Turn waste into treasure! Papermaking waste is expected to become a raw material for plastic products

[China Packaging Network News] In the process of manufacturing paper and cardboard will produce a large number of "fly ash" and sludge. Although some can be used as aggregates in concrete, most papermaking wastes are eventually dumped into landfills. Today, papermaking waste is expected to become a treasure! It is expected to be used as a raw material for plastic products.

However, this situation may be about to change because Finnish scientists have discovered that they can be used as raw materials for plastic products. As part of the EU's Reffibre project, researchers at the Finnish National Technical Research Centre (VTT) have conducted laboratory tests to show that ash particles and sludge can replace 50% of polypropylene in injection molded or extruded plastic composites.

This method can not only avoid paper waste being dumped into landfills, but also reduce the production cost of plastic products and reduce the amount of polypropylene needed. In addition, by adjusting the ratio of ash particles/sludge to polypropylene, the strength, stiffness, heat resistance, appearance and surface texture of the plastic can be adjusted.

So far, the VTT team has created plastic tiles and storage containers that consist of 30% of papermaking waste. Researchers said that papermaking waste is also expected to be used for crates and pallets.