Design, manufacture and testing of a waste paper recycling system

Egypt is facing a major crisis due to the 1997's 40% increase in the price of imported newsprint. This price increase not only affected the press and publishers, but also placed a burden on the educational system, because most of the government textbooks depend on this type of imported paper. This crisis can be solved entirely by recycling waste paper and depending on recycled paper instead of imported paper. An experimental test facility for paper recycling was designed, manufactured and tested at the American University in Cairo (AUC). The system consists of a shredder, a beater to produce pulp, a flotation cell to remove the ink mechanically, a hand-sheet machine to produce test paper and a press/dryer to dry the paper. The paper produced was tested for physical (tear and tension) and optical (brightness and opacity) properties at different times and temperatures. The system proved to be very efficient.