The Paper Making Process

Summary

This video takes viewers through the detailed process of paper production, from the sustainable sourcing of wood to the creation of high-quality paper. It covers the transformation of wood into pulp, the use of water and chemicals for bleaching, and the refining of the pulp to achieve optimal paper characteristics. The paper-making machine and its components are explained, highlighting how the paper is formed, dried, and coated for surface quality. The final product is carefully checked, cut into sheets or reels, packaged, and shipped, showcasing a sophisticated manufacturing process aimed at delivering a premium, quality-controlled product.

Takeaways

• 😀 Paper is made from sustainably sourced wood, including both deciduous (e.g., birch, eucalyptus) and coniferous trees (e.g., pine, spruce).
• 😀 The process begins at the woodyard, where logs are stripped of their bark, and wood chips are produced, often from recycled offcuts.
• 😀 Wood chips are cooked in a digester with acid solutions to dissolve lignin and separate plant fibers, creating a pulp called woodfree.
• 😀 Pulp is bleached with chlorine-free methods using oxygen and peroxide to ensure a white, strong paper product without residual lignin.
• 😀 Water is the most essential material in paper production, with approximately 100L required for every 1kg of paper, but over 90% is recycled.
• 😀 After pulping, the solution is refined and fibrillated to strengthen the paper by binding fibers more tightly together.
• 😀 Fillers like calcium carbonate and clay are added to improve the opacity, density, and appearance of the paper, along with dyes and optical brighteners.
• 😀 The paper machine, consisting of several stages, converts the pulp into paper through processes such as pressing, drying, and calendaring.
• 😀 The paper is coated using a film press process, which applies a uniform layer of coating to enhance the surface quality and printing results.
• 😀 After coating, the paper passes through the super calendar, where rollers apply pressure and temperature to achieve the final surface finish.
• 😀 Jumbo reels of paper are slitted into smaller rolls or cut into sheets, wrapped for transport, and labeled for easy tracking and delivery to customers.

Q & A

What types of trees are used in the production of paper?

The timber used for paper production comes from both deciduous trees, such as Birch, Poplar, Beech, and Eucalyptus, and conifer trees like Spruce, Fir, and Pine.

What is the primary difference between conifer and deciduous trees in paper production?

Conifer wood has longer fibers compared to deciduous species and generally produces stronger papers.

What happens to the wood when it first arrives at the woodyard?

The logs are fed into a rotating drum to remove the bark, and then they are chipped into smaller pieces.

What is the main source of wood chips for paper making?

The largest source of wood chips for paper making is the recycled off-cuts from industrial sawmills.

How is the pulp obtained from the wood chips?

The wood chips are cooked in an acid solution in a digester to dissolve the lignin and separate the plant fibers, producing a pulp known as woodfree pulp.

What process is used to bleach the pulp and why is it done?

The pulp is bleached using oxygen and peroxide in a chlorine-free process to remove any residual lignin that could cause the paper to yellow over time.

What is the role of fillers like calcium carbonate and clay in paper production?

Fillers such as calcium carbonate and clay are mixed into the pulp to make the paper more opaque and give it a more controlled density.

Why is water important in the paper production process?

Water is a crucial material in paper production, with approximately 100 liters of fresh water needed to make 1 kg of paper. Sophisticated water recycling systems are used to recover over 90% of this water.

How is the pulp transformed into paper in the paper machine?

The pulp solution is injected into the space between two rotating wires, which drain excess water, turning the pulp into a continuous wet paper sheet that is then pressed and dried to form a stronger, self-supporting paper.

What determines the surface qualities of the paper during production?

The surface qualities of the paper are determined by various processes, including sizing, coating with pigments, and passing through a super calendar where pressure and temperature are applied to create the desired finish.

What happens to the paper after it passes through the paper machine?

After passing through the paper machine, the paper may undergo additional treatment in the coating and finishing lines to achieve specific surface finishes like gloss, matte, or different color treatments, before being cut into sheets or wound into rolls for distribution.