Internal Resource
Paper or board that has reached the end of the drying process but cannot be sold as finished stock constitutes a valuable source of clean, high-quality fiber for immediate reuse. Standard mill practice returns dry broke to the hydrapulper where it is broken down into a slurry for reintroduction into the machine chest. Because it has been fully formed and dried, the material requires more energy and time to re-wet than slush pulp.
Material Recovery
Finished reels that fail quality specifications or trimmings from the slitting and winding stages form the bulk of this material. Workers collect dry broke from the basement of the paper machine or from specialized bins located near the finishing equipment. Large diameter rolls may require a guillotine or a specialized splitter before they can be processed by the pulper rotors.
Contamination must be avoided to ensure that the recycled content does not introduce dirt or plastic into the headbox.
Operational Impact
Variations in the volume of available dry broke can disrupt the consistency of the stock preparation system if the flow is not managed with surge tanks. Excessive accumulation suggests an underlying problem with the paper machine stability or the slitting accuracy.
