Paper Making
The paper making process is basically the conversion of wood into a fiber material known as pulp, and then the wet pulp slurry is layered into non-woven fibrous mat and then rolled and dried to form a continuous sheet referred to as paper.
Depending on the size of the individual paper making machine, paper exits the production line as an intermediary roll. These intermediary rolls may range in weight from 10 to 20 ton with a length of 20 feet or more. The intermediary rolls are immediately re-rolled, slit and packaged into market ready mill rolls with a custom weight, diameter and width.

Fiber Supply
Typical Paper Mills are large scale, continuous operations that consume huge volumes of raw materials which includes virgin pulp or secondary fibers derived from Waste Paper. The ongoing supply of waste paper is generated from Paper Recycling operations.

Paper Mill Sludge
Paper production generates a number of mill based waste streams, one specific type of waste is commonly referred to as Paper Mill Sludge. This sludge material contains a variety of rejects removed from the re pulping of waste paper, any non-fibrous materials such as plastic, tape, glues, oils and fats, organic food residues and inorganic minerals including fillers, inks, glass and metals. Each kilogram of rejects drags out as much as a kilo of good fibers which are attach to the residual wastes and that reduces the yield of clean recovered fiber available to produce new paper products.

The sludges are a wet waste and even after de-watering steps the material typically retains over 50% water by weight, which presents a particular challenge for the cost and handling of transportation, treatment or disposal.
If you wish to recycle Paper Mill Sludge or other materials classified as Bio Residuals please feel free to ADD your inquiry to the BioEnergy Renewables Exchange.

Energy Requirements
Paper Mills consume large volumes of Heat and Steam in the paper making process. The typical Paper Mill operates an independent Thermal Power Plant to provide an uninterrupted supply of energy to the mill complex.
The potential exists to consume waste derived materials as fuel for the power plant requirements.

Paper Converting
Beyond being used for Printing and Writing paper, paper is also converted into a broad number of Consumer Paper Products and Paper Packaging Products
All of these products may in turn be collected and recycled.