The Efficiency of the Separation of Impurities from Cellulose Pulp Obtained from Pharmaceutical Laminated Cardboard Packaging

On the market there are increased quantities of laminated cardboard packaging with glossy surface. Laminated packaging is being used for its appealing appearance. However, laminated paper treatment creates additional problems in the process of recycling of used product. Adhesives and foil are a specific issue in the separation of impurities in recycled paper. It is crucial that the paper packaging products contained in the paper for recycling are repulpable within standard operating time and equipment. In this research three methods (without chemicals, INGEDE 11 and their combination) of removing impurities from paper pulp are compared and their efficiencies are determined to gain deeper insight into the recycling process. The procedures determine the recyclability of existing printed material, as well as the possible adhesive and material improvements. A specific issue in the separation of impurities was the presence of adhesives as well as silver foil (BOPET metallized film) for lamination. All three applied procedures successfully separate impurity particles from paper pulp and printed laminated boxes in a more sustainable manner, without the use of chemical agents.