The illustration presents how used paper is recycled via manufacturing chains into a new product.
Overall, the paper recycling process follows an industrial procedure from mechanical and chemical treatments to the shaping of the final usable product.
Firstly, blocks of used paper are delivered to the shredder by the conveyor belt. After being cut into smaller pieces in the shredder, the used paper is then moved to the pulping machine for chemical treatment with water and chemicals. The pulp mixture subsequently goes through the filtration for impurity removal and separating unfiltered waste from the desired pulp.
Right after that, filtered pulp is pumped into the first washing unit with water and soap to extract residual ink and the second one with water and chemicals to enhance the purity of the mixture. The resulting slurry layer is eventually processed by heated rollers, through a range of physical treatments: pressing, drying, and flattening. The final sheets of recycled paper are then produced and ready to be reused again by consumers.