Purified Fiber Material from OCC Using Steam Heating
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in manufacturing purified fiber materials from Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) for use in liquid and food packaging boards, while maintaining mechanical properties and reducing chemical and microbial contaminants to meet strict purity requirements.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the repulping of OCC into a fiber slurry, followed by screening, flotation, washing, and a steam heating step with steam at 100°C or more, effectively reduces chemical and microbial contaminants, producing a purified fiber material suitable for packaging boards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If recycled fibers from OCC are used in cellulose-based packaging products, then environmental impact is reduced and cost is decreased, but chemical and microbial contaminant levels increase beyond strict purity requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The contaminant removal process is divided into multiple sequential stages: screening to remove large contaminants, flotation to separate lighter contaminants, washing to remove soluble contaminants, and steam heating to eliminate microbial contaminants. Each stage targets specific types of contaminants, progressively purifying the fiber material to meet strict purity requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The process utilizes parameter changes including temperature increase during steam heating (100°C or more) to kill microbial contaminants, and pH adjustments during flotation to optimize contaminant separation. These parameter changes enable effective contaminant removal while preserving fiber quality for packaging board production.
2Device complexity
If traditional cleaning processes are used on OCC, then processing simplicity is maintained, but chemical contaminant levels remain too high for liquid and food packaging board
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning process is segmented into four distinct operational units: screening, flotation, washing, and steam heating. This segmentation allows each unit to be optimized for removing specific types of contaminants while maintaining overall process manageability and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The process replaces traditional chemical cleaning methods with a combination of mechanical screening, physical flotation, thermal steam heating, and water washing. This substitution eliminates the need for additional chemical treatments while effectively removing chemical contaminants like phthalates through physical and thermal processes.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If migration barriers are added to packaging board to reduce chemical contaminants, then product safety is improved, but device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The process performs preliminary contaminant removal during fiber preparation, eliminating chemical and microbial contaminants before the fibers are formed into packaging board. This preliminary action makes migration barriers unnecessary, simplifying the final packaging board structure while ensuring product safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The process converts the challenge of chemical contaminants into an opportunity by using steam heating to not only kill microbial contaminants but also to evaporate and remove volatile chemical contaminants like phthalates. This transforms a harmful presence into a removal opportunity, eliminating the need for additional barrier layers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process significantly reduces the levels of chemical contaminants like phthalates and microbial contaminants, achieving aerobic and anaerobic counts below specified limits, thus enabling the use of OCC fibers in high-purity packaging boards without the need for additional migration barriers.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the washed fiber material to a steam heating step, wherein the heated steam has a temperature of 100°C or more
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the screened fiber material to a first flotation step
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a process for manufacturing a purified fiber material from Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) for use in preparing packaging board, the process comprising the steps of; - providing OCC; - repulping the OCC into a fiber slurry; - subjecting the fiber slurry to a first screening step; - subjecting the screened fiber material to a first flotation step; - washing the fiber material subjected to the first flotation step; - subjecting the washed fiber material to a steam heating step, wherein the heated steam having a temperature of 100°C or more, thereby providing a purified fiber material.