How Paper is Made
You write on it every day. You read from it. You might even print out this issue of the Tribune on it. But, do you know how it’s made? Yes, we’re talking about paper, and we’re going to explain how it’s made. Read on!
Of course you know the main ingredient for paper…trees! The wood from the trees is made up of small fibers that look like straws and a glue-like material that holds the fibers together. This glue-like stuff is called lignin.
Once the tree is cut, the bark needs to be removed. This is done in a debarking drum which spins and makes the logs move around. The bark scrapes off by the logs rubbing up against one another.
After debarking the tree, the logs are cut into small chips. Then the pulping begins. The wood chips are put into a big digester where chemicals dissolve that glue-like material, lignin, and separates the wood fibers. Once separated, the wood fibers are mixed with water and a mineral. This mixture is mostly water, and the water is drained from the top and bottom. Once that occurs, there is a web of paper.
Next, the paper is squeezed between rollers and a large mat of nylon and polyester. This takes even more water out of the paper. Even so, the paper still contains about 50% water. The paper is then moved to dryers and then onto a size press coater, which applies a light coating of starch and mineral. This makes the paper stronger and smoother. The paper is then put through the drying process one more time and then wound onto a giant roll.
Pretty amazing isn’t it? Look around at how much paper you actually use in a day. You might be surprised. Paper towels, toilet paper, paper napkins, notebooks, books, food wrappers etc. What would we do without it?
