Kuivajätteen hyödyntämisprosessi

Jätemäärät Suomessa ja useimmissa muissakin maissa ovat kasvavia tehostuneesta kierrätyksestä huolimatta. Kaatopaikka on edelleen yleisin jätteen loppusijoituspaikka. Sinne päätyy paljon kierrätettäväksi kelpaavaa materiaalia muun muassa kuitumateriaalia, joka olisi käyttökelpoista uusiomassan raaka-ainetta. Metso Paper Oy on kehittänyt prosessin, jolla voidaan erottaa kuitumateriaali kuiva- tai energiajätteestä. Prosessista on rakennettu siirrettavä koelaitteisto, jonka tarkoituksena on osoittaa, että kuidun talteenotto kuivajätteestä on mahdollista sekä taloudellisesti mielekästä. Työn alkuosassa tarkastellaan uusiokuidun ominaisuuksia ja sen käyttökohteita. Lisäksi tarkastellaan kuivajätteen hyödyntämistä hylsykartongin ja kierrätettävän muovin raaka-aineena. Työn tavoitteena on arvioida erilaisten raaka-aineiden soveltuvuutta prosessiin koeajotulosten pohjalta sekä tarkastella saavutettuja massan laatuarvoja ja niiden soveltuvuutta erilaisiin paperi- ja kartonkituotteisiin. Ominaisuuksiltaan uusiokuitu on aina ensikuitua heikompi. Kuivajätteestä voidaan prosessilla erottaa kuitua, joka laadultaan kelpaa ainakin ruskeisiin pakkausmateriaaleihin.

Despite of increasingly effective recycling the amount of waste keeps on growing in Finland as well as in many other countries. Landfill is still the most common place for waste and there ends up a lot of recyclable material like fibre that could be used as a raw material for recycled fibre pulp. Metso Paper has developed a process that can separate fibre and plastic from a dry waste. They have built a pilot-process to show that fibre recovery from the waste is both possible and financially profitable. The beginning of this thesis examines properties and applications of recycled fibre. Utilisation of dry waste as a raw material for recycled paper and plastic is concerned as well. Target is to evaluate raw materials that are suitable for the process based on trial results. It is also important to evaluate the quality and possible applications of the pulp. Recycled pulp's quality is always weaker than quality of the virgin pulp. Fibre that is separated from the dry waste using Metso Paper's process is still good enough quality to be suitable at least for brown packaging material. Despite of increasingly effective recycling the amount of waste keeps on growing in Finland as well as in many other countries. Landfill is still the most common place for waste and there ends up a lot of recyclable material like fibre that could be used as a raw material for recycled fibre pulp. Metso Paper has developed a process that can separate fibre and plastic from a dry waste. They have built a pilot-process to show that fibre recovery from the waste is both possible and financially profitable. The beginning of this thesis examines properties and applications of recycled fibre. Utilisation of dry waste as a raw material for recycled paper and plastic is concerned as well. Target is to evaluate raw materials that are suitable for the process based on trial results. It is also important to evaluate the quality and possible applications of the pulp. Recycled pulp's quality is always weaker than quality of the virgin pulp. Fibre that is separated from the dry waste using Metso Paper's process is still good enough quality to be suitable at least for brown packaging material.