Question

Availability of raw materials for tissue paper production (paragraph of 200 words)

Answer 1

Most tissue is made from Paper Pulp or virgin pulp.

Pulp is a lignocellulose fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre, waste paper, or rags. Many kinds of paper are made from wood with nothing else mixed into them.

Toilet paper is generally made from new or virgin paper. They used a combination of softwood and hardwood trees. Softwood comes from gymnosperm trees which usually have needles and cones. Medullary rays and tracheids transport water and produce sap. When viewed under a microscope, softwoods have no visible pores because of tracheids. Softwood trees such as Southern pines and Douglas firs have long fibres that wrap around each other; this gives paper strength. Hardwood comes from angiosperm trees that are not monocots; trees are usually broad-leaved. Has vessel elements that transport water throughout the wood; under a microscope, these elements appear as pores. Hardwood trees like gum, maple and oak have shorter fibres that make a softer paper. Toilet paper is generally a combination of approximately 70% hardwood and 30% softwood.

Other materials used in manufacture include water, chemicals for breaking down the trees into usable fibres, and bleaches. Companies that make paper from recycled products use oxygen, ozone, sodium hydroxide, or peroxide to whiten the paper. Virgin-paper manufacturers, however, often use chlorine-based bleaches (chlorine dioxide), which have been identified as a threat to the environment.