Make Your Own Recycled Paper
Students learn how paper is made. Working together, student teams make their own paper. This activity introduces students to recycling; what it is, its value and benefits, and how it affects their lives.
In a paper manufacturing plant, used paper is sorted, shredded and baled before being sent to a processing area where it is broken down to pulp and made into new paper.Copyright OPIC http://www.opic.gov/blog/photos/featured-photo-paper-manufacturing-plant-in-lagos-nigeria
As landfills are filling up and raw resources are depleting, recycling is becoming more necessary and cost effective. Engineers develop technologies to improve the efficiency of recycling human-made materials. Recycled paper is becoming increasingly common as more people recognize the value of discarded materials for new use, are recycling unwanted materials, and are evolving new methods to make the process more efficient.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand how paper is made.
- Learn how new paper can be made from old, used paper.
- Know the value of recycling.
STEL-1A Compare the natural world and human-made world.
Grades -1-2
Do you agree with this alignment?STEL-2C Explain that materials are selected for use because they possess desirable properties and characteristics.
Grades -1-2
Do you agree with this alignment?STEL-2E Collaborate effectively as a member of a team.
Grades -1-2
Do you agree with this alignment?STEL-4D Select ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle resources in daily life.
Grades -1-2
Do you agree with this alignment?STEL-8C Describe qualities of everyday products.
Grades -1-2
Do you agree with this alignment?
Identify and explain some possible uses for natural materials (e.g., wood, cotton, fur, wool) and human-made materials (e.g., plastic, Styrofoam).
Grades -1-2
Do you agree with this alignment?
K-ESS3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
Grade 0
This resource focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:
Science & Engineering Practices- Communicate solutions with others in oral and/or written forms using models and/or drawings that provide detail about scientific ideas.Do you agree with this alignment?
Disciplinary Core Ideas- Things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them. But they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things.Do you agree with this alignment?
- Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem's solutions to other people.Do you agree with this alignment?
Crosscutting Concepts- Events have causes that generate observable patterns.Do you agree with this alignment?
Do you agree with this alignment?- Communicate solutions with others in oral and/or written forms using models and/or drawings that provide detail about scientific ideas.
For each group:
- rectangular cake pan
- wire mesh screen (cut to be smaller than the cake pan)
- toilet paper (single ply breaks down faster)
- mixing bowl
- metal fork (or blender)
- rolling pin
- water
- paper towels or newspapers
Copyright 2004 Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA. All rights reserved. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=paper+recycling&ex=1#ai:MP900448339|mt:2|
Almost half of all the trash produced by humans is paper. Recycling paper has many benefits, such as reducing human impact on the environment by using fewer trees and reducing the amount of trash dumped in landfills. Environmental engineers continually think of new ways to protect the Earth and the environment. Their jobs include recycling as well as cleaning up water and air pollution, trash disposal, and making sure people and animals stay healthy living in their environments. By recycling, you are learning how to protect the environment for your lifetimes as well as future generations.
Background
Paper is made mostly from wood. Several chemicals are also added to make it more durable. In addition to saving trees, recycling used paper, including newspaper and boxes, also helps to reduce the amount of trash that ends up in landfills.
New paper is made by removing the bark from timber and cutting the wood into small chips. The small fragments are pressure cooked while chemicals are added. The paper goes through the processes of cleaning, refining and bleaching, turning the wood pulp into a fine slush. The slush is pumped onto a wire screen where it dries and becomes a continuous sheet of paper on a roll.
Copyright City of Portland, OR https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/402954
In a big recycling factory, mostly newspaper and cardboard boxes are recycled. The used paper is put through the chemical process of de-inking, then placed into a huge blender with water and beaten until the paper is broken down into small fibers. The fibers are pressed in screens to remove the water, flattened and dried to result in paper.
Before the Activity
- Gather materials.
- Cover the work table with paper towels or newspapers.
With the Students
Talk with students about recycling and discuss why recycling is important. Arrange the students into groups. Have groups collect the materials and set up their workstations.
- Fill a bowl 3/4 full with warm water. Tear the toilet paper into small pieces and place them into the water. Beat the mixture with a fork or a blender until the paper is broken down into fibers. Pour the mixture into the cake pan.
- Make a frame from the screen by folding the edges over. Slide the frame into the pan from the side so it is under the fibers. Lift the screen straight up through the water so it is covered in fibers as the water drains away.
- After the water has stopped dripping, place the screen on some paper towels or newspapers. Fold the paper towels over the screen so that the fibers are covered. Press with a rolling pin to absorb any excess water.
- Remove the paper towels and let the paper dry.
- Once the paper is completely dry, remove it from the screen and re-use the screen to make new sheets of paper.
- recycling
- The act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products.
Discussion: After the activity, lead a class discussion, asking students the Investigating Questions. Their answers reveal their comprehension of the activity content.
Rubric: Use the Rubric for Performance Assessment (PDF) to evaluate groups' success in making their own recycled paper by evaluating their depth of understanding of the concepts and teamwork during the activity.
Making Sense: Have students reflect about the science phenomena they explored and/or the science and engineering skills they used by completing the Making Sense Assessment (PDF).
Supporting Program
Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, Tufts University
Copyright
2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2004 Worcester Polytechnic Institute