The flowchart illustrates the 10-step process involved in producing and recycling paper, starting from tree felling and ending with the repulping of used newspapers.
Overall, the process consists of two main stages: paper production from raw wood and the recycling of newspapers. The cycle begins with wood processing and ends with used paper being repurposed into new sheets.
In the first stage, trees are cut down and transported to a factory, where their bark is removed in a rotating drum. The de-barked logs are then fed into a chipper, breaking them down into small wood chippings. These are processed in a refiner to extract pulp, which is subsequently pressed on a tray to eliminate excess moisture. The pressed pulp is then rolled into thin sheets to create paper.
The second stage involves recycling used newspapers. Once printed, newspapers are collected and undergo a de-inking process to remove ink and impurities. The cleaned paper is then mixed with water and repulped, forming raw pulp that can be reused to manufacture new paper sheets, completing the cycle.