Recycling paper - Lab Report Example

? Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 3 The processes 4 Collection 5 Processing 6 Antagonistic arguments against Recycling of Papers 8 Conclusion 8 References 10 Recycling Paper Name Course Tutor Date Executive Summary Recycling of paper is very important in environmental conservation; it reduces the number of trees harvested for making papers. It is estimated that the number of trees that an average American uses is 465 with respect to the use of paper. There has been a lot of debate and enthusiasm about recycling of paper especially in the lead up to the new millennium, yet the environmental benefits and the efficiency of recycling processes has not been fully realized. The report therefore seeks to review key developments in paper recycling over the last few decades which saw initiatives aimed at bettering recycling processes, innovations and education play a vital role in increasing recycling rates, the efficacy of certain processes and a surge in more defined corporate social responsibility. The paper looks at the three most significant usage and benefits of recycling paper. These include: Recycling leads to the conservation of natural resources as less tress need to be cut to make new paper, which in effect reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the environment Recycling also saves energy and water that could have been used during the manufacturing process of paper from virgin trees, below is a research study conducted in the UK, cementing this point Recycling frees these landfill areas to allow space for other types of trash that cannot be easily recycled. It is also important that such landfills are freed as the cost of land is today at a premium Introduction It is estimated that recycling one ton of paper saves up to seventeen trees, seven thousand 26500 liters of water, 1400 liters of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill and 4, 000 kilowatts of energy, and reduce green gas emissions by one ton of carbon equivalent. Paper as is known today was first made 2200 years ago in China by an official of the Chinese dynasty; he was known as Ts’ai Lun at Lei Yang (Roth and George, 2000).  However, before Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans used Papyrus weed as a writing materials. This first piece of paper that was made by the Chinese official was rudimentary, rough, and very heavy, despite this shortcomings, this piece of craftsmanship was the stepping stone for production of paper that were much light, and very white. The use of paper cannot be taken lightly; it has immense significant contribution to human civilization and the growth of knowledge. In modern times paper finds use in a variety of uses, paper is used as packaging materials in most industries, used in making tissue for usage in washrooms, used in production of newspapers for dissemination of information to the public. Moreover, papers are also used in the production of billions of textbooks and exercise books for billions of school going children and higher education purposes. The multiple uses of paper in different sectors human live and particularly the need to increase knowledge continually coupled with the benefit of environmental conservation necessitated recycling of papers. A German immigrant who had gained sufficient knowledge in papermaking first did this human desire in the United States in 1690; he made paper from left cotton wool and wood fiber. The processes The process of recycling paper passes through two important steps, the first is the collection stage, and the second most important stage after collection of paper waste is the processing stage. These two stages have various other sub processes, and they will be discussed in these subsequent paragraphs. Collection This is the first step in the process of paper recycling, this is the most important and needs contribution from the users of paper, in this process bins containing waste paper should be strategically located in such that a way that users easily identify the bin and deposit waste papers in that bin. Figure 1 Bins that have been strategically placed Adopted from https://sustainable.unt.edu/2011-recycling-study-recycling-infrastructure-unt The second part is the availability of any means of transport that can pick up these paper wastes, there are various means that could be used in picking up these materials, pickup trucks, lorries, wheel barrows and any other machine. The next step is a very crucial, this the sorting stage, in the factory, papers are placed on a moving conveyor belt and sorted out into their different categories. This involves the use of human hand in carrying out this process, there are different grades of paper, there are the glossy types, white paper, and multi colored papers, Kraft papers, newsprint and other types. Papers are then stacked together to form large heaps of paper, the heaps are fastened into bales and kept and stored, awaiting the next stage of the processing. Figure 2 These are bales of waste paper awaiting transportation to the factory Adopted from http://www.serflorida.com/facts/paper_recycling Processing This stage utilizes complex procedures and process to produce a product eventually that can adapt to very many different uses. This is the next important stage of converting paper waste into useful materials that could be re-used in other ways; they are delivered to processing mills. The first step in this process, involves the use water, at the factory, waste paper inserted into water to soak, for up to five hours, thereafter it is shaken, the purpose of this process is to release fibers and thereafter they turn pulpy( McDougall et al, 2008). The next step is to remove ink from the pulp and to turn them into white substances, there are three approaches to this plan, first is the use of chemicals, the use of air, and the use of hydrogen peroxide or chlorine. The first option is the use of chemicals, chemicals are poured into water, they aid in extraction of ink from the pulp, and thereafter, large quantities of water are used to wash out ink from the pulp. The second option is the use of air, it is delivered through the pulp, after this has been done, it results in the formation of foam that contains up to about half of the ink, thereafter, the ink that is at the top of the foam is skimmed off leaving very clear water. This process breaks down and results in the formation of two components, which are environmentally friendly; these are water and oxygen. This process is repeated until, the process results into a very clear pulp, which the moves on to the next phase. The third option is bleaching, to be used and continually being neglected is the use of either hydrogen peroxide or the use of chlorine. The use of chlorine is disastrous; this is because chlorine may combine with organic matter in the pulp to form toxic pollutants (Go?ttsching, 1996). The final stage is when finishing chemicals are then added into the pulp, which are then pressed to form thick panes or the pulp is dried, or virgin pulp is added to the mixture. The process requires significant amount of energy, but the process uses significantly lower levels of energy than in the manufacture of virgin paper. The process of recycling does not continue indefinitely, that is the same paper cannot be recycled exponentially, this is because the paper fibers becomes shorter when it passes through a single process, this diminishes its paper making qualities. Paper fiber can only be recycled between 4 to 6 times before their eventual disintegration (Attwood, 2004) The quality of paper produced through this process varies concerning the fraction of recycled and virgin waste papers into the batch, if the fraction of virgin paper is higher than recycled paper, then it result in a paper of high quality. Recycling of waste papers is very important, and as has been stated above, this process helps in the conservation of important natural resources that is trees and forests. Figure 3 Some of the products of recycled waste paper Adopted from https://www.recyclebank.com/live-green/are-paper-bags-recyclable Antagonistic arguments against Recycling of Papers Arguments that favor recycling of paper and paper products are very compelling, but often there are critics who lay claim to the fact that recycling of paper its n does not result in any conservation benefits. In fact they assert that recycling of paper has very little to do with any benefit to the environment, in that more energy is being utilized in this process. A study was carried out in the United Kingdom to determine the accuracy or otherwise of this arguments (WRAP, 2007). The study revealed that first, on average a recycled saves up to 1.32 tons of carbon dioxide that is if 100 percent of virgin paper is used in the process. Secondly, the study revealed a reduction of up to fifty percent in the reduction of energy utilized in the recycling process. Finally, the study revealed that it is better to commit to refill as opposed to landfill, due to the fact the latter leads to higher emission of greenhouse gas, which is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Besides the report, a line of argument that asserts that it is very expensive to collect, transport, and sort out paper waste, claiming that it cost much less to harvest trees (Bharucha, 2005) Conclusion The process of paper recycling has two major steps and various other sub processes, the different processes vary according to the state of pulp substitute grades the details of the processing stages will vary according to whether pulp substitute grade. Major studies carried out have revealed the immense benefit that this process has, humanity mother earth a lot and this process is the polite way that humanity can thank nature for enabling man to have comfortable existence. If this process is halted, there is the threat of depletion of forests, can be very disastrous to human existence and secondly, increase in landfills with these environmentally hazardous wastes. This report has carefully outlined the processes that should be adopted when carrying out the recycling process; it exposes both arguments that are pro and against paper recycling process. References Attwood, J. (2004). Revise for Product Design: Graphics with Materials Technology. Oxford: Heinemann Educational. Bharucha, E. (2005). Textbook of Environmental Studies: For Undergraduate Courses. Hyderabad: Universities Press. Go?ttsching, L. (1996). Analysis of Waste Paper Recycling and Disposal Options in Germany. S.l: IIED. Print. McDougall, F.R. (2008). Integrated Solid Waste Management: A Life Cycle Inventory. Oxford: Blackwell science. Roth, L. and George L.W. (2000). The Packaging Designer's Book of Patterns. New York: John Wiley. WRAP. (2007). Environmental benefits of recycling paper. 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