Search

Pyrolysis volatiles and the environmental impact of printing paper, newspaper, and silk were investigated to identify suitable materials for heat-induced eco-printing (HIEP) using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Furthermore, the printing effects of simulated HIEP and the material microstructures were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the toxicity of pyrolysis volatiles is highest for newspaper, followed by silk and then printing paper, whereas environmental friendliness follows the opposite trend. A high concentration of lignin, the basic structural element of which is phenyl propane, and the presence of halogens in the newspaper led to the generation of more toxic substances during the pyrolysis process. The benzene compounds and heterocyclic compounds in silk also produced high levels of toxic substances. Based on these findings and the higher color permeability of newspaper, printing paper was the most suitable material for HIEP and newspaper was the least suitable. Additionally, silk may still be used in HIEP in small amounts for the production of art, name cards, and clothing tags. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Biomaterials and new processes (3D printing and flexible hybrid electronics) offer opportunities to break free from a 2D paper world by allowing for the development of smart multi-dimensional structures. While there has been recent progress reported in each of these areas of technology, to date, the merger of these technologies has been very limited. We believe that their merger offers boundless opportunities and an opportunity for the paper industry to innovate a low cost, sustainable housing solution capable of promoting the well-being of its occupants while minimizing the environmental impact of its daily use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm industries produce an enormous quantity of lignocellulosic biomass; in the form of large leaves of palm tree, pruned fronds (OPF) and oil palm trunks (OPT) at the plantations site. Besides this, the processing of fresh fruit bunches in the oil mills generates empty fruit bunches (EFB), shells, kernel cake and mesocarp fibers. The proper management of this burgeoning waste and its disposal is an ardent task and creates environmental hazards. In order to deal with the biomass residues, the urgent need is that it should be transformed into resources with industrial utility. As the economic development has resulted in the significant increased demand for paper, the industry is looking for eccentric sources to fulfill the requirement. The pulp and paper industry preferred use of coniferous and deciduous trees for papermaking because their cellulose fibers in the pulp make durable paper. With improvements in pulp processing technology, fibers of almost any non-wood of plants species like bamboo, cereal straw, sugarcane, flax, hemp and jute can be used for paper pulp. Substituting this lignocellulosic material can reduce the burden on forest while supporting the natural biodiversity. The present review deals with the possibilities of using oil palm biomass as a raw material for pulp and papermaking, as this would ameliorate its waste management problem. The potential of oil palm biomass and the challenges regarding its use in papermaking are discussed. The use of oil palm biomass will apparently prove that the oil palm industry is ecofriendly in every aspect of its activities and aid in sustainability of forest ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a methodology for rapid assessment of energy efficiency and of its impact on energy costs and on environment. Indicators of energy efficient and of environmental impact assessment are proposed. As a numerical example, we present a case study for a pulp and paper mill. Such methodology is very useful for departments tracking energy consumption and for decision staff from paper mills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study conducted to compare energy use and environmental impacts of waste incineration and recycling. It states that the study drawn from the studies regarding the impact of waste management options and it is based on several Life-cycle assessments (LCA) for waste systems. The study discusses several materials including plastic, metal, and paper. It concludes that the recycling leads to reduce energy use in comparison to energy extraction.

The article presents a study on the viability of using aqueous solutions of sodium percarbonate as a new method for bleaching discolored paper. Appositely prepared oxidized papers and authentic discolored papers were analyzed to examine the advantages and drawbacks of sodium percarbonate treatments. Results suggest that sodium percarbonate solutions can be a valid substitute to hydrogen peroxide solutions in brightening discolored mechanical pulp papers because it is more stable when stored, safe to use and has low environmental impact.

Goal, Scope and Background. The environmental sustainability is one of the current priorities of the Portuguese pulp and paper industry. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was the methodology chosen to evaluate the sustainability of the printing and writing paper production activity. This paper grade represents about 60% of the total production of paper in Portugal and its production is expected to increase in the near future. The main goal of this study was to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the entire life cycle of the printing and writing paper produced in Portugal from Eucalyptus globulus pulp and consumed in Germany, in order to identify the processes with the largest environmental impacts. Another goal of this study was to evaluate the effect on the potential environmental impacts of changing the market where the Portuguese printing and writing paper is consumed: German market vs. Portuguese market. Methods. The main stages considered in this study were: forestry, pulp production, paper production, paper distribution, and paper final disposal. Transports and production of chemicals, fuels and energy in the grid were also included in these stages. Whenever possible and feasible, average or typical data from industry were collected. The remaining data were obtained from the literature and specialised databases. A quantitative impact assessment was performed for five impact categories: global warming over 100 years, acidification, eutrophication, non-renewable resource depletion and photochemical oxidant formation. Results. In the German market scenario, the paper production stage was a remarkable hot spot for air emissions (non-renewable CO2, NOx and SO2) and for non-renewable energy consumption, and, consequently, for the impact categories that consider these parameters: global warming, acidification and non-renewable resource depletion. These important environmental impacts are due to the energy requirements in the printing and writing paper production process, which are fulfilled by on-site fuel oil burning and consumption of electricity from the national grid, which is mostly based on the use of fossil fuels. The pulp production stage was identified as the largest contributor to water emissions (COD and AOX) and to eutrophication. Considering that energy consumed by the pulp production processes comes from renewable fuels, this stage was also the most contributing to renewable energy consumption. Discussion. The paper distribution stage showed an important contribution to NOx emissions, which, however, did not result in a major contribution to acidification or eutrophication. The final disposal stage was the main contributor to the photochemical oxidant formation potential due to CH4 emissions from wastepaper landfilling. On the other hand, paper consumption in Portugal was environmentally more favourable than in Germany for the parameters/impact categories where the paper distribution stage has a significant contribution (non-renewable CO2, NOx, non-renewable energy consumption, acidification, eutrophication and non-renewable resource depletion) due to shorter distances needed to deliver paper to the consumers. For the remaining parameters/impact categories, the increase observed in the final disposal stage in the Portuguese market was preponderant, and resulted from the existence of significant differences in the final disposal alternatives in the analysed markets (recycling dominates in Germany, whereas landfilling dominates in Portugal). Conclusions. The pulp and paper production stages were found to be of significance for almost all of the inventory parameters as well as for the impact assessment categories. The paper distribution and the final disposal stages were only of importance for some of the inventory parameters and some of the impact categories.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article contributes to the theoretical and empirical discussions on how it could be possible to transform technical eco-efficiency into reduced environmental impact of consumption. The rebound effect is an important concept in this context. The relevance of consumer behaviour is addressed within three important sectors for the Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems: shopping of paper products, energy use in household and waste management. It is not only important how much the consumers buy, but also what kinds of products they buy and how they use and dispose of them. However, the responsibility for a sustainable development should not entirely be put on the shoulders of the individual consumer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to Portuguese printing and writing paper in order to compare the environmental impact of the use of two kinds of fuels (heavy fuel oil and natural gas) in the pulp and paper production processes. The results of inventory analysis and impact assessment show that the pulp and paper production processes play an important role in almost all of the analysed parameters, which do not always result in an important contribution to the corresponding impact categories. The substitution of heavy fuel oil by natural gas in the pulp and paper production processes seems to be environmentally positive. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Cellulose-based solutions can improve environmental performance of food packaging. • Food products require specific barrier functions from cellulose-based packaging. • Eco-design enables quantifying environmental performance and identifying trade-offs. • Fulfilling the barrier requirements for food product packaging is crucial. This short communication describes the climate change impacts of using cellulose, and more precisely cellulosic fiber-based materials, in food packaging, representing current and emerging industrial state of the art technology, without specific reference to current scientific advances. First, the different types of cellulosic fiber-based packaging materials, which can be used to replace fossil-based packaging materials, are presented for flexible and rigid applications. The focus is on technological solutions with packaging properties that enable the protection of commonly sold food products. The manufacturing processes associated with these cellulosic fiber-based materials is described and the environmental impact assessment of 4 selected case studies presented: stand-up pouches, flexible flow wraps, frozen or chilled food trays, and molded pulp lids. A simplified eco-design Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was then performed to compare each solution with its fossil-based counterpart. Differences and similarities between the various cellulosic solutions have been identified. Furthermore, the assessment confirms that cellulosic fiber-based materials have reduced environmental impacts as compared to fossil-based counterparts, if a similar packaging weight is obtained. Indeed, all impacts of plastics are between 3 and 5 kg CO 2 eq/kg, while all impacts of cellulosic fiber-based materials are below 1.5 kg CO 2 eq/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Optimal Fibre Flow Model, a combined optimization and simulationmodel, calculates the optimal combination of energy recovery and recycling of waste paper for paper and board production. In addition, the environmental impact is estimated by using an environment load unit-index (ELU-index). The ELU-index assigns an environmental load valueto emissions and to the use of non-renewable resources such as oil and coal. Given a 'forced' utilization rate for the Scandinavian forest industry, optimization of marginal revenue shows environmental impact to be at a minimum with a utilization rate of about 30% in Scandinavia and 73% (an assumed upper limit) for the rest of Europe. If instead environmental impact is minimized, the utilization rate for Scandinavia is almost the same, while the utilization rate for the rest ofEurope is 53% (a lower assumed level). Given a fixed use of virgin fibres for the rest of Western Europe, a comparison of the environmental load at different 'forced' utilization rates for the Scandinavian forest industry shows no significant differences between the economicand environmental optimizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]