Use of recycled fibers can significantly reduce energy consumption in pulp production. However, as compared to chemical pulping, this can be at the expense of increased CO2 emissions, when fossil fuels are used for recovered pulp (IEA, 2009. 138)). There is significant potential to increase recycling rates, particularly in non-OECD countries where the rates are between 10 to 50%. Whereas the theoretical limit for waste paper recovery is estimated at 80%, the limit is believed to be closer to 60% in practice (IEA, 2012. p. 35)
Recycled pulp produces sludge that can present a disposal problem. Additionally there are limitations to the amount of recycled fiber that can be used for a given product (Kramer et al. 2009. p. 97).
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Commercial
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| Parent Process: Recovered Fiber Pulping | |
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| Energy Savings Potential |
Use of recovered pulp can reduce energy consumption by 10 to 13 GJ/t-pulp (IEA, 2012. p.35)) |
| CO2 Emission Reduction Potential |
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| Costs |
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The production of one ton of recycled pulp is estimated, on average, to consume 6.3 to 11.6 GJ less energy compared to chemical pulp and 6.3 to 10.6 GJ/t less as compared to mechanical pulp. (Kramer et al., 2009. p. 27)