Environmental Science and Pollution Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-37133-5
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Removal of fillers and chemical reagents from waste paper for its sustainable use
Marek Kucbel 1 · Helena Raclavská 1 · Jana Růžičková 1 · Michal Šafář 1 · Pavel Kantor 1 · Karolina Slamová 2 · Jarmila Drozdová 3
Received: 25 March 2025 / Accepted: 21 October 2025 © The Author(s) 2025
Abstract Waste paper represents a valuable secondary source of cellulose fibres, contributing to the reduction of virgin wood con- su m ption in paper production. To support sustainable develop m ent objectives, the integration of natural fibres with synthetic poly m ers is increasingly explored across industrial sectors. Reliable use of waste paper m aterials requires baseline data on pollutant content and m igration potential. In this study, cellulose fibres were separated using 0.2 M acetic acid (CH 3 COOH) extraction, followed by washing. This m ethod effectively re m oved precipitated calciu m carbonate-based filler fro m office paper, achieving an extraction efficiency of 86%. A total of 138 co m pounds were identified in waste paper, originating fro m : virgin wood ( n = 31), paper m anufacturing and recycling processes ( n = 19 + 15 fragrance co m pounds), and printing inks ( n = 67), with solvents ( n = 25) for m ing the largest subgroup. Additional substances were associated with surface treat m ents and ink for m ulations. Co m pound hazard profiles were assessed using the Globally Har m onized Syste m (GHS). The identi- fied substances were, a m ong others, persistent organic pollutants, including benzophenone , butylated hydroxytoluene , and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate , bisphenol A, and bisphenol S , while solvents exhibited the highest proportion of hazardous classifications. Following CH 3 COOH extraction, concentrations of hazardous solvents were reduced by 93%, indicating the m ethod’s potential for pollutant m itigation in fibre recovery.
Keywords Waste office paper · Cellulose fibres · Precipitated calciu m carbonate · Organic pollutants · Health hazards
Abbreviations AT
CMC
Carboxy m ethyl cellulose Cellulose nanocrystals
CNs
Acute toxicity 1,3-Butadiene
DEHP DEHT DiBP DINP DOIP
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate Bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate
BD
BHT BPA
Butylated hydroxytoluene
Dibutyl phthalate
Bisphenol A
2,6-Diisopropylnaphthalene
CIS
Cooled injection syste m
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester 1,3-benzen- edicarboxylic acid
Responsible Editor: Wei m ing Zhang
* Marek Kucbel
Jar m ila Drozdová drozdova@ m ail.vstecb.cz
m arek.kucbel@vsb.cz Helena Raclavská helena.raclavska@vsb.cz Jana Růžičková jana.ruzickova@vsb.cz Michal Šafář m ichal.safar@vsb.cz Pavel Kantor pavel.kantor@vsb.cz Karolina Sla m ová karolina.sla m ova@vsb.cz
1 CEET/ENET Centre, VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15/2172, Ostrava-Poruba 70800, Czech Republic 2 Institute of Foreign Languages, VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15/2172, Ostrava-Poruba 70800, Czech Republic 3 Depart m ent of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, Okružní 517/10, České Budějovice 37001, Czech Republic
Vol.:(0123456789)
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator