Office equipment for paper recycling

Abstract

An office paper recycling apparatus makes new office paper from used paper directly in an office building. The apparatus ( 1 ) comprises a used paper-feeding portion ( 58 ); a paper-shredding portion ( 57 ); a pulping portion ( 51 ); a paper-forming portion ( 52 ); a paper-press portion ( 53 ); a paper-drying portion ( 54 ); a paper-sizing portion ( 55 ); a paper-finishing portion ( 56 ) and a final paper-collecting portion ( 59 ), where the new sheets are collected and stacked, ready to be used in office equipment.

1 . An office paper recycling apparatus having a unitary body comprising, 
 (a) a pulping portion wherein used paper is transformed into a slurry;    (b) a paper-forming portion wherein the slurry is spread and consolidated into a thin mat forming a paper web;    (c) a paper-press portion wherein water is removed from the paper web;    (d) a paper-drying portion wherein the paper web is dried;    (e) a paper-finishing portion wherein the paper web is trimmed to a paper sheet;    (f) a paper-collecting portion wherein the paper sheet is placed in a stack.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a paper-shredding portion capable of cutting each sheet of used paper into fragments, shredding said fragments, and delivering shredded fragments to the pulping portion.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a paper-sizing portion wherein the surface of the paper web can be smoothed after it leaves the paper-drying portion.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  further comprising a paper-feeding portion wherein paper can be automatically fed sheet by sheet to the pulping section.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pulping portion comprises a pulping unit; a deflaking unit; a washing unit; a holding tank; a screen; and, a waste collecting tank.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the deflaking unit comprises a refining unit wherein the fibers in the slurry can be shortened and homogenized.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the deflaking unit further comprises a toothed rotor and a stator and is capable of breaking up clots in a fiber slurry.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the deflaking unit comprises a toothed rotor and a stator and is capable of breaking up clots in a fiber slurry.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the washing unit is a magnetic device capable of removing agglomerated ink.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the pulping portion comprises a pressure screen.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the pulping portion comprises a centrifugal screen wherein a vortex removes heavy particles.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the pulping unit comprises a vessel with rotor blades inside, wherein water may be added to the vessel on demand from a tank and wherein chemical additives may be added from a second tank.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the washing unit is capable of removing ink from the slurry.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the holding tank comprises propellers to enable the creation of a homogeneous slurry.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the holding tank is capable of receiving chemical additives from a plurality of auxiliary tanks.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the paper-forming portion comprises a rotatable forming drum with a wire mesh surface, wherein said drum is partially submerged in dilute pulp slurry in a vessel and wherein the wire mesh surface is capable of spreading and consolidating the slurry and forming a paper web when the drum is rotated.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the paper-forming portion further comprises a flow box wherein an adjustable slit in said flow box enables the flow of a thin slurry stream onto said wire mesh surface.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 16  further comprising a continuous fabric belt wherein said belt is wound around a circumferential segment of the rotatable forming drum such that water can be drained from the paper web and sheet formation can take place.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein water drained from the paper web can be recovered in the vessel and recycled to the pulping portion.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the paper-press portion comprises a plurality of suction rollers wherein said suction rollers form a double nip with a nip roller to enable pressing out water from the paper web.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the paper-drying portion comprises, 
 (a) two series of heated cylinders;    (b) two paper-drying fabric belts; and    (c) a plurality of rollers;    wherein the paper web can be alternated through the heated cylinders on the paper-drying fabric belts along the rollers such that water can be removed from the paper web and fabric belts by vaporization through the transfer of heat from the heated cylinders.    
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the paper-drying portion further comprises a fan capable of removing the vaporized water from the apparatus.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the paper-finishing portion comprises slitting knives and transversal rotary blades capable of cutting the sized paper web to single sheet dimensions.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a computer wherein said computer automatically operates and controls the working parameters of the apparatus.  
   
   
       25 . A process of making new paper from used paper using the apparatus of  claim 1  comprising the steps of, 
 (a) transforming used paper into a slurry of water and fibers in the pulping portion;    (b) spreading and consolidating the slurry into a thin mat forming a paper web in the paper-forming portion;    (c) removing water from the paper web in the paper-press portion;    (d) drying the paper web in the paper-drying portion;    (e) trimming the paper web to a sheet in the paper-finishing portion; and    (f) placing the sheet in a stack in the paper-collecting portion.