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Paper Making Lab Report

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Experiment No. 8

Paper Making

Introduction

Paper is an incredibly versatile substance made from naturally occurring plant

fibers called cellulose. Cellulose fiber from wood is the fundamental raw material for

papermaking. It is one of many polymers found in nature. Wood, paper, and cotton all

contain cellulose. [1]

For the manufacturing of paper, the wood must first be shredded and mixed with

water to make pulp. Then, the pulp is refined cleaned and agitated before being pumped

onto a moving screen or mesh. As the pulp travels along the screen, excess water is

drained away and recycled. A paper sheet made from interlocking cellulose fibers begins

to form. As the sheet moves through the papermaking machine, it is pressed between

huge rollers to extract water and through heated rollers to remove any remaining water.

Once the paper has been dried and pressed and depending upon its end use, it may be

finished with coatings or other additives which ensure uniform smoothness and thickness

About 40 million tons of paper that could be recycled is thrown away each year in

the U.S alone [2]. The paper industry has been recycling for over 600 years. When

recovered paper is used for new paper products, the life cycle of the wood fiber can be

extended. Recycled paper is a type of paper that completely or partially consists of

recycled fibers. These fibers can have very different origins and therefore also very

different characteristics when it comes to being a component in new paper or board. [3]

This experiment aims to extract fibers from recycled paper materials such as

newspapers and to make paper out of these fibers.

Methodology

The apparatus and materials used in this experiment are wooden frame with

screen, rectangular container, Formica sheets, 1L beaker, and mortar with pestle. Old

newspapers and water were used as raw materials.

In a 1L beaker, torn newspapers were soaked in water. A portion of the soaked

newspaper was placed in the mortar and pestle. Excess water was removed. The

newspapers were beaten and crushed thoroughly until a homogenous paste of fibers was

achieved. This was done until all of the newspapers turned into a homogenous paste.

Then, half of a 1L beaker was filled with water. The paper paste was placed in the beaker

and was stirred to separate the fibers. Afterwards, the contents of the beaker was

transferred to the rectangular container and the wooden frame was immersed in the

watery suspension. The wooden frame was slowly lifted, keeping it horizontal. It was

made sure that the layer of fibers was evenly spread out in the frame then, the water was

drained. The smooth side of the Formica sheet was placed on top of the sheet of paper.

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The Formica sheet was pressed gently to drain water and to flatten the sheet of paper,

then it was removed carefully to make sure that the paper will not be deformed. The paper

was dried for two days before it was detached from the wooden frame. The sheet of paper

was ironed for further flattening.

Results and Discussion

As shown in Figure 1, the recycled paper produced was gray in color due to the

original color of the paper used. It was thicker than an ordinary bond paper but thinner

than a cardboard. The surface of the paper was not smooth but it evident that its fibers

are very fine.

Figure 1. Recycled Paper produced

The paper was handmade and the procedure done was not meant for producing

high quality papers, thus, it is expected that the paper to be produced is not of high quality.

The screen of the wooden frame was not flat and its holes are not even. The roughness

of the surface is possibly due to insufficient pressing of the sheet.

Answers to Questions

1. Compare the paper product that would be made from virgin pulp with that

you just made?

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Experiment No. 8 Paper Making Introduction Paper is an incredibly versatile substance made from naturally occurring plant fibers called cellulose. Cellulose fiber from wood is the fundamental raw material for papermaking. It is one of many polymers found in nature. Wood, paper, and cotton all contain cellulose. [1] For the manufacturing of paper, the wood must first be shredded and mixed with water to make pulp. Then, the pulp is refined cleaned and agitated before being pumped onto a moving screen or mesh. As the pulp travels along the screen, excess water is drained away and recycled. A paper sheet made from interlocking cellulose fibers begins to form. As the sheet moves through the papermaking machine, it is pressed between huge rollers to extract water and through heated rollers to remove any remaining water. Once the paper has been dried and pressed and depending upon its end use, it may be finished with coatings or other additives which ensure uniform smoothness and thickness About 40 million tons of paper that could be recycled is thrown away each year in the U.S alone [2]. The paper industry has been recycling for over 600 years. When recovered paper is used for new paper ...
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Tags: Paper Making cellulose plant fibers virgin pulp Paper Industry