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It takes more energy to make recycled paper than new paper

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Updated: 2008/02/08 PM 10:09:18

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There is More to Making Paper Than Just Making Paper

"If we look at the paper-making process alone, then it does indeed normally take more energy to make paper from waste paper than from pulp because of the extra cleaning involved, but …….. pulp does not grow on trees! If we include all the other energy requirements involved in turning wood chips into pulp, the making of recycled paper leads to energy savings."^[1]^[2]^[3]

Energy is Saved, But How Much?

"Energy consumption is reduced by recycling, although there is some debate concerning the actual energy savings realized. The EIA claims a 40% reduction in energy when paper is recycled versus paper made with unrecycled pulp. ^[2] while the Bureau of International Recycling, BIR, claims a 64% reduction.^[3] Some calculations show that recycling one ton of newspaper saves about 4,000 KWh of electricity, although this may be too high (see comments below on unrecycled pulp). This is enough electricity to power a 3-bedroom European house for an entire year, or enough energy to heat and air-condition the average North American home for almost six months.^[4] It is true that if you only look at the pulp making process, recycling paper to make pulp may actually consume more fossil fuels than making new pulp via the kraft process since these mills generate all of their energy from burning waste wood (bark, roots) and byproduct lignin.^[5] Pulp mills producing new mechanical pulp use large amounts of energy, a very rough estimate of the electrical energy needed is 10,000 megajoules (MJ) per tonne of pulp (2500 kW·h per short ton),^[6] usually from hydroelectric generating plants. Recycling mills purchase most of their energy from local power companies and since recycling mills tend to be in more urban areas, it is likely that the electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels."^[7] Others have calculated through life cycle assessment that producing recycled paper uses less energy and water than harvesting, pulping, processing, and transporting virgin forest trees.^[8] By using less recycled paper, additional energy is needed to create and maintain farmed forests until these forests are as self-sustainable as virgin forests.

Sources:

Environment Myths BBC Retrieved on 2008-02-06 [PDF format]
Recycling Paper & Glass SavingEnergy Recycling Paper & Glass. Energy Information Administration (September, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
Information about Recycling. Bureau of International Recycling. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
Recycle - Save Energy. South Carolina Electric & Gas Company. (1991). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
Jeffries, Tom (March 27, 1997). Kraft pulping: Energy consumption and production. University of Wisconsin Biotech Center [1]. Retrieved on 2007-10-21.
Biermann, Christopher J. (1993). Essentials of Pulping and Papermaking. San Diego: Academic Press, Inc.. ISBN 0-12-097360-X.
Paper recycling. (2008, February 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:56, February 7, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paper_recycling&oldid=189374551
Packaging and the Environment: Alternatives, Trends and Solutions
by Susan Selke

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