Papermaking properties and morphology of cellulose fiber recovered from municipal solid waste.

Application: The use of MSW fiber in paper production has potential economic benefits and could substantially reduce the amount of municipal waste sent to landfills.

A new process based on steam autoclaving can recover cellulose fiber from municipal solid waste. The use of this fiber in commercial papermaking would reduce the amount of municipal solid waste sent to landfills.

When asked by the company that created the process, the researchers began examining cellulose fibers reclaimed from municipal solid waste. Testing for drainage rate, they found that the MSW fibers produce a network that drains more freely than a network composed of OCC fibers. As a secondary fiber, MSW is surprisingly high in freeness. It may be that the pressure and vacuum cycles of the steam autoclave alter the fibers. Light and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the MSW fibers are coarse fibers that tend to be both less collapsed and less fibrillated than recycled OCC fibers of a comparable sample.

In handsheet experiments, the strength of sheets made with MSW fiber compared favorably with that of sheets made with OCC. In pilot machine trials, a 50:50 blend of MSW and OCC produced paper with good strength properties. The results indicate the need for a mill trial in which MSW fiber makes up a substantial part of the furnish for a corrugating medium sheet. Such a trial should show whether or not MSW is a practical source of secondary fiber.

Ashley and Hodgson are with Paper Science and Engineering, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Email Hodgson at [e-mail].