Paper Pulp Processing Systems

Paper Pulp Processing Systems

Paper pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material created by separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper, or rags. There are many types of paper made with many different types of material, but there are still paper products today made almost entirely from wood with nothing else included. Some of these products include newspaper, magazines, and toilette paper. Paper pulp is one of the most abundant raw materials used for these products.

The timber used to make wood pulp is also a called pulpwood. Although all kinds of trees are able to be used in the paper pulp making process, coniferous trees are the most sought after. This is because of their long cellulose fibers that make for stronger paper products. Examples of trees that are often used for the quality of their pulp are spruce, pine, fir, larch, and hemlock.

Pulp mills will manufacture fiberboards made of wood chips and other plant fibers and then ship them to paper mills for further processing. The pulp from these boards can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or fully chemical methods. There is also the option to bleach the final product if the customer would so desire.

Pulp that is made primarily from wood and other plant materials contains three main components: cellulose fibers, lignin, and hemicelluloses. Chemical pulping degrades the lignin and hemicellulose into small, water-soluble molecules. Other types of mechanical pulping methods physically tear the cellulose fibers. Sometimes a mixture mechanical pulping and chemical pulping takes place, also known as hybrid pulping. This includes thermomechinical (TMP) pulping and chemithermomechanical (CTMP) pulping. The chemical and thermal treatments help to reduce the energy needed by simple mechanical treatments and also help to reduce the amount of strength loss suffered by the fibers.

Whenever wood is used as a primary source of material for a product, environmental concerns come into play. Pulp mills are known for using good forest management practices when sourcing and harvesting trees to ensure they are maintaining sustainable practices. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of concern about harvesting wood for pulp and that it may affect the biodiversity in the forests that the trees are taken from. Reforestation is practiced in most areas that trees are taken from for paper pulp making purposes to ensure that the trees truly come from renewable sources.

The paper pulp making process starts with wood chipping. Only the hardwood and sapwood are useful for making pulp, and the bark is usually removed for other purposes because of a low amount of useful fibers. As stated previously, there are many different ways that are used to separate wood fiber. Some of these include mechanical pulping, thermomechanical pulping, chemithermomechanical pulping, chemical pulping, recycled pulping, and organosolv pulping. The pulp can then be bleached if needed to create a white paper product. The chemicals used to bleach pulp have been an environmental concern, and many paper pulp mills have opted to use more environmentally friendly alternatives to chlorine that are less harsh.

Paper pulp can benefit from rotary drying, size reducing, material handling. The ONIX Corporation’s processing systems can handle numerous materials and co-products that you may not know what to do with or want a better more effective way to process. We have the ability to work with materials such as, but not limited to, apple pomace, citrus pomace, sludge, alfalfa, bagasse, coffee grounds, sawdust, paper pulp and much more. Our equipment is engineered to fit your specific needs. If you feel that The ONIX Corporation may be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to research more about our alternative fuel systems, including rotary drum dryers and material handling solutions. Whether you’re looking for a new solution to process paper pulp or something else, it never hurts to give us a call to learn more.