The application of waste paper recycling in packaging

Throughout the world, although the recycling of waste paper is mainly used for the production of pulp raw materials for recycled paper, various countries are striving to explore new ways of using waste paper (such as production packaging and building materials) to improve the efficient use of waste paper. Agriculture and animal husbandry produce, produce methane, make pencil rods, etc.) and has made great progress. The application of waste paper recycling in the packaging field is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. Pulp molded products

Pulp moulding industry has a history of nearly one hundred years in some more developed countries. With the traditional workshop-style production of papermaking as a world-wide industrial production, various paper and paper products go deep into all aspects of people's lives. Pulp molds Plastic products have also been developing rapidly. Paper mold technology is simpler than foam plastic, production time and cycle is short, energy consumption and raw material cost are low, anti-static, anti-corrosion, shock-proof performance is better than foamed plastic products, and can be recycled, and similar in the natural environment after being discarded. As the plants rot and decompose on their own, they will not create obstacles to the environment and recycling, and have been favored by consumers.

Pulp molding is to break waste paper or finished pulp into pulp, and add appropriate amount of water-repellent agent rubber, use vacuum adsorption and other molding methods, use the mold corresponding to the shape of the product shape molding, such as containers, trays, shields, industrial use Buffer packaging products can be used with corrugated boxes to facilitate shock-proof cushioning during long-distance transportation. Packaging, liners, and filling materials made from waste paper can be used as a substitute for foamed foam.

Pulp moulded articles can be designed to improve their structure, to add various ingredients to the surface or to be specially treated in order to achieve the desired properties and properties for an article or under certain conditions. In addition, the characteristics of the paper mold obtained by adopting different processing methods are different, so changing the processing method or process can improve the performance of the paper mold. The current use of pulp molded articles utilizes its cushioning properties and strength properties.

2, new buffer material

The commonly used cushioning materials for packaging include: fiber materials (wood, paper, pulp, straw, straw, synthetic fiber, etc.), animal fiber materials (pigs, wool, felt, etc.), mineral fiber materials (glass fiber, Asbestos, mineral fibers, etc.), bubble structure materials (natural rubber, synthetic rubber, foam, blister film, etc.), corrugated and crepe paper, cushioning devices (springs, suspensions, etc.). Typical cushioning materials made of waste paper are pulp molded products. In order to improve their buffering performance or simplify the production process, experts from various countries have done a lot of research. The main results are as follows:

A Japanese company uses waste paper to make a new type of cushioning packaging material with many shaped hemispherical air layers. Its uprightness and foldability are good, and its cushioning performance is no less than that of commonly used PSP materials. Commodity packaging design can also adjust the strength by changing the diaphragm thickness.

E-tech Company of the United States uses waste paper to make square-shaped cushioning packaging material, which is filled around vulnerable goods such as eggs, so that the articles cannot be moved inside the box and damage to the goods is avoided. Compared with foam plastics, this material is more convenient, quick and non-toxic in filling and using.

A company in Hamburg, Germany, shreds used paper and mixes it with starch. The slurry is made into granules, placed in a sealed container, subjected to high pressure and high temperature steam, and then rapidly depressurized. The pellets are foamed. The formation of porous beads made of foam packaging material. The cost of this product is lower than that of polystyrene. Its impact resistance is superior to that of polystyrene, and it can be quickly decomposed by microorganisms and fungi after being discarded. It does not pollute the environment.

3, new composite materials

Composite materials refer to the combination of several materials and become a new material with better functions. Common paper-plastic composite materials (base paper and plastic film), paper-aluminum-plastic composite materials (base paper, high-pressure low-density polyethylene, aluminum foil, etc.) are composite materials made from raw paper, and US experts use turbines for used newspapers. The grinding machine grinds into powder, then granulates the mixture of waste paper, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene resin, ethylene propylene rubber, and injects into an open-cell injection molding machine to form a new composite material.

The composite material produced from waste paper has better thermal stability and fire resistance than ordinary resins. Its mechanical properties are better than some synthetic resin materials. It has better forming ability and small shrinkage. It does not absorb moisture in the air. Good stability.

4, new packaging containers

The use of waste paper can generally be made into low-grade toy box boxes. The research results of the new paper packaging containers are mainly shown in:

Japan's Kao Corporation puts waste paper into water for immersion, and beats it into a pulp with a beater. The pulp is then poured into a metal mold and dried to form a bottle that can contain powdered solids. If it is used to hold liquid shampoos, etc., a thin layer of stone coating should be applied to the surface of the bottles for waterproofing.

Shandong Hualin Paper Co., Ltd. uses kraft paper, linerboard and corrugated paper as raw materials. In the production process, large areas of yarn are embedded into the pulp and formed into packaging paper bags. This product has good air permeability, high strength, non-toxic and non-polluting, and can be recycled. It is mainly used for the packaging of powdery granular materials and production of shopping bags and small postal bags.

US Long View Fiber Company uses recycled kraft paper to produce a high-quality retail bag with handles. Paper bags with original leather, bleached and other colors can be printed in three to four colors. The cycle is long and biodegradable. .

A German company cut up the recovered old newspapers and newspapers into strips, then grind them into fibrous pulp, mix them with flour in a ratio of 2:1, and inject them into an extruder to press cylindrical pellets. During the extrusion process, the raw material is foamed by the action of water vapor to form a foam paper. The foamed granule paper is then used as a raw material to produce differently shaped packaging products as required. Foam paper can be used not only as a packaging material but also as an insulating material and construction material.

The Japan Institute of Industrial Technology crushes the waste paper to 5 mm or less, and mixes it with a starch paste to make particles with a diameter of 1-3 mm. The particles are blown into a metal mold that is in an open state, and then the metal mold is closed and pressurized and heated. The moisture contained in the paste is discharged from the vent hole during the heating process, and a package product with better biodegradability can be produced.

In the "Tenth Five-year" development plan for China's papermaking industry and the future fifteen-year vision plan, a new policy of "gradually realizing the use of wood fiber as the mainstay, expanding the recycling of waste paper, and using a non-wood fiber scientifically and rationally with a diversified raw material structure" was proposed. As a potential recyclable timber resource, waste paper is increasingly being valued by scientists and entrepreneurs. As long as it is properly recycled, it will certainly make it possible to play an unexpected role in the packaging field.

The significance of waste paper recycling in the green packaging field

Scientists call the various types of waste paper, waste wood fibers, and wood waste that have been discarded "fourth forest." Among them, waste paper refers to the general name of used paper and paperboard, and corners and corners of materials used in related industries such as paper and cardboard, or “secondary fiber”. The recycling of waste paper conforms to the development trend of the world's green packaging, has a direct relationship with environmental governance and resource protection, and has good economic and social benefits.

The green wave centered on the protection of the environment and sustainable development aims to protect the environment and resources, make full use of renewable resources, and create a sustainable environment for humankind. Green packaging materials are the inevitable result of human beings entering a highly civilized world and the rapid development of the world economy. They have emerged from the call for human beings to maintain their living environment. They have the basic properties of general packaging materials (such as protection, processing operability, Appearance decorative, economical, easy to recycle, etc.), also has no harm to human health and eco-environment, is easy to recycle, and has unique properties that can be degraded by the environment and return to nature.

In accordance with the requirements of environmental protection and the use of materials, the ownership can be roughly divided into three categories: recyclable materials (including paper products, glass, metals, linear polymers, degradable materials), materials that can be naturally weathered and returned to nature. (Including paper products, biodegradable, edible materials) and materials that can be incinerated to recover energy without polluting the atmosphere (including non-recyclable linear polymers, bulk polymers, and partially composite materials).

Paper product is a kind of renewable green packaging material that is natural and can return to nature. The recycling of waste paper conforms to the development direction of “paper-based wood” and “paper-based plastic” in the packaging industry, and is in line with green packaging. Claim.

Paper products that belong to green packaging materials occupy an important position in the entire packaging industry. They are widely used and have many varieties. Modern packaging from traditional packaging to today is always one of the pillar materials for packaging, accounting for the total output value of the entire packaging industry. 45%. For each ton of waste paper recovered by a paper mill, 800 kg of paper can be recycled, which is equivalent to saving 3 cubic meters of wood, saving 1.2 tons of coal, saving 100 cubic meters of water, saving 300 kilograms of chemical raw materials, and saving 600 degrees of electricity. Practice has proved that after repeated use of waste paper, the strength of the pulp remains basically constant.

Although waste paper recycling will increase some costs and difficulties due to cleaning of debris and ink, it can reduce energy consumption and reduce the amount of papermaking accessories such as aluminum sulfate, caustic soda and other environmental pollution, and at the same time it can save raw materials and energy, and reduce packaging. The multi-effects of natural fiber raw material resource consumption, substitution of straw pulp to improve the quality of paper products, reduction of production costs and reduction of packaging pollution, protection of the environment, and maintenance of ecological balance.

Reprinted from: China Waste Product Network