Page 57 from: January / February 2008

which export in smaller volumes: for
example, according to the latest Pa-
per Mirror from the BIR world recy-
cling organisation, Sweden’s over-
seas shipments leapt 68% to 185 000
tonnes in the first three quarters of
last year.

These increases have occurred de-
spite the impact on competition of a
weak US dollar and steep freight
rate increases for shipments be-
tween Europe and Asian ports. A
further US$ 170-plus increase in the
bunker adjustment factor (BAF) was
implemented in January and
equates to US$ 8-9 per tonne.

North America
Reduced generation

Price increases have been fuelled
by healthy export demand and also
reduced generation in some key areas
– such as the Midwest – as a result of
poor winter weather conditions.

According to latest statistics, the
USA exported a total of 17.38 mil-
lion short tons of recovered paper in
January-November 2007 – some 9%
more than the 15.91 million short
tons dispatched in the corresponding
period of the previous year. In terms
of export growth, pulp substitutes
led the way with exports surging
40% to 1.12 million short tons, while
other grades recorded the following
increases: corrugated 7%; high grade
deinking 3%; mixed 6%; printed
news 6%; and other mechanical 21%.

January signaled the start of a
Presidential Election year in the
USA – an event on the calendar that
normally triggers a substantial in-
crease in demand for paper and
board products. If the same holds

true this year, there may be an im-
pact on the volumes of recovered pa-
per available for export.

Asia
The Olympic Games effect

Demand has been quite strong for
recovered paper, especially the bulk
qualities such as OCC, mixed papers
and news & pams. Prices have been
shooting upwards owing to the im-
pact of Chinese New Year prepara-
tions, huge increases in shipping
freight rates and the negative effect
on collections of adverse winter
weather in, notably, Japan and
parts of the USA. Markets for the
middle and higher grades of recov-
ered paper are firm, with trends
pushing towards price increases.

Some experts believe that recov-
ered paper demand growth in China
could spike even more spectacularly
this year on the back of the Olympic
Games taking place in Beijing. The
approach of this major world event
in August this year is likely to trig-
ger massive additional demand for
both graphic and packaging papers,
according to the experts.

M A R K E T A N A L Y S I S

Contributing to the
Recovered Paper Market
Analysis:
* Dick de Groot

(Van Gelder Recycling,
the Netherlands)

* Marielle Gommans
(Bel Fibres, Belgium)

* Steve Vento (Tidewater
Fibre Corp., USA)

Recycling International • January/February 2008 57

Paper sorting breakthrough targets flexo inks

A field trial will be conducted this year with the aim of fine-tuning an
award-winning technology which uses near-infrared (NIR) light in the
automated inspection of recovered paper.

The technology was recognised at last year’s first-ever annual
European Paper Recycling Awards where it earned first prize in the
industry category for UPM-Kymmene of Augsburg in Germany. Sensor-
based automated separation of recyclables by means of NIR has been
available for some time to classify polymers; however, the same tech-
nology is now being harnessed to distinguish not only unwanted mate-
rials such as plastics and wood in the recovered paper stream, but also
papers printed with water-based flexographic inks. For many years,
publishers in the UK and Italy have used these inks when printing
their newspapers; unlike more common offset printed news papers, the
former are not deinkable at present.

In 2005, UPM’s research team carried out successful material sepa-
ration tests with PTS – a research, consultancy, measuring and advanced
training organisation based in Germany. And in co-operation with intel-
ligent sensor technology specialist Carinthian Tech Research AG (CTR)
of Villach in Austria, a prototype inspection belt was developed last year.
Early results have been described by researchers as ‘very promising’.

Based on its high resolution and wider spectral range, the new sys-
tem’s ability to detect and reject flexo inks is regarded as key to the suc-
cess of this venture. CTR’s Project Leader Raimund Leitner confirms:
‘This is the biggest challenge for us. Flexo newspapers come across bor-
ders from the UK or Italy in the course of the globalisation of the recov-
ered paper trade, yet can be identified only by their title. Our system will
manage that on the assembly line, within ten milliseconds or less.’

Once a light source illuminates the sample, part of the light will be
absorbed by the sample itself and the remaining light will be reflected.
The reflected beam displays signatures typical for the material – a sort
of fingerprint that is reliable for identification purposes. Mr Leitner
explains: ‘It is not the hardware alone that makes the system.
Combination with adequate algorithms is required to compile an intelli –
gent system from it.’ One of the main aims of the upcoming field trial is
to optimise these complex separation algorithms.

Mr Leitner continues: ‘For industrial application, on-line classifica-
tion is necessary which in the first place allows real-time detection.
Real-time in this case means that usually only about ten milliseconds or
less are needed for recording, processing and classifying one line of the
image. Only with classification of this speed can industrial sorting sys-
tems be developed and implemented.’

Recycling ratio scandal in Japan
Five of Japan’s leading paper producers – Oji Paper Co., Nippon Paper,

Daio Paper Corp., Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd and Hokuetsu Paper Mills
Ltd – have admitted overstating the proportions of recycled fibre used in
some of their prooducts, according to a report in the ‘Kyodo News’.

Oji Paper’s President Kazuhisa Shinoda concedes that the company
has provided inaccurate information about the amount of recycled fibre
used in some of its copier and printing paper products. According to
one press report, the recycled content of Oji’s copier paper has been
found to be only 40% whereas the producer had been claiming 100%.

Nippon Paper has confirmed that 10 of its paper products contain
smaller-than-claimed proportions of used paper. The three other com-
panies have announced internal investigations into the overstating of
recycled fibre contents.

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