Wood chips are broken down into a fiber suspension called pulp.
Industrial paper production is a complex mechanized process that transforms raw plant fibers—primarily from wood or recycled materials—into the thin, flat sheets we use daily. Modern manufacturing can produce massive sheets up to 14 feet wide at high speeds. 🪵 Stage 1: Raw Material Preparation
: Paper can also be made from recycled fibers, grass, mulberry bark, or hemp. 🥣 Stage 2: Pulping ijv6TP
The process begins by harvesting trees, which are debarked and cut into small wood chips about the size of a coin.
The pulp, which is roughly 99% water and 1% fiber at this point, is pumped onto a moving wire screen. Wood chips are broken down into a fiber
: As the pulp moves along the screen, water drains away, and the fibers begin to weave together into a wet mat called a "web".
: Chips are "cooked" with steam and chemicals in large pressure tanks called digesters to dissolve the lignin (natural glue) holding fibers together. 🪵 Stage 1: Raw Material Preparation : Paper
: The pulp is washed and screened multiple times to remove impurities like knots or ink. 📄 Stage 3: Forming the Sheet