Quality characteristics of the most important recovered paper grades depending on sorting conditions: final report

The German paper industry reprocessed approximately 15.3m tpy waste paper to produce 22.3m tpy paper in 2007-2009. The DIN EN 643 standard covers more than 60 types of waste paper, with applications determined by their physical and chemical properties. Recent technical and material developments have rendered existing test methods obsolete. The current study identified more than 30 parameters relevant to the assessment of the four largest waste paper grades, comprising sorted mixed waste, paper from stores, deinking ware, and used corrugated board. Properties analysed included physical characteristics such as moisture content, composition and ash content, macrostickies content, fibre length, tear strength and tear propagation resistance, compression strength and brightness, as well as chemical aspects such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the presence of pentachlorophenol and di-isopropylnaphthalene. Samples from 11 paper mills and six waste paper sorting plants in Germany were e xamined. Loose paper samples were taken in accordance with INGEDE's Test Method 7, with bale samples taken by PMV core augers. The study showed that waste paper bales from paper mills contained significantly more non-paper material than loose paper from waste paper sorting facilities. The study calls on the industry to ensure that waste paper is free from contaminants. (76 fig, 15 tab, 54 ref