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Fossil fuel use vs biofuels
Energy is needed to manufacture both virgin paper and recycled paper but much less total energy is needed to produce recycled paper [5]. Industry quotes for typical energy savings from producing recycled paper range from about 28%-70%[6]. The amount of energy saved will depend on paper grade, processing, mill operation and proximity to a waste paper source and markets. Moreover, technical improvements to reduce energy use are possible by introducing incremental design improvements at each step of the papermaking process[7].
Energy savings are particularly applicable to recycling of newsprint, according to one study [8]. This is because production of mechanical pulp from which newsprint is made is more energy intensive than production of chemical pulps used for other paper grades.
However, the debate focuses not so much on relative amounts of energy use but the type of energy used. The energy used to make recycled paper is typically derived from fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil. In contrast, virgin fibre production relies on waste by-products of timber processing such as bark, wood waste and spent liquor (see glossary) to meet a high proportion of fuel needs [9]. However, fossil fuel use can also be offset in recycled paper production by burning wastes from the process. More than 20% of the Aylesford Newsprint Mill's energy needs are met through burning waste sludges, for example [10].
The energy debate has tended to be very narrow. The forest products industry generally excludes, in its analysis, the fuel used in forest management e.g. in drilling, seeding, harvesting, transport of timber to the pulp mill and the pulp to distribution points. The proportion of energy needs met by biofuels will vary from country to country, pulping process and timber used. On a global basis, the industry has yet to show exactly how much of their total energy needs are met by biofuels.
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