Recyclability Assessment
Evaluation protocols for paper and board packaging establish standardized laboratory procedures to verify whether a converted material can be successfully repulsered and sorted during conventional mill operations. The cepi recyclability guidelines provide a structured framework for testing how effectively polymer coatings, adhesives, and wet strength agents detach from cellulose fibers during industrial pulping. European paper mills rely on these testing parameters to measure yield losses when processing mixed packaging waste streams containing functional barriers.
Converted substrates undergo mechanical disintegration under controlled temperature and chemical conditions simulating standard hydropulper environments. Laboratory technicians quantify rejects through slotted screens matching industrial sorting tolerances to determine exact fiber recovery percentages.
Disintegration Efficiency
Hydropulper simulation tests measure the rate at which laminated or coated boxboard breaks down into individual fibers without leaving persistent oversized flakes. Standardized rotating blades apply mechanical shear forces to standardized sample squares submerged in heated water baths for specified intervals. Residual fragment analysis following wet screening identifies whether auxiliary components like hot melt adhesives disperse into manageable microparticles or remain as large tacky contaminants known as stickies.
Mill engineers monitor these rejection rates because excessive fragment accumulation fouls machinery clothing and degrades the tensile strength of newly formed paper sheets.
Removal Capacity
Flotation and screening procedures determine whether non-fiber constituents separate cleanly from aqueous pulp suspensions during deinking and cleaning stages. Hydrophobic components such as extrusion coatings and printed inks must detach completely so that downstream cleaners can extract them without adhering to valuable cellulose stock. Laboratory flotation cells introduce air bubbles that carry suspended polymer films to the surface for skimming while clean fibers settle downward for collection.
Testing laboratories evaluate filtrate clarity and measure residual contaminant surface areas per square meter of finished handsheet samples to verify industrial process compatibility.
