successful in this respect. However, a market for the collected materials is paramount to the efiwtivcness of each program. The markets for glass and aluminum are strong due to the fact thtt the secondary materials are cheaper than the I starting matcridr. Due to pending legisledion, the plastics industry has hastened its efforts ! to find a market, for its waste. However, the staple of many community recycling programs I is old newspapers (ONP).Of the more than 12 million tons of newsprint manufactured each year[6],.thirtpfive percent is &her.recq-cled ctr .sent.overseas(51. .The remaining sixtyAve percent I has created a glci of OKP, and the market for this product has subsequently collapsed due to oversupply. In some parts oft he counlry, OXY H'IRSvalued at up to 30 dollars per ton. Currently, many collectors a'tz faced with the prospect of paying to have their overstock removed [lo]. La 1I some communities, newspapers that had been carefully separated by concerned citizens axe I catt.ed to landfills where they are mixed in vith othei community waste. Once in the Ian&, the newspapers axe subject to anaelobic conditions. As such, since the newspapers do not I degrade anaerobic:;dy, they can take :many decades to decompose. I The obvious solution to the problem as:a saturated ONP msrket is to use an increased percentage i of secondary fiber in the-production of newrprjnt. Politicians'have rallied around this idea and I pastled legislation in states such as C!onnec*,icut, California, et al that mandates the recycled 'fiber content'in neasprint. 'Newspaper publishers have unjustly absorbed some of the blame for 1 the slow demand of old newspapers. However, 100 percertt of the available recycled newsprint i is being purchasei. Because of a slump in the newsprint market, money ticketed for capital I projects aimed .at increasing recycled news:?rint capacity is.scarce. Large .amounts of money (3UO - 500 million. dollars) are needed to bdd new recycled newspiint plants. 'Therefore, the focus has been on revanping smaller: older mius by adding de-inking facilities. Because it can t&c.several:years f0r.a mill.tcj schieye these comewhat smd production increases,.other markets for the old newsprrpers must be develcped in order to alleviate the burden that newspapers have placed on waste cE.sposii3 facilities. Communities have clisphyed that there is a steady supply of ONP. However, many feel that an czxtendcd slump in the old newspaper market may destroy any "momentum': that.has accuIIl&;cd.in :he. collection of.recyclables. This has. hdy.been I evidenced as seveid communities nationwide have cliscontinued the collection of old newsprint. For example, in 13ade County Wisconsin, local government removed a ban on landfilling old B5 2

I -1 f 1 newspapers due to the glut. Scenes of thia nature have been repeated nationwide. Therefore, to reduce the sixteen billion pounds of neirspxint thrown away annually and to maintain the I successful recyclir.gprograms that cuxently operate, it is imperative that alternate markets for I old newspapers bt: developed. 1:

“1L.

B5 3 I I 2 TECHIYICAL FEA S IEI ILITY I One end use of old newsprint that denewes consideratiori is livestock bedding. Using newsprint as a bedding material is a particularly good suggesticm because of regional interests. The triangle mea is surrounded by agricullue; thexfore, it would lean ideal market for shredded newspaper I bedding. The Nem and Observer, the primary source of newsprint in the triaagle area, prints approximately 30,000 tons of paper a year, in other words, about 82 tons a day (See Figure 1) 151. A portion of the 30,000 tons is t.tken to ii recycling center by consumers and there stored i in a warehouse. Ehphasis on recycling in rt!cent years has created an overload of newsprint to these centers. As previously stated, EL glut is the result of this overload. Using newsprint as B i bedding material riay dytake 10 to 20 percent of the newsprint that is recycled, but it would relieve the markc6 somewhat. I Using newsprint ai a bedding source is not a handicap to farmers in many ways. In fact, there are properties of newssprint which mike it superior to conventional forms of livestock bedding. Nevrprint degrades much faster than conventional straw or sawdust; therefore, newspaper does I not build up as fast over timc. Heavy 'build up of bedding material can cause health problems for 3.ivestock;odor yrchlems,.and disposal problems. .Newsprint is aIso -moreabsorbent than straw or sawdust and ca,pable of staying dq longe::. In fact, Grant Wells tested the water absorbancy I rate of newspaper to be 4 to 6 times greater than that of sawdust and 10 times greder'than thac of straw or hag [Ill. The ability to remain dry over time deters the growth of mastitis, a bacteria known to be harmful to liveritock. A study at the University of Minnesota found that i mutitis grows the slowest in sawdust and newspaper [ll;.The lower price of newsprint bedding is another sdmttqge. .Qccatding to.Logsdon, the price of strawranges from 60 toe120 dollars per .ton and .the avernse price of.recyded newsprint bedtbgranges from 40 to.60 dollars per ton. [i].I Findy, newsprint has been shown to contain'less-heavymetals than straw.'In fact,'in a'Penn State research.prctject.,newsprint was shown to.contain less heav.y.metals .than a vitamin tablet i [7]. According.to .%load and Brug Administration .studies, even when. newsprint substitutes.10 to 15 percent of a COW'B diet, there is no heavy metal contamination Ill]. The newsprint bedding material could be produced on one of two'levels, a small industriallevel I or an individual lwei. The first and more complex method is the small industrial level. On this led,the product could be produced hi large quantities with little effort. To explain how the bedding material can be product can be produced industrially, a Ha"& cellulosic subdivider I will be examined. :Long before the thcught dt ushg newspaper forzbedding, Hammermill devices were used to prod.we insulation kom newspaper. The newsprint was "subdividedn into irregu- ! lar particles and i;ealed to form molded insulation. With a minor modification, the insulation device was capable of creating a-prodoct.suitable for animal bedding. Research in the excellent absorbance and'biodegredation properties of newsprint led Ideal'Insulation'Incorporatedto the I invcntion of the device. 1 B54 i

iI I -li I 1 The "subdividing" process is not as complex as it sounds. The device basically grinds the pages i of the newsprint in order to produce a product. which best satisfies the properties of bedding material, and moxe importantly, it does so while removing excess paper dust. print is i The first fed to a priraq grinder by an inclined conveyor. The newsprint is ground against the series of screens shown in .figure -2. *]!he print .is then fed .to the secondary.griPder .where it is ground against a fit:cond series of screens identical to the primary screens. A central blower cools both .the.primaq rurd secondary .grinding .operations. .The.ground material is then transported through the use of a screw conveyor io a cyhdricd bagger-hopper. A magnet is placed at the end of the conveyor in order to remove fenwus impurities such as staples and wire. Mounted on top of the bagger-hopper is the primrsy dust renod. system, consisting of a cyclone, a blower and a dust trap. The cyclone separates the dust from $he larger materials while dowing the larger particlee t0.W to'the bottom of the >agger-hopper. The blower pulls the liberated dust from the cyclone and passes it through the dust trap. A secondary dust removal system is mounted at the discharge end of the iscrew conveyor feecling the bagger-hopper. Conveyors can be installed to pull the fished product fiom. the bagger-hopper and feed it to either a bailing or ba&g device (See process flow shed on fipe 3, and see Appendix for equipmeat/cost data). Due to lack of information from the nisnufncturing company, the precise production rate of the device wae uxiobttinable. [12] The H~mmermilldevice has many advantages over other methods of shredding newspaper. Fint, the machine virtually eliminates dmt from the finished product. No process will be capable of totally removing all the d-1st associated with grinding, but the Hammermill device does "ize the effect of the dust by employing dust removal systems. (Paper dust is an unwanted by-product of shredding arid &ding operations because of the health an aesthetic reuons.) Second, she final product consists of "smdl irregular major surfaces with a variety of shapes and sizes [12]." Surface irr&a.rity aids the bailing process of the-product. Also small panicles have the advantage of not being aady dragged from animal bedding areas. Third, the device could be easily automated and expanded to improve productivity. A bagger or bailer could be added to ease transportatation for farmers, while expansion to two or three separate Hammermill grinding procesi lines would increase productivity of the bedding product tremendously. Fcwth, the process equipment takes up a small amount of space as shown in figure.3;therefore,'building rent or ccmstruction would be relatively small. The second level of.producing.aewsprint bedtlig+less comphand involvesthe fanner directly. In this method a farmer must buy a small ricale shredding device,.buy.the recycled newsprint,

L 11 and -shred-theprict'himself. The mtustrid influence is .removed on .this €evel-and*businessis primarily between the farmer and the recycling center. There are many devices on the market thirt;.the farmer.cjrs buy. One-such dt:vice.is similat t0.a Valby woodchipper.

A Vdby woodchirpper, shown in figure 5, is a 500 pound fly-wheel with three knives powered by a farm tractor transmission. A simple mo'dification to the chipper allows it 'to 'be used to shred newsprint. The chipper manufirctoriag campmy performs the modification and markets the chipper as a shredder. The newsprint is hand fed by the farmer to the entrance of the device. ! 1 B55 Thesprint is then !shredded by the fly-wheel knives and the.product, along with the unwanted dust,.fiows out.the discharge .shoot ..[71.

Another small scde inciividual shredder is rnmufactured by Besco Sytems Incorporated. This device is sindar to the Valby shreddcr in t€.at it follctws a similar process flow. The newsprint is'fed'to the makbinc hopper, a cyhidiical tank above the cutting knives. 'Gravity pulls the material down the hopper and onto the ro.;ating knives. The shredded material exits at the bottom of the desice (See fibwe 6). Unlike the VaIbp shredder, the Besco device has electric power. The power is supplied by a motor rmging from 10 to 25 horsepower, depending on the required production rate. According to Bewo Systems, the device is capable of a production rate: of about 120 Kilograms per hour for the 10 horsepower motor and about 300 Kilograms per hour for the 25 horsepower motor. Also dikethe Valby device, extra equiment is needed to trassport the product to a bailing or bagging process due to the lack of a blower. Figure 7 shows Merent wirys to utilize the Besco equipmen [2).

The. small industrial -level has many admitages .over the .individual level. First, thc .small industrid level is capable of much larger production rates, lower product costs to the farmer, and more convenient product distribution to the farmer. On the industrial level, the shredding facility would buy the recycled print from the recycling center, shred the material, and distribute the product to fatuing supply stores, where the farmer bugs grain (See figare 8). The individual levd is inconvenient for the farmer because ie/Ghe has to travel to the nearest recycling center, buy the old newquint, transport it to the farm, and shred the paper on his/her own time. Unlike the 'Ham~~~er~riilI'dedice,'in'dividud duedders'like the Vdbp and Besco 'deEces do not have any type of dust remod system. For rucd situations, the industrial level of production is appropriate.

B56

1 i

t i i i I Figure 1: News and Observer Print Production [5] I

I NEWS AND OBSERVER Actual Tons -of Newsprint Produced per Seven Day Cycle' tons 200 ...... 150 ...... 100

50 I i 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun I . day of week

' B10/01/90 - 10/07/90

B5 7 -.. Figure 2: Hammermill Grinding Screens [12]

B58 1

-1 .- Figure 3: Hammermill Device Design .E 121_-

B59 I ' a---- **

COOLING BLOWER

c I

MAGNET I - CONTAMINATED AIR - r SECONDARY FERROUS DUST MATERIAL REMOVAL SYSTEM

AIR DUST TRAP BAGGER- b PRODUCT HOPPER

4 YI I CONTAMINATED AIR A

PRIMARY DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM

B60 Figure 5: Valby Shredding Device [7]

B6 1

I I Figure 6: Besco Paper Shredder I I BESCO-PAPER SHAEDDER I i I I I I -1 I I I *I I I

B6 2 i ! ' i I Figure 7: Besco Grinder Utilization 121

I I

c M, 1 i 1 I

R 75.1 with waste bag I R 75.2 with conveyor to container I R 75.1 with carousel 1I I !

R 75.4 with conveyor, metal separator, fine shredding. bale Press R 75.3 with bin and briquette press

B63 1 Figure 8: . .. .. - SPECIE FLOW FOR EACH PRODUCTION LEVEL

I i-SMALL INDUSTRIAL LEVEL - INDUSTRIAL FARMER RECYCLING I FURNISH SHREDDffi SUPPLY FARMER CENTER COMPANY - STWE A I

.INDIVIDUAL LEVEL '.

B64 3

Before beginning Luge scale production of newsprint as a bedding material, there are questions that must be researched and answered. To start off, what is the odor absorption rate compared to traditional bedding materials? Ifreseaxch shows a trernendous increase in the absorption rate when using newq)sper, then market feasibility would increase. As with new ideas, it is often &$cult to implenwnt them.dess they have some ob14ous advantage over traditional ideas. Sam Crossley experimented with straw and newaprht bedding in order to determine their relative absorption *a€cow maJlilre*by-percentdry weight I3]. As-shownin-figure 9, thewwas a.lower concentration ofmantue-compoundsk the-paper-bedded area. While.this .research would lead one to.b&evethat paperhas an advmtage;it -does*not.show-how.much of an-advantage paper has on a large scale operation like a t.airy fam. The second area to be researched deals with ink composition. Many of societies' high technology printing companies use colored inks. The technology of these inks is so competitive that often thc new colored inks are secretive, making it hard to acquire chemical composition data. Research must be done on the composition of .;hese colored inks before the colored print can be used in livestock bedding. Ingestion of the bedding is inevitable; therefore, if harmfull chemicals are present in tbe bedding paper, then Evestock and possibly humans can be endangered. The separation of colored print from black and white print is virtually impossible, consequently research on colored inks is crucial to this proposal.

The third mea of research is based OIL the lrd of a market for recycled newsprint. There is no futures price for xecycled newsprint, and for (L material with prices that fluctuate greatly with supply and demand this is a handicap, -4 xr.arket in the newsprint area would help to stabilize prices and make newsprint shredding more attractive to not only industrial companies but to farmers as well. 'iiiithoat a common market for old newsprint, companies will find it hard to invest. In order to lure companies inf.0 the shredded newsprint bedding industry, research and devebpment.of a.marketing system must be implemented. I The fourth area CS research deals with consumer price of the bedding material, As previously stated, the average price of newsprint is lower than that of straw, but how much lower? As long as an overload of old newsprint is in place, the price of shredded newsprint will be at its minimum; however, if for scmc reason, industqy tremendously lowers the old newsprint inventory then prices would increase. Research must find a model to represent the market for old newsprint, and estimate upper aad lower bound prices.

The last area of restarch involves production equipment. In the previous section, two production levels were distinguished and discussed, each having an example of the processes involved. How- ever, the Hammennill device may nof. be the best appsratus for industry and the Besco device may not be the best apparatus for the indi6dual. There are many types of process equipment for each level on the market. Resestch should find guidelines that these processes must follow,

B65 suck as a mandatory dust collection system or a particle size regulation device. If a publication of the research resultr. was niadc readily available, then consumer and recycling I cater awareness of this proposal would grox. In. most cases,'as researcbincreasesso doespubiic awarencse. I

i . Figure 9: Small Scale Experiment on Odor Absorption [i 1I

% DRY WEIGHT 61

121

.. ' 0 .; - COMPONENT STRAW-BEDDED =PAPER-BEDDED

PERCENTAGES BASED ON MATERIAL UNABSORBED

I B66 4 MARKET FEASIJ3ILI:TY

AS mentioned pretiously, the use of old newspapers as animal bedding is particularly suited to local agricultural industry. Also, it lras beta demonstrated that the use of newsprint can be advantageous to the farmer in tcrm of performance. The next logical consideration concerns the cost and pricing of the manufactured pioduct. An economic study was completed at The Pennsylvania State University on this subject [l].The two manufacturing schema analyzed are thooe mentioned previously in this pLper. One involres production on a small industrial scale, while the other is carried out on an iridividral level. Firgt, the economics of centralized chapping were examined. This analysis assumes a thru-put rate.of .bedding ai 8400 pounds per hour. A .determination of equipment .depreciation, fuel, maintenance, labou, and overhead costs yield operating expenses of 58.6291 dohs per hour. A.simple. conversion yillds .Oi0070 dollars .per .pound .of animal .bedding. :Delivery costs .also were tabulated. Ir this case, the dables examined included total mileage for delivery, truck cost (Axed costs), and truck operating expenses (variable costs). The total truck cost was determined to be 135,340 dollars per year. The follclwing assumptions were then made: (1) the average distance to delivery = 80 miles (2) xruck capacity = 2520 cubic feet (3) 5.94 cubic feet per 48 pounds of -3edding. The results yielded a delivery cost of 0.0071 dollars per pound of ani~nalbcdding.'The stun o€ the mmifactming and delivery costs would'then yidd a totd cost of 0.0141 dollars per pound of delivered animal bedding. A similar analysis of on-farm shredding was performed. This analysis is based on the assumption of 300 pounds of heddiig required per day. The operating costs were determined in the same manner as far cedr&ed manufacture. The result involved total operating costs of 12.4418 dollars per hour. Delivery costs of the old newspapers were calculated in the same manner previously noted. :Using the same variables and asssumptions as in the-previous case, the delivery cost was determined to be 0.0028 di>llars per pound of old newspapers. A series of conversions were-performed, and the total cost *ofonifarm shredding was estimated at 0.0324 dollars per pound of shredded animal beddhg. A comparison of the two manufacturing schemes produces a total cost of 28.21 dohs per ton for centralized shredding versus a totd cost of 64.76 dollars per ton for on-farm shredding. The difference of 129.61 percent is significiit. The capital costs of each operation must also be considered. For centre3ized chopping at a rate of 8,400 pound per hour, the cost of two commercial shrcdders, one balm, and.8ssorted.hsndling equipment was 80,000. dollars. The on-farm-shredding capital eost.vrlu,.approxhately 2,000 dollers for.manufacture at a rate of 420 pound per hour. Despite the large discrepmcy b capital costs, centralized shredding is still the most &- cient option. According to James G. Beierlein, an associate professor of agricultural economics at Fenn State University, "... even when we made centralized chopping as expensive as possible, on-€arm chopping still costs more" [!I:.Also, federal and state government have.programs that help alleviate the steep stazt-up costs. For ecample, in North Carolina, corporations can deduct B67 the cost of recyclir.g equipment from corporate franchise taxes [3]. I The total cost of producing the bedding milst include collection costs. These costs hare been ignored here since it can be assumed they are not dependent on the type of manufacturing process. The collection cost of old ncvspaprx is added to the manufacture and delivery cost to I determine the total cost. Collection costs EX mostly dependent on population and geographic factors. 1 Once the most eccnomidmethod.of' manufacture has-been determined,. the bedding must .be priced SO that it is competitive with straw. Straw currently is priced at 60 - 120 dollars per ton [?I, The.ap.proxim;%te.sellinp.price.of.;he animal bedding .would .be.less than 50 .dollars .per.ton. 1, This nuxnber could be altered so as tc achieve o profit of 5 - 10 percent of sales without hurting its price advsntage over straw. Beierlein echoes this when he says, ''Even in the most expensive I situations, newspaper bedding is still competitive with straw [9]." I

One other important marketing concern involves the source of old newsprint three or five years in the future. There are several recycling facilities that axe scheduled to come on-line within the I next three years. 'These facilities will itse old newspapers in many new papermaking applications such as corrugating medium, linerboard, and kraft papers. The effect this will have on the demand for old newspapers must be considered before any significant capital investments are I

4C. 3

1 5 DISCUSSION

Before discussing *the project .recomnendations; there are-two main.topics which -skodd 'be 1 discussed. The firit of these topics is the disadvantages of using newsprint as a bedding material. The ability of newsprint to compact is one such disadvantage. When a 300 to 500 pound cow sits or lies on a bed of newsprint, the print tends to compact very tight, thus causing aesthetic 1 and health probleme. For that reason, the grinding operation, discussed on the small industrial scale level of prodrction, would be disadvantageous in certain areas. The grinded pazticles tend to be small in shc and compact more readily. Also, the smaller particles make it hard to clean I the animal stalls with conventional farming equipment. The other aapect not previously discwised is the ability to recycle the newsprint after it has been "1 used as an animal bedding material. The soiled bedding can be gathered from the stall or barn and spread on fids for fertilizer. The use as fertilizer would optimize the fertilizii ability of 11 manure and newsprint. The recommendations for the product production level are solely based on production rates, product costs, and convenience to the farmer. Therefore, the hermust weigh the advastages :I :I versus the disadnatages for utilizing neweprint bedding produced by any process.

11.. 11.. '1 'I

J B69

I I- -- 6

The use of old newspapers as a source of animal bedding is highly recommended. As stated pxe- viously, newsprint is more absorbent, more resistant to bacterial growth, more readily degradable in the enviroumertd, and less expensive than conventional bedding materials. More importantly, the newsprint, dter being utilized as imimd bedding, can be further recycled by spreading it on the fields as fcrtilizier. Surrounded by agricnlture, Raleigh would be an ideal area to implement a.sraall.scale industdd.&edding.deoice. Our research indicates that shred'deil newspht'is most e%iently produced on the smaU scale industrial level. The individual shredthg method is far too inconvenient for the fanner. There- fore, in.order to ntake the.yroduct more attractive to farmers, a smd scale.indastrial device such as the Hammermill should be implemented. There are. two ways of initiating the r:mall-scale industrial shredding process that we have proposed.. The first involves'the'local recycling collection center, in this case'the Wake Community Recycling Center, constructing a device to shred the newsprint on site. This would eliminate the transportation costs of moving the old newsprint from the collection center to the shredding company site. The second wayof ini.;iating.an.indus~.shredding.systemof .manufacture involves prepaxing wi attractive proposd for presentation to individual recycling companies such as Weyerhauser and Sonoco. If interested, the company could develop the small-scale industry separately'from tie recycling center. As noted earlier,'the product 'from either method would be distributed to fsrm supply stores where its purchase would be convenient to fanners, Var- ious financial support is available for recycling industries. Funding from government grants is quite possible for each of the above methods. For many recycling processes, including recycling newsprint as aninal bedding, tax edits are available. In fact, such credits are available in North Carolina [3]. For all of the aforementioned reasons, we highly recommend the production of shredded newsprint on a small scale industrial level for me as bedding.

B70 I

1 7 LIZ’ER~4T’URECITES 3 1. Beierlein, Woodruff, McSweeney, “The Financial Feasibility of Using Newspapers For Farm Animal.BeddpgR,.Penn State.University College of.Agricu1tura.l Cooperative Extension, Circular 3 383. ‘1 2. Besco Systems hc., ”Brochure: .Waste Paper Shredding?, March ,1990. 3. Glenn, J., ”De-ieloping Markets for Recyclrrbles”, Biocrcle, Feb. 1988, pp. 2628. TI 4. Grainger Gencrd Catalog, No. 3721, W.W. Grainger Inc., 1990. 5. Interview with David Jones, Vice President and General Manager, News and Observer, by -1 Allen Tumer, 18 October 1990. 6. Knight, J., “Newspaper on Collision Course With Environmental Groups Over Recycling”, ::I The Washington Post.,26 September 1989. 7. Logsdon, G., “Livestock Bedding: Untapped Market for Shredded Newspaper,” Biocycle, Sept. 1989, pp. 73-75. -1.” 8. McMaster-Caxr Supply Catalog, No. 96, McMaster-Carr Supply Company, New Jersey, 1990. :I 9.c‘Newspaper Bedding Solves Problcm”, Farmshine, 11 May 1990, p. 8. 10. Paul, B., ”For Recyclers, the Nem Is Looking Bad”, The Wd Street Journal, 31 August ‘I 1989. 11. Temple, G., ‘Potential Uses and Problems of Using Shredded Paper for animal Bedding”, :I Pennsylvania’Recycling‘Co~iference, Grantville, April 1989. 12. Whiteman, P.W., ”HammedApparatus for Subdividing Celldosic Material”, U.S. Patent No. 4,526,325, July 1985. ‘1L. :.I .J 3 :i J B7 1’ 8 APPENDIX

-1 1 -1 '1 '1 1 .I 1

-.1 .I

B7 2 3 EQUIPMENT LIST 'I HAMMERMILL SHREDDING DEVICE

1 1 HAMMERMILL SHREDDER FRAMEWORK PRIMARY GRINDER MOTOR 150 HP 1800 RPM SCREENS CONVEYOR 16' LONG W/2" CLEATS .J MOTOR 115 HP' 1800 RPM V-BELT DRIVE SECONDARY GRINDER MOTOR 100 HP 1800 RPM :'I SCREENS SCREW CONVEYOR . 9'-10" LONG MOTOR HP 0 RPM :.1 SCREW 9" DIA TROUGH COVER BAGGER-HOPPER TANK 4.5' DIA X 6' H SCREW CONVEYOR 9'-10" LONG MOTOR 5 HP 1800 RPM SCREW '9" DIA TROUGH COVER .I PRIMARY DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM CYCLONE N0.1 BLOWER 'I'" MOTOR 3 HP 1800 RPM 9" DIA HOSE 4 FEET N0.2 BLOWER ..1 MOTOR 1 HP 1800 RPM 9" DIA HOSE 6 FEET SECONDARY DUST REMOVAL SYSTM BLOWER MOTOR 1.5 HP 1800 RPM 3" DIA HOSE 10 FEET . MAGNET 7.5" w x 7.5" L DUST TRAP FILTERS GRINDER. COOLING BLOWER PRIM. & SECONDARY rl MOTOR HP 0 RPM

J B73 EQUIPMENT COST

HAMMERMILL SHREDDER EQUIPMENT COST [81t t+l

FRAMEWORK 15 % OF TOTAL EQ COST

PRIMARY GRINDER * MOTOR SCREENS * COMTEYOR MOTOR V-BELT DRIVE

SECONDARY GRINDER * MOTOR SCREENS * SCREW CONVEYOR MOTOR SCREW TROUGH , COVER

BAGGER-HOPPER * TANK $4 I 500.00 SCREW CONVEYOR MOTOR $209.44 SCREW $106.75 TROUGH $161.78 COVER $54.15

PRIMARY DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM CYCLONE ** NO.1 BLOWER ** MOTOR *** 9" DIA HOSE N0.2 BLOWER ** MOTOR *** 9" DIA HOSE SECONDARY DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM ** BLOWER ** MOTOR *** 3" DIA HOSE

MAGNET $124.87

DUST TRAP * FILTERS * GRINDER COOLING BLOWER ** MOTOR .**

ESTIMATED TOTAL COST $18,522.31 B74 COST ESTIMATION NOTES

* UNABLE TO CONTACT PATENT COMPANY FOR EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION ** DUE TO LACK OF PRODUCTION RATE DATA, THE EXACT EQUIPMENT SIZE WAS NOT ATTAINABLE *** EQUIPMENT SIZES WERE DETAILED IN PATENT

B75 THE USE OF RECYCLED NEWPRINT I AS A RAW MATERIAL IN THE I MANUFACTURING OF TISSUE AND TOViTELING ABSORBENT PAPERS 1 !

Patrick Lor UPS 416 Advisor: Vr. T~BJgco Lori P..rc. -497 Adviror: Dr.lUclllrloId Job Uiadlq UPS 416 ldriror: Dr. Tam Jgco

B7 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Investigation into the use of old newprint in the manufacturing of tissue and toweling paper is worthy of serious consideration. Legislation and economics are pushing the paper industry towa,rd the increased use of recycled fiber in all paper grades. Advances in waste paper collection and processing have created the opportunity fpr papermakers to make a quality product with lower raw material costs. With virgin pulp fiber, tissue paper raw material costs can account for over half of the mill’s overall production expenditures. However, an old newsprint based tissue paper mill in the southeastern U.S. may use less than 10 percent of its production costs toward raw materials. This could result in savings of 300 to 400 dollars per ton. Old newsprint baaed tissue and toweling paper must obtain good end-product Quality in order to compete in the low grade mmkets. Obtaining higher brightnesses from old newsprint fiber is the tissue manufacturer’s hardest task. Higher brightnesses have been acheived through improvements in deinkiag chemistry asd bleaching. Good wet strength properties, pome ity, and bulk are important qualities to consider when trying to compete with virgin fiber based tissue products. There is a need for research to find the best combination of processes for acheeiving optimum physical properties. In order to compete in colored tissue paper markets, old newsprint based tissue manufacturing must include a dyeing process. There are additional research needs in this area. Opportunities for profits in tissue manufacturing using old B7 7 i 1 newsprint a8 a raw material source have opened up several pro- t duction options. Suggested end-products include brown (not deinked) toweling, deinked toweling, deinked tissue, bleached I tissue, and dyed tissue products. Since there are still resew& needs pertaining to deinking and bleaching, a new mill opera- I tion using 100 percent recycled fiber should start up using ap pmximatdy 40 to 60 percent old newprint in their furnish. Re- I seas& and development trials using more old newsprint based fiber should be performed in ag effort to further reduce raw i material costs while increasing profits and helping to preserve the environment. I i I I I I i ! 1

B78 i 1 Contents

1 INTRODUCTION 4

a TECHNICAL FEASIBlLITY 6

8 RESEARCH NEEDS 10

4 MARKET FEASIBafiY 12

I DISCUSSION 14

6 RECOMMENDATIONS 16

7 LXTERATURE CXTES 18

8 APPENDIX 11

B79 1 INTRODUCTION

In 1976, Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act which declared: 9hat did wmte is increaaing and its control required Federal intervention."l It stremd the need for implementation of recycling projects in order to conserve natural resources. Today, the problem is more argeat than ever with stiff governmental guidelines requiring manufacturers to ollc a percentage of recycled materials in the manufacturing of their products. This is of specid concern to the paper induntry hce paper constitutes a large past of did municipal wastea. A great percentage of the wade paper ia newsprint. One posaible use for recycled nmprint is in the production of absorbents. Since newsprint does posuess aome absorbent properti-, it can be targeted for recycling sue in the manosscture of paper towela, diapers, tisiltre paper, feminine hygiene products, and napkins. Of them, the most favorable would be toweling and tissue paper ma.nuf&cture. The success of this project, as in all cases, relies on cost and the ability to ma" towding and tissue products from the waste newsprint which comparea in qdtyto virgin-fik based products. The extent to which WMtC newsprint is recycled depends on the cost of it as a raw material input plus its processing ta compared to that of virgin-fiber raw materials. Upon duathgthe cost of 04ing waste newsprint, four factors were taken into consideration: mw, level of contamination, homogeneity, and location.* Mass is the most critical factor rin# them must be an accumulation of volume in order for the wade to have any monetary value at all. In working with the News and Observer, the problem of collection resider with them as they will absorb this cost. The contamination problem codto of the pMting ink UI noted previously. Homogeneity M taken care of by the collection of only old newspapem. The location of manufacturing plants equipped to recycle waate newsprint into absorbents may however prove to be the only problem which may caw UI incrcaee in expease. However, the foreut for continued use of virgin-fiber ia dim due to an increase in costs of paper products resulting hm federally mandated inntallation of pollution control fscilities in manufacturing plants adu1 incrcaaed rate of return on investment in the paper industry.'l As a dtof theae trends, recycling newsprint is being condnidcred for use in ahrbents. This process compljtll with federal regulations for recycling wastes and preberveb valuable natural rceourcea. Land, air, and water pollution is also reduced by dccredq the need for sanitary landfills. In conclusion, these topics will be researched and argued later in our analysis.

B80 2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

Waate paper in being used as a raw material in the manuhcturing of tissue and papa towels. Although the use of recycled fiber is common in foreign companies, there are tissue and towel milt in the U.S. M well that are neing 100 percent recycled fiber aa a raw material. There are aU, a number of tiasue and toweling mills that use a mixture of waste paper and virgin-fiber in their fumiah. OSce waate, computer paper waste, waste from printem, and scrap gradea from VUiQlu converting operations are the common grad- used for tissue and toweling operations tldry recycled fiber. There grades are commonly used for a few reasons. The fiber strength is wry good due to a longer fiber length. Ash content in these papen is usually low when compared to the ahin ohgrader, newsprint in particular. Also, the brightness before dcinking far these commonly d grades b very good (usually around 80 to 85 GE). Although-the bigher grhof paper have been and are being recycled for tissue and towding aperationr, the intent here is to evaluate the possiblities of using recycled newsprint as a raw matdal for tisme and toweling. Fnrm the outset, this possibility looh rather bleak. However, a &mu look leans toward a succea$al process. A succen~operation must include detsils on "iin of nmaprint, manuhturing of tissue and towdiq from recycled newaprint, cmd the end-product competitivenws with other tiasam and toweb. The ansly& to follow rJill include thsre det&. "print recycling ia favorsble for a number of reasom. The tonnage of newsprint produced in the U.S. ir fourteen million tom per year? Newspxint, unlike other paper gradea, ahoat dways beco~mute paper. Except in the use of catalogs and other minor end uses, newsprint is red and thaway from day to day. For this reason, newsprint becoma a large percent- of dl wute paper in the U.S. Higher grades of paper have many end uses; therefore, high grade waate pptr ia not u dyavailable. Another factor involved with *recycling newaprint is the "3 price that recycling milla rue paying €ix the newsprint waate. The large metropolitan atear actually give away newsprint wute &ply to dbpoac of it. Fort Howard Corporation, a 100 percent recycle mill in Green Bay, Wd,buys recycled newsprint for a mere 10 to 15 dbper ton? New York and Log Angeler give away nmprint waate to recycling mille. Newsprint waste coats in the southeast are nattudly highex doe to a smaller population of people per maand a s& volume of wute. Recyclhq milt in the South pay between 20 and 60 dollars per ton for newsprint waste. while certay there is enough newsprint waate in Korth America as a raw material supply, a strong &tion network is mandatory in order to use newsprint waste M a furnish. The rl demand for newsprint waate is seaaonal, and this leads to buningear strategies in deciding how much newrprint waste is collected per time period. Although the problem used to be simply meeting the demand, the problem today consists more of balancing rupply and demaad. Wade ba,ckhanling, loom bound collection, and municipalities are major means of meeting

J B8 1 demand requirements. With waste paper backhauling, tranaportation lines ship the product to certain mills and backhad a certain amount of newsprint waste? Although primaFy hauls equal backhad costs for rhort diatsnae, recycling mills aid themselves in collection costs with long distance deliveries. Backhad prices for long distance deliveries arc much more than those for rhatt dirtance deliveries. Although municipalitico in moot utiea arc in the beginning stages, they play a major role in meeting the newsprint recycling mills' demand. Cities in northern CaIifornia require hoorschdQ by law to separate traah into waste by Most cities in the U.S. do not require thio, but they 0mph.Siae and pub thae municipd programs. Much of the looec bound Colhction is CoILtrollCd by the intermediate waste paper dealers. Theire dhcollect newsprint from VUiQlu eatabbentr and dl to varioun recycle mills. The rat of the loose bound cdlection is controlled by individd or frrmilica who collect and sell to recycling facilities.

The problem with newprint rupply are not as big BB the dtmmd problems because an over rupply of recycled fiber in scarce when compared to a lack of demand for ncwrprint wute. Although IO over supply of newsprint waste ir not good, an over supply can be stored fbr hture use. Due to tho emphsrL on recycling of newsprint, program are geared more toward recycling newsprint. This emphwb coupled with the fact that noweprint waste acctrmtllskr in such high volumee mltrw ne#nprint a prime candidake for reegcliag in term of collection. High grade recycle fiber rud aa ledger paper, office waste, sad computer paper are commonly wed in the mrnukctruing of huepaper and paper tow&. Thhigh grades arc uaed in order to produce optimMI end qualities. Although recycled nemptkrt cannot produce the same paper qruiitier that the higher grade paper can, a process involving recycled newsprint in tieaue and paper toweb CUL and has baa proven coot advantageow in the long run? The n"hcturing pmblema in using recycled newsprint br theand paper tow& include lack ef rheet strength, lack of brightnum, and lack of good abaorbent propertk. There nre the reanom that recycled nmrprint haa not ban able to compete with the higher recyckd padm when pertaining to finrs product qdtpalone. "print in made up of hoot all mechanical pulp fib-. Mechanical pulp fibers are much shorter than the fibers in higher grade paper; thedore, Gber st-h is dected. By dcfinitiolr, longer fikproduce better fiber to fiber bonding, thus better sheet strength results. Although rheet strength is not as important in tirme, it is critical in paper tow&. A paper towel needs good dry strength and wet strength properties. Drjr streiyth properties are important wthxt one palls a paper towel fiom a dirpemcr in a public bathroom. Paper towcb that lecL adequate tondle strength will break when pulled from the dispenser and will be wastd8 The moot obvioua rtrcngth need for paper tow& is wet strength. Paper towels dofiorn mechanical pulpr lack strength properties that the longer fiber pulps produce. When a pb per towel is wet, ten& strength is reduced, but tow& with good wet strewh can be used I without rupturing. Wet strength additives increase wet strength bared on a percent- of dry

B82 1

strength; therefore, a mechanical pulp fiber such ae newsprint would remain a poem choice when pertaining to shect strength alone. High qdtypaper tow& also ndgood absorbent properties. Obtaining adequate absorb== when using recycled newsprint is the real challenge with manukturing paper towela because the porority of the towel ia decrerured. Paper towels using recycled newsprint have fewer web voidr due to the rhorter fiberr.@Naturally a sheet with fewer web voids cannot absorb M much water. A compounding factor to the absorbancy problem with newsprint in paper towels is that recycled "print contains a great deal of ash. The non-fibrous aah fiUs the void8 in the web and doctesrsr absorbancy. Abeorbancy is measured and marketed according to how many .mnndr el.pae while 0.01 ml of a substance is absorbed. Companies market their paper tow& ILccordiDg to towel absorbance rate. However, towela with too high of an absorbance rate can be IL problem.- For example, if a paper towel is too absorbant, a pcraon may break a towd when pulKng the towd from a dispenser. This can happen when the wafer from a person% hands is absorbed by the towel BO quickly that the tensile strength is reduce enough so that the towel brork. Ai a dt,many tow& are waded in this way. The m"hctruing rucceas of tinrue paper is baaed on the brightnear and sofin= of the psper. hdbgmanaure~ of theruch M Procter and Gamble have had great marketing ~ucceaa by "thting good tissue with high brightncas. High brightnear is mandatory to canpete in high qdtytirme marketa. The", the manufacturing proceaaw muat produce dcqoak brightneua in order to compete in the high quality markets. The big problem with using recycled newrprint in time is in meeting brightness standards. The major factor in obtJninP ultimate brightneaaa is the quality of the paper knish. I?" a furnish standpoint, newsprint dar not produce fud brightnuma that the higher grades of paper do. Newrprint brightncsaea are umdly fiom 55 to 60 GE whueaa higher grade recycled papem reach brightnana pf 75 to 80 GE. The lower brightnessen in recycled newsprint are attributed to high lignin content. Newsprint, unlike the bleached office and computer WM~papers, contain a large percu~tageof lignin which reduces brightnear due to its browniah color. Ai a resuit, recycled newsprint h at a brightnesr disadvantage from the outact when compared to higher grade recycled paper. A major method of increadng brightnw in recycled pspem ia dcinking. Dcinking removea inks and other conta"tr that reduce brightness in a recycled sheet. Ikhking operations M highly dvedue to the competitiveness of deinking operatiom. For this rema, many of the technical amwem towuda acheiving good dunking chemistry remain undisclosed. The Fort Howard recycling mill haa ban succu~sfulin dunking. Fort Howard is producing brightnews of 65 to 16 GE for dcinked newsprint. This is very good considering moat virgin fiber newsprint brightnusea are approximately 58 to 60 GE.

Three major options sUffiLce M porsible processes for using deinked newsprint furnirh in producing tirsue. The htoption ia to market unbleached tissue paper. Although the unbleached ti" cannot d at as high a price as bleached virgin-fiber tissuer can, the economiu for this plan are balanced by low production costs. Based on statistics from a computer simulation by

J B83 J I I Jaakko Poyry Consulting, produciton costs for tissue manufacturing from recycled newsprint 1 can be cut by up to 35 percent whereas selling prices for finished tissue haa risen 88 high 88 85 to 90 percent of virgin-fiber tissue costs." The technical key for this option in to obtain very good doinking BO that brightnesm are compatible with vir@ fiber newsprint brightnews. I Although unbleached timnc hmrecycled newsprint can be competitive M a lower quality product, the brightntsr for recycled newsprint tissue must be improved in order to compete with bright" spedficrrtionr of higher quaJity papas. High- brightnesses can be obtained by im- I plementing a aingle stage bleaching process after deinking. Although a blesching proasr sig- dhmtly hcreasca production co~to,the bleachiag stage h a must h order to compete with br@htn" produced form viqin-fiba pducts. The iddbhching sequences for brightening I lower qdtywaete paper ouch as newqrint arc CEH and CH qua=. However, those de& dying chlorine and hypochlorite bleach are not appropriate due to such high lwaerr in yield.* Trdtidy, sodium hydrosattite and hydrogen peroxide have ban used to blesch dehked I Vht MiddDodron and Lowdl Dean, the sales maaagera st Lion Indtlstriea, produced info^ I on hydmdite and hydrogen paoxide bl&g of 100 perant deinked newsprint. The information wu bared on data accumulated over 16 yeam Dodmn and Dean's conclusions arc listed u fonom: ! 1. Deinlted palp do not reapond sr well to bleaching 81 virgin pulp. I 2. Ruidud ph and metal conta"ta critically dect the bleachiag reaponse. 3. High residual ph and metals are often the reauk of tight system claure, eapeeidly with i . rapecttofiaerrmrova. 4. Sice metals and inkr have a tendency to travel with the hm,proper balancing bet- I yield and good bleachgis critical. 6. When brightnesr incrams of 6 to 8 points arc required, hyhulste bleachiog is preferred I omperoxide due to itr lower chemical and capital costs. 6. Newmprint deinkiq pulps are conducted at low tunperaturce, 110 to 120 dcgrcea fahrenhat. Conridenton ahodd be given to heating the pulp to 135 to 150 degreca tshrenheit in order to I in- brightness one to two extra points. 7. Mills using 100 percent nemprint furnish that res& brightnesses greater than 65 to 57 ! GE ahould scrioualy consider two stage bleaching. Single stage bleaching ahply cannot resch brightneaser much over 60 GE. I Obviody, bidedtissue of 60 brightness is stiU 15-20 points lower than the virgin-fiber tisaues produced that arc bleached with chlorine based oxidants. Again, the economics can better be I balanced in the end because yields for the chlorine baaed bleaches are much lower than single

B84 stage pddeor hydrosulfite bleaches. Aleo, costs for a multi-stage bleaching prom e naturally more than a single stage or 2-stage bleaching process. Another plan for using deinked newsprint in tissue is adding dye to the furnish and selling the product in the colored tissue market. Fort Howard Corporation hae had succaw with this plan. The low cost of a dyeing operation is an advantage for this process. Dyeing costs are minimal compared to other production costs in a paper mill. Costs for Fort Howard’s dyeing operation are a mere 10-1S dollars per ton.’ Introducing dye in the produces many technical problems. By nature, there an problems with newmprint dyeing in virgin-fiber operaitone. Selecting proper addition points, ma,intuining the correct concentrations, and producing certain end colon are problems that mat all technical departmmtr face with dyeing operations. The dyeing of deinked newsprint furnish producea even mor0 technical problems. Dyeing technology is centered around acheiviag certain coloring bad on a white background. Since newsprint ia not a white paper, dyeing newsprint actually becomes a mixing of oolon, and this in a more complicated process. Dyeing is mort complicated when recycled newoprint is used due to residaal ink and contaminants that may not be removed in ddpldne. The bottom line is that most successful dyeing operations can expect a “istent white bdqpund Mre dyeing. However, dyeing recycled newsprint is cost advantapus and anproduce good product qdity provided good technical attention to the dyeing operation is 8dhb. The one rcmuirhg problem with using recycled newsprint in tissue papers is with &pod Newrprint contains a great ddof lignin which does not disintegrate readily. Therefore, lignin build up in reptic tanks b a major concern. Thin is not a problem with chemically pulped tissue kunethe lignin is removed in the pulping process. At one time, Fort Howard Corporation produced t& papa from 100 percent recycled newrrprint. Although low brightnas hurt the competitivenaa of the paper, a biiproblem was the dispd of the paper. Fort Howud then decided to use only SO percent recycled newsprint in their furnish, and the dispod problem wu rllevirted. According to Ken Payne, the technical director at Fort Howard, the problem wu simply a matter of percentages. Although the rate of lignin degradation from 100 pemnt recycled newsprint waa not tolerable, a 50 perant recycled newsprint furnish was feaaibk. Today, the manufacturing of tissue and toweling from 100 percent recycled newsprint is limited due to some omwered questions. The major questions being: how to dispose of throe waste and how to incterue void web volume in towels. Recycled newuprint as a large percentage of the fhish doa offer acnne bright possibilities. As the industry becomes more and more aware of the nolid waate problem, these posdbiities will become realities. 3

J B85 I I 3 RESEARCH NEEDS I

B&re a pulp and paper company decides to build or convert a mill to use! old newsprint in i the manukture of toweling ot tissue paper, extmive research is needed. The lignin content and fiber quality of "print preeents a number of problems in trsing to achien end-product qudity that is competitive with virgin-fiber tissue. The disposal of tissue paper produced hn old newsprint creates septic tank problem because lignin docs not degrade quickly enough.6 I h a result, lignin accpmalation in septic tanks can lead to contamination pmblemrr. The low bright" and bigh ink conten in newsprint also creates the need for morc d in dchking I Ehmr;rky and bleaching processen. since many companic6 manadhdure colored tis" productr, dyeing the repulped newsprint is an option that needs to be further hVdg8td. Propertiu that mut be maintained in producting market competitive tissue paper include wet I strength, pdty, and bulk. Wet strength is particularly important in toweling gradu. Wet strength can be increased with the addition of resins and other additiva, but these Sdditives I can also adversely porosity and bulk. High porosity is important becawe it a&ctr the rapid and total absorbency of the sheet. Newsprint, which co-ts of mostly *I pulped fiber, doea not pvide much void web volume, thus creating low porosity. Thedore, I d needs include methodr of in- porosity for recycled mechanical pulp fiber. High bulk, wbich in important in mazkets where sofinesa is empW,is difEcult to obtain in tiulre tuing old newsprint due to a lack of fiber length. Studies on increaahg bulk properties of old i nenrprint are necessary in order to increase dness. The lignin djaposal problem with the me of newsprint in toilet thue auld be solved through I Ehmrid repdpbg. However, chemical repulping presents problems in the wea&ning of pulp fibers. Chemicrl repalping equipment would also rispiscantlg increase Capital cats for a mill's operation. Balancing the chemical repulping advantages and capital ant Wvanttrger ia do- I able inkmation in the lignin diqoaal problem. Conamem, patticolarlq. in the U.S., perceive a whiter or brighter sheet as being a cleaner sheet, I In the ti" and toweling industry, it is necr#sary to produce a bright, "sanitary" looking sheet. Thorefore, old nemprint based fiber must be dfeefively dcinkcd and poraibly bleached. -re recycling into tissue or towcling paper, deinidng chemiatzies and washing techniqua mmt be i further aasused. Smce newsprint uaudy has a brightnms fsctor of about 60 to 65 DE, the fiber wiU have to be bleached to reach higher brightnerrres. There blesching p"aa muat account for fiber degradation and ckpitd equipment cost. Thedore, research in old newsprint bleading ! molt bala,nce end product brightncsaa with fiber degradation and capital cost. In ordm to compete in the most competitive markets, old newsprint bascd tissue paper must be I made adable in a variety of colors. Dyeing dcinkcd old newsprint fiber is difficult due to its low brightness. Rerrcarch in this field could produce a successful process for effectively dyang 1 ddnked newrprint.

B8 6 I I 1 7 Although technical research needs axe an ~BUC,there are market reseazch neab as well that 3 should be addrearred. If low quality must be counterbalanced with low price, low income €&milia, industry, and other potential comumera in thie matketing aera must be taken into codderation. The product demand must be asscased so that the product b not over produced. If the market 1 targeted N environmentally concerned consumers, than it is important to label a product as "environmentally friendly". Advertising advances are needed to increase sales. I Mill location can affed raw mated height costs (u1 ad a8 find product transportation costs. F'rcight colt8 arc a big factor in a recycling operation. Therefore, deciding on a mill's loca,ibn 'I can either hcresre or decrease transportation costs.

..*I :-I :1 .I :I ._'I 1 'I I

I 3

J B8 7 J I I 4 MARKET FEASIBILITY 1

Until recently, the use of recycled fiber in paper and board has been driven by legislative action. However deapite measurea to mandate increased use of recycled fiber, the necessary impetus I for promoting the use of recycled fiber in the paper industry will continue to be economics. Economic kctons driving the increased use of recycled fiber wiU depend on geograp&ics, fiber availability, and end-product quality. ReceCCoIIomica arc changing as a result of ind I indwaste paper colledion and process technology developments. In an offort to join the worldwide market for recycled-fiber based paper products, a total of 82 major wute paper processing projects at mib throughout the U.S. and Canada have ban propd by pulp and I paper companies in the last ten months. More thaa one third of these new projects arc for ddnking capabilities.7 Presently, deinking grades are used in the manufacturing of newsprint, I printing and writing paper, and tissue products. Thq account for approximatdy 14 percent of the recycled fiber used worldwide. By the year 2001, deinking gradea should account for about 24 percent of total recycled fiber The use of deinkjng &ea in the manufacture I of toweling and tissue paper will depend heavily on its competitiveness with virgin -fiber bad products. A lower quality product will naturally lead to a lower end-product prim. Low I end-product pricing muat be bala,nced by maintainkg low production coat#. J To compare the current costs of using recycled fiber versus virgin-fiber in tkue paper, Jaakko Poyry deveioped a computexized model which usee technical and economic mill data to examine ! the relative Merencea in production costs. In this study, hypothetical new & were introduced rather than wing existii ones. These new mill simulations 4 the most advanced kchnoEogg found in modern tissue paper production. Typical toweling grade end-product specifications I were maintained for thir project. The model examined the codt of raw matujals, chemicda, energy, labor, and other production factom Comparable to present regional averap u men in Figrue 1. Capital coats were also included, and the return on investment wu 17 pacent. The I virgin-fiber mill wu not integrated with a chunicd pulp miU The hdwood pulp/~&wood pulp ratio pIuchued by the virgin-fiber pulp mill was found to be about 5O:M). The deinked pulp for the recycled fiber mill came from a mixture of wlute newsprint and xlllrtyahes. Thie I mixture may be appropriate for analysis of a European or Japanese mill; however, it is likely I that a U,S. miil would prefer to use a higher quality recycled fiber fimiah in order to -tidy the i conanmera desire for a higher qdtyend-product?O Not represented in the study is an analysis of a roatheastern U.S. miU Mills from this region are charactuieed by higher recycled fiber costs. These higher costa are attributed to a lower concentration of waste newsprint, I The simulation showed conuidcrable cost savings using recycled fiber in tissue production. The total production cost savings rqebetween 350 dohto 400 dollars per ton. Although not ! shown on the graph, II mill ehndation using 50:50 recycled fiber/virgin-fiber produces sbout 200 dollare per ton in savings when compared to the production costs for 100 percent virgin-fiber. 1 Overail profit increases can be obtained only if the price of the finished product is comparable

B88 I i to that of the virgin-fiber baaed product. In the past, consumem have perceived that a product dekom recycled material is rubstandard to a product made of virgin-fiber.' Technological advance irr the field8 of cleaning, deinking, and the handling of waste paper have deit pordble 3 for end-product quality uring recycled paper to be competitive with virgin-fiber products.' AkK, m the number of environmentally concerned conrumem increw, it may be possible to set the price for a roll of tow& near the price of virgjn-fiber baaed products provided the pscLaging is -1 Irbeled "defrom recycled fiber".' The dmrrlrtion conducted by Jaakko Poyry gives a good example of a production cost compar- bntor twue & wing old newrprint and old mkgdne mixturea versus products produced hrom viqin-fiber, However, tierue manufsctoring using 100 percent waste newrprint M it8 fiber ~QUTCChas not been rddrereed. Althoagh there are technical problerrm with using old nmprint '1 to muIpfilLcturc hepaper and toweling, it has one pat advantage over other wute paper grades. Bdon the current prica in central North Carolina, old newsprint coltrl about 20 dobra per ton whereas white ledgot and computer graderr, the prdemd source of recycled fiber .I used h ffirue production, eorts about 200 dollam paton and 300 dollars per ton.' The production coati for mrnafacttuing time paper from 100 percent old newoprint would be .ipniflcantly duddue to low raw mkterial colts. Lower quality and brightness may be overlooked when uler uetargeted toward certain comumer groups. Certain consumer groups such M low incorne hmilirr, trctoriw, P~M,and rchd may not be M concerned with the aofinua, rapid ab- mrbmce, and other terthatic qdties of tissue as they are with price. There "mer group arc oloally very willing to use lorper quality paper in order to save money. In condunion, economic trends neem to hvor the we of recycled newsprint in the production of toweling mdtirrue paper. Although there are many questions directed towardr the marketability of b lower quality product, thir rhould be easily balrnced by lower production cab. With her prim, a market will be maintained for old nemprint tisrue pductr. pdda .- based Also, thia 'I a way tor the recycled ti" manufacturer to offer a lower price than competitors rrrd ~te! profitr.

B89 I I DISCUSSION Fi i

In the 1970'8, the main driving force behind recycling was saving natural resources (trees) and the environment as a whole. Today, that concern still exist8 but with a much greatex intenuity I due to incraned involvement by government in the campaign to "rave our planet". However, money atill playa a key role. Low production cost6 in using recycled newsprint in the production of tisrue and towding itill keep the idea above water as it did in the paat. At the present time, I the paper indnatry ie in the middle of a transistion phase with increasing involvement by the FddGovernment to regulate and enforce the use of recycled fibers. ABit rtu& now, certain perantap of recycled fiber will be required by legislature in the makg of tbue and toweling I pducta. By the year 2oO0, trenda indicate a movement toward 100 percent recyckd paper products hKnn nmprint due to the tremendous bulk accumulation. By that time, legislators hope that technology will have reached a much more sophisticated plateau creating even lower I production cortr and incresaer recycled product quality. However, the U.S. paper industry may not be able to meet this demand. I The CQmbiOItioll of both the comumers' demand for a qdty product and the use of more recycled fiber in paper may form a gap in rupply/demand quality [Figarc 31. Many companies are I mahg&brt8 toward imprdng recycling technology, but the demand for wastepaper rrtiliwtion ir occurhg too quickli)..8 Proper coIIpmtllLic(tion between papermaken and legihtom may be the bert, moat reahtic dution to this problem. Despite the imbalance of qdty demanded with quality supplied in the long run, one thing k certain: the papa industry will meet the I demand for recycled products. Therefore, recycled paper production from waste newsprint will be @UCCer8fol. I i I I I i !

B90

1 -1

'1 6 RECOMMENDATIONS 7 The urc of recycled newvrprint an a raw material for tierue and toweling is pramtly in a tran- rirtion rtage. In the put, this idea was hardly conaidered because recycled newsprint cannot .7 fproduce the fina product qnalities that virgin fiber paper6 can. However, ati the did waste! problem coma Jorrer to the forefront, the issue becomes two-fold. Legiulation ir be&ming to puah companies towazd recycling newrprint in particular due to each a high volume of newsprint 1 warte. At the metime, companies are aeeins the low cost wlute as a great way to cut production costa. The use of recycled newsprint hvnirh for tislrue and toweling ir limited doe to it8 herfinil qdty. However, the low production colts balance the ecollomicI of the proms. :I The key to using recycled newq&t in tirrue and towel manufactruing rucceufully in to balance the product quality rtnitationr with reduced production coati and ruccehl msrlreting, The dour proc" for recycling newsprint into tissue and toweling can be #ea in tigpre 3. n Bccommeadations br the use of newrprint in tissue and toweling recycled are u Eallowr: 1. Produce tierue containing 40 to 60 percent recycled newsprint. Use higher lpIcle waste ppcr and/or ulme vkgh Aber for other raw matdals. Include a dehking pro" tugeted at obtaining LSS brightnesr. 1 2. Structure a "arch and development group that focuses on improving deinlring chemistry urd optimidng the percent of recycled newsprint used. 3. Sell the dunked product to rchd, €&ctories, prisons, and other users of low quality tissue.

4. Produce bleached tiesue for a &her quality market by adding 8 hydrogen peroxide/hydrodfite bleachhg equence at another plant location. S. Emphuise bleachin8 improvements through reaeatch within Reaearch and Devdopment.

6. Include a dyeing pro- on another tierue machine and produce blue and mecoked tissue for colored turue marketr.

7. Unc procerr engineera or Research and Development personnel for constant technics 4s- trnce with the dyeing operation. 8. Produce brown paper towel f" a 75 to 100 percent recycled nswrprint furnish. The towel ohould not be deinked, and kearch and Development personnel should aure that no contlminantr or unsafe ingredient8 are entrained. This ir a very low quality product; therefore, an added emphasis on maintaining low production costs ie critical. 9. Produce deinked paper tow& from 40 to 60 percent recycled newsprint. 10. Put Remuch and Development emphasis on increasing absorbence and rtrength propdies in the mechanically pulped rheet.

B9 1 7 LITERATURE CITES 1

1. Chertmisinoff, P.N. and Ellerbusch, F., "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act", Tech- i nomic Publishing Co., Westport, CT, 1979. 2, Ferg",Kelly H., "More Recycled Capacity Will Affect Wastepaper Supply Quality, Quai- i tity", PdpadPaper, Sept. 1990, VoL 64, No. 9, p. 123-125. l 3. "Green Foreat: Environmentally Friendly Paper Products", Fort HodCorporation, Green Bey, ~~honsin. 1 4. Huriron, Andy, "Recycling Update: Knowing the Marketplace", PtclpadPaper, Md, 1990 VoL 68, No. 3, p. 43. I 6. Jon-, Richard, Csscades Inc., Rockingham, N.C., telephone interview, Oct. 30,1990. 6. Pabe, Ken, Technical Director of Fort Howard Corporation, Grecn Bay, Wisconsin, telephone 1 interview, Oct. 24,1990. 1 7. "Paper MilL, Meet Recycling Chdenge with Plans for Dramatic New Capacity", PulpundPupm, Se I 77. I 8. Quimby, Thomu H.E., Reqdhg :TheAltemcrtivdoDi~pal, John Hopldns University Pm, Baltimore, MD, 19745. 9. Vetmlp, Arthur C., "Economics Favor In-d Use of Recycled Fiber in Mat FbM"', I Pulpandpaper, March 1990, VoL 68, No. 3, p. 43. 10. "Wastepaper D& Sar Boom Ahead as Industry Ups Recycling Efforts", PtJpandPlrper, I Sept. 1990, VoL 64, No. 9, p. 128-129. 11. "Waste Paper Recycling", Joseph E. Atchiwn Coxmultuts, Inc., New York, New York, i 1972. I

B9 2 il

b 3 COuEm REPUPIN0 W"G PAPER * MACHINE

:I 11 r . D ISTR IBU- a0 PAPER TloN -F9oDucr- MACHINE 11 L

*-OPTIONAL

B93 ... . F;cJu~~1:Production ampariaon costa tor a 70,0001metric-tpy tissue mill producing jumbo rolllr show considerable oavingo are po88ibIe using aecondaty fiber-up to $4WlZon when pure virgin fiber production io compared with pure recycled fiber production.

1400

1200

1000 m \o cc c 800 CI0 0 .-L 55 600 E 3 co5 400

200

0 US. Northeast Japan Fed, Rep. Japan Fed. Rep. U.S. Northeast 100% 100% Germany 5N51 Germany 5N51 recycled recycled 100% recycled 100% 5N51 100% 100% Purchased Recycled UChemicals Purchased Personnel 0 Other CapM Pulp fiber energy c~w figu4 : With an ever-increasing demand for a quality product, and an outcry for more paper tecychg, 8 gap may begin to form in which the demand for quality cannot be met.

td possible with \o cn 1 Recycled Newspaper: Feasibility for the

Construction and Operation of a Facility to 1I Manufacture Packing Material From Old Newspapers I 1 I

I Ronald Douglas Estridge WPS 415 Advisor = Dr. Thomas Karen Schrnidtke CHE 497 Advisor = Dr. Michael

B96 1 I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I The feasibility for mandwturing packaging material out of old newsprint is dependent on find product design, its ability 1 to meet the customer shipping and mailing requirements, asd . cost of manufacturing. Physical research to determine opti- -1 mum design and manufacturing process will be necessary due to the lack of adable data. The simplicity of the man&- '1 turing process aad the availability of low cost raw materials 9old newsprint, suggest this to be a profitable endeavor. Max- '3 hum economical benefits would be achieved by placing this operation in a paper mill so that mill fiber waste could be uti- 3 lized a8 part of the needed raw materid, concurrently recycling old newspaper and minimizing mill waste. A 35 Million dollar :I a year market combined with current environmental concerns over the leading competitive products should further increase :I the viability of this solution. :.I The evidence presented, however, does not suggest this to be a valuable means for recycling large quantities of old news- .i papers; the totd market share would require only 1.50% of the North Carolina newsprint production. This proposal for the .I recycling of old newspapers is not seen as being a "cure allrr for the newspaper recycling dilemma, but only as being a small 1 part of the solution. Other alternatives to increase newspaper 1 recycling must, therefore, be considered and developed. i 5 B97 J J Contents 1 1 INTRODUCTION

2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY 5

ZI RESEARCH NEEDS

4 MARKETFEASIBILITY 16 1 ’‘I 6 RECOMMENDATIONS 17

6 LITERATURECITES 19 1

7 APPEND= 21 ]

-1

B98 7 '1 1 INTRODUCTION

3 The problem of dimini.bing rpia in our laadfills has brought to the forefront the need for rgcperrive rolationr to our wade disposal predicament. By 1992, it in estimated that apprax- imatdy half of the nation'r 6000 municipd Iand6.b will ha,and costa to die- of did 1 wutes fl increase with these dosing. Higher cod6 are the dired res& of rtficter reguhks by the Environmentat Protection Agency(EPA) conctrning waste dispd methodn urd bcccpt- able tocrtioxlll of new landfill mitts. Currently, only 30 to 200 new are built each year, c~mpucdwith 300 to 400 each year for the early 1970'~~.Landfills built today include technical kumtions which Offer a number of envirmmentd dety aspectr, which abcontribute ddi- '1 tiodcolits. In an dort to avoid ridng landi3l costs, which can range from $6 per tan in some amu to $70 per ton in large uti#, many communities are looking for alternative methods for hadling thdr "Epd ddwaste. Eflortr to duathe "unts of waste initidly produced are building momentum, but the most rpproprirte method of ban- produced did waste remains to be molved. Some of theae 11 methoda include wute-twmergy incineration, solid wute baling, and recycling. SoM waste baling deaeucr the volume of garbage by depositing it to the lanm after comprdng rather than in bore form. Baling reducer the volume of garbage by 40 percent rad akilb the ob dating Imdflltr'. While baling contributes to the dution, it requires prccioOr tadstf rpaa. Incheration k one option that ia utilised on a large rcale by only a ikw count&, in&& Sweden, fapun, md Wert Germury. Many conununities in the United States, however, have '1 qjected Goartruction of incineration tacilitier due to public concerns over toxic bypradtwts and thsj, nIeuc into the atmoophere. The nNIMBY", Not In My Back Yard, syndrome hu 10 far dircourqpd widespread me of this option'. \.I Recycliq seem to be the mort attractive option for handling our municipal wwtes, erpedrllp u co"nitiu become more resistant to dlowing for landfills urd incineratom in their UCI. 1 The dvaatager of recycling include eliminating the need 6r land.iUI space, raviq valuable raw makrid raourw, and providing inexpensive materials for mantlfrcttuing. Currently the United States produces 150 million tons of did waste eaeh year", with 80 percent being sent :I to landfills, and only 11 percent being recycled7. The U.S. EPA hu net a 26 percent recycling pd for 1992 h an attempt to demue the amount of waste we are sending to our ha'. With thia challenge ahead, chooring which collection methods are mort ddent remrinr to be 'Ic determined and tor what productr recycled materials can mat euiiy be utibd. Paper, glur, and metah (dl recyclable materib) account for approximately one-thkd of the 1 gubqe we throw away. By charging each houaehold'r garbage collection fee .ccordky to its volume of truh, many locrl govemmcntr have added financial incentive to recoming recyclable pductr". Some rtatm are encouraging the recycling of thew materirt by conaide- k&h- tion which would tupackaging md products not made of recyclable materiJI'o. 0thue introducing legidation which require government purchw of recycled products.

B99 I In certain areu of the country recycling efforts have been a succerrful. Communitier have developed methods of separation and coilextion, but have not developed stratqies for using the 1 materials. Deterxnining how best to use recycled materials has 80 far proved formidable. Incot- pontiq recycled matdab into processen which provide comparable qdtyto that of erittitrg competitive products, and fin& markets for these products has not yet ban accomplisked. 1 while productr containing recycled materials are gaining a societal acceptance for their um- tribuk to tht did waste disposal problem, the public has not yet ahown enough interest to make them hanually attractive to manufacturers. Today's consumer haa concerns over the level of quality affered by there recycled materials, but studies show that they can be umed to I produce products of comparable quality". The ume of recycled paper is one area which haa gained substantial interest kuedit8 btuibil- ity rad itr ofloring of comparable products. Paper accounts for approximately 36 pcrant of our solid waste1s, and only 21 percent of this is recycled materid''. Newsprint has a higher recycling I rate than any other product, with every one in three newspapera published being More than 8 million tons of newrpaper waste must still be disposed of each year in the U.S.", cdhg an average of $300 &on per year for landfill spad" More than 1100 COnrmMities I hve implenwted programs tor picking up newspapers for recycting". At tht time, only 35 percent of the newrpaper published in the United States md cuud. is 1 recycled, with 10 percent bdng wed for new newsprint and 25 percent bdng used for other productsu. In North Carolina done, 2000 tom of newspaper waste is produced daily1g. In an attempt to r?liminlte nmprint from being a landfill material and to further utilise thia valuable 1 fiber reumrce, aevdalternatives have ban suggested. The focar of thia paper is the recycling md utilbtion of old newapapcrs M a Bourcc for producing pachgiq material. i

BlOO l 2 TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

The tcchnid fecrsibility for manufacturing packing material out of old newspapers is dependent on the product de& and ita rimplicity of production which would wure low manufacturing wta. The lack of dting patents for the manufacturing of picking materid hmdd newspapers pruentr unlimited oportunitiee for proceas and product designa. Four Wcdesigns are being conaidered in this atudy, with three designs being capable of producing nuxnerous rtrpc- turea. The major technical problem to overcome in all cam results from the need to "be bock abrorbing charactexistice wbile "hkg the product's apparent density. This objective ir driven by the customera requirement to "be shipping costa while maintabiq product protection during &ipping.

nPAPER PEANUTS"/LOOSE FILL PACKING MATERIAL ggPaperpeanuts" are fiber plugs targeted to compete against the polystyrene "peanuta" which are d in msny packa&g applications. The optimum product d&gn may be determined by opthising manufacturing procers dmplicitp and desired impact absorption cbusckrirticr, while mrintddq a denaity in the range of 1.00 - 1.25 lb/cu &lo, the density of competitive pollntyiene pductr. Reduw the apparent density while maintaining the desired impact absorption chuacterbticr may produce the bitchallenge to obtaining a salable product. Thir challenge may be met by nummus different structures, each of which may bring with it probbans in murufrctaring, denrity, and/or ahock abmrption propertier and, therefore, should be 4- arted on an individual buir. Bdc derignrr include hollow structures, semi-hollow rtrrtctorcr, and did rtructura. The manufacturing process lrsrociated with each design will be similar, varying only with the complexity and precision needed to accomplish the individual da@.

The solid structure deaign is baaed on its superior impact absorbant properties. Thw prop ortier will be obtained at the expense of the deairable density due to the inherent fiber mw requirunenta. Ma&eting and ralw problems ~80ciatedwith a higher dewpdwt l~~lbe dleoiajcd if cwtomcr codcan be reduced to the point of ofibctting higher madkg and J&P@ GO&. The ability to meet there objectives will determine the feuibilitp of this design. The need to abrorb energy and retain the original rhape are important requirements for packing matcrirlr and rhould be propertier obtainable by using thia design. The simplicity of manufacturing a product of this design may be the eingle mort important d8bbin determining the overall feasibility of thin project. The procesr would require datively inexpennive equipment in comparison to most ma.nufacturing processes. The fobwiq is a lirt of major procerr equipment that would be required for the manufacturing of tbir product:

BlOl I

EQUIPMENT I ropulpor - urod to dirbtograto norrpaport into fibor rim. I rerooam - for UIO in tho roparation of trash ruch at wiro, rope, aml paperclip. I from tho fibor rlurry. I thickoau mod to Obtain tho opt- conti~t~cpof rtock go- to the - 1 drf1-r . I dof1.lr.r - uaod to dirbto&ato, soparate, and recirculate dlpiecor of papu that roto not converted in the ropulpor. I rtorago toror - urad to rto-ro fibor rrlurry during procorr rbnt &m. I i molding dram - urd to form and bogin doratuiag of product. I promring and wiq drum - used to continuo tho deratoring procorr .Pd bqin tho miq prOCOrR* i infrared dryorr - for uri in romoviq all romdniag ratu fr- tho product. I crrttorr - mod to roparato 8nd trim product for p8ckaging. I i pa- line - urd to roigh, Count, bag, and rhrirrhrrp p”lut for appb6. 1 I I

I B102 i Thir equipment could bc utilited in I, timple manner M the following procau hwdiagram ruggatr.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM PAP'ER PEANUT PRODUCTION

ICTS I FILTRATE I t J PUMP MOUlHO oPE" PUMP

I-T-

B103 The manufacturing proce~may be better illustrated by examining the most complicated proceu operation, the molding and drying operation, and describing its inherent aimpliaty. This operation may be accomplinhed by utilizing two rotating drums. The bottom drum, &alf sub- “gd in a vat of low to medium conristency fiber dock and faced with the dedred wire mesh forming mold, ir rotated in the vat. A vacuum ryetem operating inside the cylinder promotes a fiber mat to form on the drum ruhce by maintainiq a pressure Merentid acm the mesh drum lux, The removed water and fiber slurry can then be returned to the rpkm throng$ an approphte pip+ demig6 md reapplied to the drum at minimal wet. The fiber mat retained on the ftrt drum contrctr the recond drum rotating in the opposite direction. The mnddrum, a molded mat iron and steam heated drum, is loaded onto the htdrum under pressarc to I further rcmovc u much water kom the mat ui possible via a pressing technique. At tbis point I the mat ir tddto the recond drum allowing the first drum to repoat ita cycle, The hated dnrm utWu proeerr steun to begin the drying process. After maintaining maximam contact with the Iccond drum, the mat is removed and delivered to the hal drying operation. Infiared I herten uc atilised in this rection to evaporate the remaining moisture prior to the trirrrzning and psclcyling operation, The trimmed waste may then be returned to the repdper to reduce pmcc~~WM~. An additive, such as rtarch, may be d to reduce dusting in the trimming I opcntion. The dmplicity of this operation har multiple advanta,ges. A minimal number of moving parts I duce the pmbabiity of machine failare, therefore, reducing lost machine time. Operator trriniry &odd be “aI due to the lack of sophisticated xnanufkturing equipment. i Although the simplicity of this process has numerous advantages, it rhould be mentioned th& the need fix large quantities of water may strongly influence the economics of the operation. The dmplicity of product md operation again permit a unique rolution to “bhg this ! ad,Initially, 10 to 50 pound^ of water per pound of dry fiber will be required depending on the optimum canrirtency in the forming vat. However, due to the nature of the product and I procerr, moot of the water will be recycled and may be adwithout treatment, thereby, avaidiq I the need for a continuing high volume water rupply and avoiding high water treatment costs. Small volt.rmer of duent msy need to be purged &om the ryetem to prevent ryrtem build-up. This eauent could be handled by normal city or county water treatment kilities. I AE water i~ removed from the system, make-up water will be required to mhtlrin the water balance of the operation. The amount of water needed for supply will be determined from the i &Irl product moirtuxe content, if any, the vat consistency required, the repulpiq consbtency quired, and the amount of water bled &om the system. This volume of water, although unrll in relatiomhip to a nodpaper manufacturing facility, may require the facility to be Wed ! near a large water roarce for economical reaaons. Meeting enviroamentd replations may be one of the paper induatry’r biggcrt urd mort coetly I challenges M the twenty-first century approaches. In fact, all industries will be required to meet more rtxingcnt pollution regulations. These more stringent requirements give this product an

B104 edge over ita polystyrene counterpart which is composed of coal tar, petroleum gsr, and organic foMing agenW, Environmental regulations should not impact the technical fcaaability of this manufacturing facility to a measurable extent. Virtually no environmentally harsnful chemicals or compounda should be require$ for operation or would be reledinto the environment due to proceaaing operatiom. Solid wastes auch M fibers and ink residual that may leave through "ge &odd be minimal enabling the mill to maintain environmental pollution lev& wdl bo low governmmt ~gul.tionr.It should be noted that once med, thia product like it8 polystyrene counterpart, will mort likely end up occupying landfill space.

Hollow structm dcrignr will permit the engineer to "be the product apparent dcndty, UntOatunately, thin will rJrw, reduce the shock absorbw characteristics of the product unless complex rtructual dements ut hcorporated into the design. The advantsgc of hollow struc- turea over add structures, if any, can be quantified nunmicdly. Tbir can be sccompli.bd by "tructhg demodels of various product designs and plotting actual rho& sbsorbing charactcriatia agbtapparent density. After combining this data with customer dictated siw conatrrints the relection of optimum design can then be determined for final product "fat- torirrg. The mrnafrrctaring of simple hohw product utructurea can be dedout in a identical to the one suggested for the did structure with only slight dewchmp being required for the molding md pressing dramcl. Complex structures are not being considered at thia time due to the complexity and high coat of producing intricate designs.

The dsdra to consider d-hollow rtructurea M a design dtemative uirer hmthe perceived duign ddciencim of the two previously ruggested atructura. A design incorporating the but OI%I inherent in both the did and hollow designs should produce a product pc"g chuacteriatio in both impact rcaistance and density proportier. The d&e" ai optimum product design could ala0 be dctermjned in the manner ~~gptdabove hr hollow

murotEctaring procera required for simple semi-hollow structures would mirror the pteoiopr two proarm in the uou of product flow m well sr the molding md drying opcntionr, again in rlight molding and drying drum surface design. The dmpliaty of "kctur- with improved product design eubgeats this to be the logical design for lrctual msnotrcttuing. Here wain, the simplicity of product and procers duign would parnit product speciAcrtio~~chrnger if duired by rimply adjusting the dock condstency. One pauible design atructurc and its molding operation is illustrated below.

B105 TOP VIEW

CROSS SECTION

ISOMETRIC VIEW

B106 MOLDING AND DRYING OPERATION

To FINISHING OPERAm

STORAOE

B107 POT& It rhould be strersed that the above illustrations for mmufacturing the daircd product arc by no mean8 the only po8sible solutions. Other, more cost effective idem may be available and should be conridered. Experienced design engineers should, therefore, be conrulted.

SHREDDED NEWSPRINT Another alternative for converting old newsprint into packing material may be to rimply shred old newspapera. Thia dation is perhaps the mort simplistic of the lolutioar and, thedore, should require a minimum of capital expenditures. Shredding newsprint for use M packing material ia by no meam a new idea and is currently used in some htancen on a mall scale. Additional positive srpects of thb design alternative arc its need for “rl space foz operation and its lack of environmental impact during proarring. In contraat, the negative deign Chstrcterirtica am thought to prevent thb operation hmbeing profitable. Physical tirnitstions on density and shock absorbing characterintics dong with end use packing diSculties will limit this product hmbeing accepted as a major packing material design.

B108 '1 3 RESEARCH NEEDS

The numerous pdbiities umuated with each general derriegn structure ibtttrkd &byein combination with the limited availability of research data on the man&tPring of pIcLine materid &om old newspapera requires that an abundance of technicd quatiom be rcrdved. Many of the requirements and propertien will be dependent on find product design or vice versa aa demonatrated above. By using competitive product's characteristics u a guide, uskg current pachging and/or shipping requirements, and by using available kst methods, a wtidsctory dutioa to thh problem may be developed. The technical feasibility of thir solution will be detambd by the uuwsn to the following questions:

1) Whrt impact abmrption and daity characteristics arc associated with d product design? 2) Will there densities meet customer requirementr for rhipping? 3) If not, can an additive be used to obtain desired properties? 4) What N the best product dcaign? 5) whrt oondrtency will be needed for the manufactming p-? 6) What volume of water will be required for the process? 7) What uethe energy catr arrociated with the drying process? 8) Will there be ndhr a water treatment facility? 9) what 8i5e of repalper will be required?

Dendty The ability to meet or Cxcecd competitive product performance is desirable u tbis would all but parantee that a large nrirket nhare could be obtained. One can see that when COJI~PILT- ing the density of polystyrene peuruts(l.0-1.25 lb/cu ft") to the ddtyof nmpriat(0 45.6 lb/cu ftm) that manipulation of the paper structure will be required to meet market ban&. The determination of individual design densities may be determined by crcatipg acde moddr. Modela may be developed by packing fiber slurry into small sdc molds and drying them in a lab oven. Appuent product dendtiea may then be determined by calculating total volume and dividing by totd weight. Thio relatively eimple procedure would allow modeling of d pokntid product dedgu at very low coat.

Abmorption and Cushioning Properties

Impact ablorhing characteristics and cushioning properties may be quantitatively dekrrmrred' bY using accepted induotry wide tating procedures. The American Society for Testing rsd Mat&- ala (ASTM)provides test method8 currently being used to determine there properties. ASTM-

B109 D-11956, "Shock Abmrbing Charactriatics of Package Cushioning Materials" may be used to run quality teats during manufacturing M well M product competitive andysia. Other useful methodr for detmnining thtm properties would be MILC-26861-B, nCuabioning Mat&&, ReJlient Type, General0, USAF,Specification and Bulletin 106-AP41, nExpanded Polystyrene Package &sipn publbhd by Arco/Polymcm, Inc?' I Drying and Energy Corta I Energy cortr related to the drying operation can be calculated once the consistency required for manufactutiq md the dbdivenar of the pressing operation has ban dckrmiaed. The en- 1 ergy required to evaporate the remaining water may be determined by dmpk lzuu .nd energy I balances. Pump, infrated dryera, the heated molding drum, and the repulper will be the main tor energy consumption for the manufacturing proceoe. I Water Required i The daily water rquirementa can be calculated by summing the water loas aucxhtd with the drying proceu and the water required for blading the rystem. The ddload wsrrkr requirement will be dekrmined by the codatemy needed for the molding and repulping operrtionr. I

B110 4 MARKET FEASIBILITY

The production of polptpne for ulc u loOK filler A the prchgiq hdurtry tu 26 MUbn pounb N of 1987 with pmjectionr of only alight increases of 1.5% a ywover the next decde”. A rWrble muket, therefore, exirtr fbr thia type of materid. The current selling price d @I S1.M)/pouadm duthia a $40 Million dollar a yeu indprtry. If one considen obtaidng a 20% market rhue u &iticgoal, g” revenuer would be in exaul oft7 MillioD ddh. The dmplidty of proma d+ dong with low capitd ccmtg and a very inexpensive fiber lolllcc ($lb$70)/tonw depending on demographic location md cycle fluctuations) ruggut thb to be pI0dfkbb rdtrtim. The o”heln&q advantage of tllliry recycled newsprint N oppaed to ir thh diiiierena in mrkrid wt. A oompaxiaon of polystyrene upurdrble bedft and old newspap#’ colt trends are rhown below. These berdr am unprocaacd mrkrirl which mud further be converted to fohform products.

RAW MATERIAL COST TRENDS ~nT7RWK-.uD1nW 1

S&y and environmental adwtagu of using paper peanuts over polystyrene may help lcctllc an emlarger market ahare. One distinctive advantage of the paper product over ita polyrtyrene counterpart ir polyrtyrene’r dependency on petrolerun bued pductr bot “fhc- turiDg. With todry’r uncertainty in the petroleum market, futurt 8VJtbit;tty urd price become key irrae. krcdpetroleum pdcm would in turn produce higher polyrtyrena ph,tbemby incwthe cort of purchasiq thir materid. Old newsprint, on the other haad, ir very iwt- perrrive due to it8 mawive adlability (0 2OOO tonr/dry pmdac$ion in North Cudinr, dad”).

. .- Blll Concerns udatcd with the toxic md combustable chemic& used to produce polystyrene may &o aid in the marketing of the paper product. Pentane, a highly combustable organic dosnt ir uwd aa a blowing agent in promdng polyrtyr~ne~'.Being mort dense than air, pen- kna wcum&tu in low lying spaces creating unde work arcm unlm adquak ventilation is supplied" . I Another &&age of thh manufacturing proceas is its flexibility concerning fiber -. In the event that newsprint be"- scarce or unavailable, other sourca of fiber could be used for mraotrCturing. Old m;rrA paper would be one alternative. This fiber source wold be umed without &tiq product quality or mandncturing process design. Material cost for mixed paper may, in hct, be lesa expensive than newrprint due to the carrent low market drmmd. Tht current low demand io a molt hmsorting and procedng colts that would be incurred by molt manufacturera in their attempt to maintain product quality. The lack of creating lrtatic electricity during the pscksging proceslr may be another marketing dvaatrge. Electrortatic chargca developed during the packing of materials with polyrtyrene ilk reduce packing c$ciency and, therefore, increase coata. The use of "paper peanuts" wooid eliminate the static problem. Involving potential large volume customera from the outset to help determine quality aad design puuneters wybe the but rolution for increasing market share.

B112 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

The profitability of thir operation cannot definitely be determined without the kno- of the product'r ability to meet cultomet qu&ty requirements. bportsrrt manuhcturing md muketing conridtrrtione, dmpliaty of production, rvdability of hexpadve raw ma-, and an adequate and condvsbiy growing market, have been mustrrted. The rimplicity and rmaU ptocerriag area required for this operation s-ta that the implanen- tation o€ thir pmaa would be mat economical if bcrted at a ament miU bdoa m the mat that apace in available. Emever, thir would not bo neauup fot q".The rctorl rpec required ir dependent upon the mukct ahut dedred and mraofrcturing rate crprbblitkr. Th need for a high xnmufactdq rate ia rotesarbh for dadred pdkbilitl; Tbir can be mortntcd by making a vola"/weight tomputOn.

WEIGHT 1 VOLUME RELATIONSHIP AT t.25 LW CU FT DENSITY

0 1 t 3 4 5 6 7 PRODUCTION (tomddry)

B113 1

At an initial murufrcturing rats of only 7 tonr daily production, thb Wtywould be dwarfed I by a typiwl paper murufictoring mill producing approximately 600 tom daily. But with the knowbdga and experience of today'r paper indurtry it would ram iPr.pprOprirta to 1 dhindortg fot prodoct Vttkcth6. Euy to requirod rolumw of procur water and the adability of procesa rtcun for drying potpcmr further promote the idea of a paper mill mantlfrcturing rite. The amihbility i of thae item8 should duautility cortr to a "am. In kct, tuiry water tram the paper dbcbaaar deet heu the prwx~water for mrking pachghg materid, it -7 be pod& to duce naamrl -per mill water treatment costs. Cleaner mill &heat mybe redid by 1 iqcwpor&iag the Ah,pitch, md dirt content of the mill duent into the paper permrrk. Aa 1 UI widitinad advantage to the paper mill, reduced sludge vdumea should be did,thaeby, 1 ha#dry the life of the mill hadfill and reducing mill coats. Although the data presented ip'thia study seem to indicate that the described duthhr I reqckg old newspapem wodd be a prafitabk one, the impact of this procsrr on recycbg "print will be "rl.Thb can be illustrated by compuing the daily newsprint ptodtrction in North CUatinr to the projected ddy mrnufscturing rate of "papa persutrm. 1 IMPACT OF PRODUCTION ON NEWSPRINT RECYCLING I 7A TOUS PER DAY I

2000 TONS PER I 99.7% I I

DAILY NC NEWSPRINT PRODUCTION I DAILY PROCESS USAOE AT 20% MARKET SHARE AT 1.25 LllCU FT DENSITY I This dution for the recycliq of old newapapera may not be wen u the uuwer to the mcyw problem, but 11u~only contribute by being a amdl part of the totd .IUIICT.It ia "m&d I that further rercuchbding to quantifiable data be initiated to determine the actual prdtddity of thir dution and that alternative aolutionr be considered rad developed. 1

B114 I i 1 :1 8 LITERATURE CITES

1. 'hadany, Dan. "Puttingthe squeege on America's landfills8c,American City aad County Aupt 1989: 42.

2. Bxnue, Nancy E., Dibble, Michelle A., and Gyorki, John R. 8cScaling- the SCdid-Waatc Mountain (Can enginem work environmental magic?)Ic, Machine DebMay 11, 1989: 116. 3. 'hulaway, Dan. '%I Recycling the Answer?", American City and County May 1989: 40. 4. Tmadaway, Dan. "Putting the aquase on America's landfillr", American City end County August 1989: 42. S. Muufield, Gail. "Not In My Back Yard: Americans generate about 160 million tom of gar- uch year, and we're running out of plsces to put ittc,Safety and Health Octoba 1989: 72. 6. 'hulaway, Dan. Recycling the Answer?cc,American City and County May 1989: 40. 7. MuuW, Gail. "Not In My Back Yard: Americrnr generate about 160 milbn tom of garbage d yeu, and we're running out of places to put it", Safety and Health Octo& 1989: 72. 8, Tredmry, Dan. Recycling the Anewer?", American City and County May 1989: 40. 04 Muuiield, 04. "Not In My Back Yard: Americana generate about 160 xniUim taru of garbage each year, and we're running out of placai to put itn, Safkty and Health Octobcx 1989: 72.

10, Entrironmental Progrer I and Chabges: EPA's Update, EPA-230-07-88-033, August 1988. 11. Treulaway, Dan. % Recycling the Answer?", American City and County May 19W. e0. 12. MuuMd, Gail. IINot In My Back Yard Americans generate about 160 milliorr tom of garbage each year, and we're running out of placai to put itcc,Safety and Hedth octobcr 1980: 72. 13. Booro, Nancy E., Dibble, Michelle A., and Gyorki, John R. tcScaling the Solid-Waste Mountun (Can engineem work environmental magic?)cc,Machine Dew May 11, 1989: 116. 14. Knight, Jerry. ccPaperIndustry on Colliuon Courre with Enviromentd Ompa Over BecYcling6@,The Warhigton Post Sept. 26, 1989. 16. ibid.

B115 16. Treulaway, Dan. @%Recycling the Answer?", American City and County May 1989: 40. I 17. Knight, Jerry. "Paper Industry on Collieion Course with Environmental Croups Over I Recycling", The Wuhington Post Sept. 26, 1989. 18. Jona, Divid. Vice President and General Manager, Raleigh Nem and Observer, Mano to Plant Employ=, 16 May 1990. 19. Overcuh, Micbrel. North Carolina State University, Professor of Chemical Engiaeering, Ch8 aclurion, 5 September 1990. 1 20. Howard, Michael J. et d., &., Foamrr: A Desk-top Data Bank (San Diego: Intended Pkrtio Selector, Inc. 1980) xxxix-xli. I 21. ibid. 22. ibid. 23. Olf, Heins 0. North Carolina State Univemity, Professor of Wood and Paper Science, Penonal Interview, 10 November 1990. 1 24. Hd,Michael J. et d., edr., Foams: A Desk-top Data Bsnlr (San Diego: Ink"l Phtia Selector, Inc. 1980) xxxix-xlil. I 25. F'rey, H.E.md Stu., Sandra J. Econo~cs H-&& (SRIInMiOnrt,chem- idProducts Group, Plutia 1990) 580.1100-1699. I 26. Purdy, Nurette. Coarolidated Plastics Product, Customer Service Representative, Per- d Interview, 12 December 1990. I 27. Mia, W&d E. et d., Pulp & Paper 1988 Fact Book (San fiancirco: MilEa Fkeansn, 1988) 303. 28. Fnay, H.E.and Stri., Sandra J. ak(SRI IntCrn8- chaa- idProduct8 Group, btia 1990) 580.1100-1699. l I 29. Mia, Willard E. et d., Pulp & Paper 1988 Fact Book (San Francisco: Milkr Freslrun, 30. Overcuh, Michael. North Carolina State University, Profuror of Chemical Ti\,nrrinmin., 1 clur Dincudon, 5 September 1990. 31. Hod,Michael J. et d., eds., Founs: A Desk-top Data Bank (San Diego: International Plutiu Selector, Inc. 1980) xxxix-xlil. 32. ibid. 33. Rutledge, George A. North Carolina State University, Center for Wuk IMinimhtion, Senior Rereuch Aamciate, Peraonal Interview, 9 November 1990.

B116 n I 7 APPENDIX 1 3 1. Apparent Dendty - ddtyof product including fiber and air spam 3 2. Coadrteacy - pounds oven dried fibcr/pounds water and oven dried fiber 3. DdInrd Water Requirement - the volume of water required to maintain the desired -1 dtwcien during the msntlfsctpring prom8 4. Energy Baba- energy in,mast qual energy out k. '1k. 5. Mur Bhce- ILUU in must equal mus out 3 1 n 1 :I :I 3 I) :i ;1 J B117 1 i

CALCULATIONS I CQST OF SPACE I cOm.5x [=+4$6 $70 =z$38 i COST TO DISPOSE NEWSPAPER WASTE PER YEA& I 8milliontonmcroqmper~prrpmacrste $38 13oomiUWn AVERAGE COST= X t year tonnetoapa~u8te #cur I COST OF POLYSTmEPWGING MATWAL PER POUND I $25.70 cubicf eet - $1.47 = 14.0cubic f eet * 1.251ba lbplgatyme i TONS PRODUCTION PER DAY AT 20% MARKET SHARE I 25,oO0,0001& lyear lkm 7.25tolu TONS = .2 x X x-= year 3450petatingduyr 20001h operating&V I VOLUME PER DAY AT 20% MARKET SHARE AND 1.25 LBS/CUBIC FOOT DENSITY I

7.25tonr 20001b~ dcfeet - 11, Wdcfett VOLUME = X X I opczating&y lton 1.251br acrr COST PER POUND OLD NEWSPRINT i I I i

I B118 i I

tment University, Ralei 25; FAX (919) 737-