Demand for development
At the moment over one million kilometers of wire is consumed for paper baling European wide. Due to good strength properties and relatively low costs of purchasing, metal was, until now the most popular material for recovered paper baling. In the course of last years, with the industry’s commitment to increase volumes of recycling, the metal wires are to meet new criteria:
- Possibility of total reprocessing with coarse rejects
- Warranty of work safety
- Warranty of no negative influence on a pulper
- Low costs of handling
Insight into properties of metal wires reveals that the wires do not meet current criteria of effective recovered paper processing. Metal is the most common material for recovered paper tying, but it does not make it is the most optimal:
- No possibility of reprocessing with coarse rejects
- High costs of disposing
- High wear of a pulper and its cleaning system
- Lack of compatibility with drum pulpers
- High risk of injuries while manual cutting
Substitution of metal appears to assure good sustainability of papermaking by increasing the competitiveness of our industry, reducing accidents at work and improving environmental performance.
Potential of new baling materials
Inability of reprocessing metal wires with coarse rejects results in third as to quantity rejects stream, after sludge and coarse rejects, that origins in stock preparation line. So called ragger consisting mainly of metal wires and big plastic contaminations characterizes just like sludge and coarse rejects high energetic potential. If only the new baling material can be reused with coarse rejects then the whole stream will be prevented from land filling and reused as a secondary fuel.
Share of rejects streams
Criteria for new baling materials
Effective recovered paper processing requires the following criteria to be fulfilled:
- Strength properties comparable with metal
- Compatible with current baling equipment
- Good availability
- Suitable to create compacted paper bales
- Easy and safe to handle
- Reprocess possibilities with coarse rejects
- Warranty of no interruptions in drum pulping
- Costs of handling lower than metal
Launching a new technology
Centre of Competence Paper and Board together with consortium of paper mills, equipment producers, recovered paper collectors and wires manufacturers decided to find an alternative for metal. Project “Substitution of metal wires by alternative materials for recovered paper baling” was launched as a subproject of the Ecotarget’s Main aim is to prevent pulper rejects by substituting metal wires with the alternatives on full industrial scale. In 2006 the project was rewarded with ID-NL the annual award of Nederland Innovatief for the Best Dutch Innovation.
PET - the best material for paper baling
Paper, plastics and natural fibers were chosen as a potential substitute of metal. Various conducted research showed that PET is the most suitable one:
- European market investigation
- Pilot trials - CTP France
- Industrial scale trials at Smurfit Kappa Roermond
- Knotting device tests at Snoek in Midwolda
- Industrial scale trials at SCA Packaging De Hoop
- Industrial scale trials at Mayr-Melnhof Eerbeek
- Knotting system tests at Bollegraaf
- Paper press adjustment to PET wires at Smurfit
Kappa Recycling
- Paper press adjustment to PET wires at SCA
Recycling
- High temperature tests for strength properties
evaluation and for ability to create a ragger
PET is the most suitable binding material due to ability of compact bales creation, high strength properties, compatibility with current baling equipment, in particular with industrial paper presses (80 - 160 tons). Very important aspect is its ability of reuse as a secondary fuel, also with coarse rejects.
PET wire & paper baling technology
Bollegraaf Recycling Machinery offers PET knotting device to be implemented on their baling units.
De Lama, PET manufacturer from France offers a tool, suitable to be installed on baling units in order to run on PET wires. At present the product of De Lama is being used on industrial scale in Germany.
PET application gives an opportunity of laser marking for recovered paper traceability and identification.
Prospective activities
Several industrial scale tests planned to be performed in the near future:
- Test on a de-wiring unit
- Test on a vertical pulper
- Test on a drum pulper
- Long-time storage test
- High temperature test on a vertical pulper
The Confederation of European Paper Industries, CEPI, agreed to support spreading the results of the work package for implementation of the new technology that benefit all paper chain. Total success will be achieved when the idea is accepted by all parties in the supply chain in Europe
Publications
Would you like to widen your knowledge about new technology for recovered paper tying? The topic was described in several magazines for the paper industry.
- Alternative materials for recovered paper balling and new solutions for waste management
Polish Paper Review; 08.2006
- Alternative wires reduce rejects from recovered paper
Solutions; 10.2006
- Reducing recovered paper rejects during recycling
Paper Technology by PITA; 11.2006
Contact within Bumaga BV
Ania Stawicka a.stawicka@bumaga.nl
