Ever since the Chinese discovered how to create paper, its uses have been countless that, indeed, the paper is considered as one of the most important and useful inventions of all time. The use of paper is universal, and up until today, there hasn’t been any innovation that could transcend the benefits of paper. But being around for centuries, the world has accumulated too many paper products, and in fact, production is still at its peak. Although biodegradable, paper could still take a long time before it decomposes.
In a world bothered by problems of disposal, learning how to reuse paper products in ways that could still be beneficial for us would definitely help make the world a little cleaner. Technology can very well play a vital role in this task.
Paper Recycling at Home
Paper recycling does not really have to involve big machinery and intimidating equipment. Even children can do it. School paper materials used from previous school years could be compiled and made into a new journal. All it takes is your creativity and a little bit of help from other basic products of technology. They can be made into decorations and even toys through arts and crafts or paper-Mache making.
Aside from reusing old paper, you may try making your own through the use of non-glossy paper such as old textbooks and newspapers. All you need is water, a pan, and the sun.
Paper Refining
Mass recycling of paper nowadays is very common. Companies who prefer to use recycled paper save on cost and show that they practice eco-friendliness. Paper gains new life as writing, packaging, and other types of materials once the process is complete. Once collected, recovered paper undergoes a tedious and elaborate process. The first thing to do is to rid the paper of contaminants such as ink and other materials. This process is paper refining. Different types of machines aid in the process of mass paper recycling. Therefore, technology plays a vital role in this process.
The entire process of paper recycling involves pulping the collated materials and eventually screening any unwanted materials. The material is then cleaned using centrifugal force which separates the rest of the materials from any unusable elements.
The paper is then de-inked by mixing the material with a surfactant that rids the mixture of ink. To further clean the paper mixture, it passes through water and at times is bleached if a white-colored paper is preferred. After these processes, the mixture can now be used to make a new paper. This process is called upcycling.
Bottom Line
Recycling paper has numerous benefits, but the most important of all is that trees don’t have to be cut down again in order to create new paper. This, by itself, is a great way to maintain our ecology. The process of recycling also lessens all kinds of pollution, as there won’t be any added trash materials, plus there will be more trees that could help prevent flooding and provide its other known benefits.