Brief Description of the Pulp and Paper Making Process

The paper manufacturing process has several stages - Raw material preparation and handling, Pulp manufacturing, Pulp Washing and Screening, Chemical recovery, Bleaching, Stock Preparation, and Papermaking. Paper production is basically a two-step process in which a fibrous raw material is first converted into pulp, and then the pulp is converted into paper. The harvested wood is first processed so that the fibers are separated from the unusable fraction of the wood, the lignin. Pulp making can be done mechanically or chemically. The pulp is then bleached and further processed, depending on the type and grade of paper that is to be produced. In the paper factory, the pulp is dried and pressed to produce paper sheets. Post-use, an increasing fraction of paper and paper products is recycled. Nonrecycled paper is either landfilled or incinerated.