Conversion of old newspaper and other post-consumer recycled paper to regenerated cellulose

Old newspaper (ONP) comprises close to seven percent of our nation's solid waste. Conventional products of ONP recycling include cellulose insulation, animal bedding, ceiling tile, boxboard, compost, and more newspaper. Newspaper contains a large amount of cellulose. The viscose process uses cellulose to make rayon, cellophane film, and cellulose sponges. This process converts virgin cellulose to a gelatinized substance, called viscose, through reactions with both caustic soda and carbon disulfide. The viscose is then molded into the shape of the final desired product. The molded viscose is regenerated back into cellulose by reaction with acid. It is hypothesized in this project that the viscose process can use ONP exclusively as a cellulose source, and that a useful product can result therefrom. In order to prove this hypothesis, a bench-top experiment of the viscose process was performed using ONP as the cellulose source. Old newspaper was converted, via the viscose process, to crude forms of both a cellophane film and a cellulose sponge. Other paper types were then used as cellulose sources for the viscose process. Office copier paper, grocery bag paper, cardboard, and old magazine paper were all converted, via the same viscose process, to films and sponges. The results of this project concluded that ONP, as well as other types of paper, can be converted to useful products via the viscose process.