| Paper is an example of a valuable material that | | | | idea that paper could be made of wood fibers. He |
| can be recycled. Its wood fibers are reused five | | | | wrote it down, but never tested it himself. Still |
| to seven times before they become too short | | | | until the 19th century almost exclusively old cloth |
| and brittle. Possible products are paper and | | | | rags were used for paper production. |
| corrugated cardboard, egg cartons, fruit trays, | | | | The chemical process of breaking down wood |
| ceiling and wall insulation and many others. | | | | was invented in 1829 and the German Friedrich |
| However, paper has not always been made from | | | | Keller found a method of grinding wood efficiently |
| wood pulp. The Chinese government official and | | | | in 1843. This was the starting point of the |
| scholar Ts'ai Lun is said to be the first who | | | | success story of making paper from wood pulp |
| developed paper from bamboo fibers, mulberry | | | | and paper recycling. |
| bark, linen and China grass in the year 105 A.D. | | | | The process of converting waste paper into a |
| History | | | | usable product |
| Newer research proves that paper was already | | | | Waste paper is pre-sorted and collected by the |
| produced 200 years earlier. Beside the already | | | | consumer. He takes it to a local recycling center |
| mentioned non-wood papermaking fibers, hemp, | | | | or recycling bin. |
| rags and fishing nets were used as source of | | | | The collected papers are brought to a plant |
| material for the first recycled paper. | | | | where they are sorted and pressed to bales. |
| Paper has its name from the papyrus plant. In | | | | Lighter papers can be separated from heavier |
| Ancient Egypt about 4,000 years ago, its leaves | | | | papers and contaminants by a stream of air. The |
| were pounded flat and used to write on. | | | | bales are stored in warehouses until they are |
| The secret of paper production was protected | | | | needed. |
| for many years. The Japanese got to know it | | | | In a repulping process, the waste paper is |
| only in the year 610 A.D. The art of making paper | | | | chopped and broken down into fibres and mixed |
| spread slowly all over the world; it came to the | | | | with water creating the pulp. |
| Arab world by the eighth century and via the | | | | This pulp must be cleaned from contaminants in a |
| Middle East to Spain. In Europe, the first paper | | | | deinking process, which can combine washing, |
| was produced in the 12th century (1144 in Xativa | | | | separating, sieving and rotating the fibers. The |
| near Valencia). | | | | excess materials, mainly old ink and weak fibers, |
| Until Gutenberg's Bible (1456) the manuscripts | | | | are skimmed off or dropped through centrifugal |
| consisted of parchment - the skin of a sheep or | | | | force into the sludge. It is then landfilled, burned or |
| goat prepared for writing - or of vellum (skin of a | | | | used otherwise. |
| calf). Most of the time there was a shortage of | | | | Now the fibre is ready to be made into a new |
| linen - the main source of material for paper. | | | | paper product. If white paper is needed a |
| In 1719, the French scientist Rene de Reaumur | | | | bleaching process follows using hydrogen peroxide, |
| observed wasps chewing slivers of wood and | | | | chlorine dioxide or oxygen. The clean pulp is either |
| building their nest from the fiber paste. He had the | | | | mixed with virgin fibres or used alone. |