Chlorine-free papers: environmentally friendly alternative to chlorine bleaching
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Chlorine-free papers are becoming more and more important when it comes to environmental compatibility when buying paper. But what exactly are chlorine-free papers and what advantages do they offer over conventional papers? In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the topic.
What is chlorine used for in paper production?
In order to produce high-quality white paper from wood, the wood fibers must first be freed from unwanted components such as lignin. This is done in what is known as the pulping process. The pulp obtained is then bleached to improve its brightness and purity.
For decades, bleaching with chlorine gas was the standard process for this. The advantage of chlorine is that it effectively removes lignin from the wood fibers and at the same time does little damage to the fibers. This made it possible to produce high-quality white pulp with good strength properties.
Why are chlorine-based bleaching processes problematic?
However, bleaching pulp with chlorine has serious disadvantages for the environment. The use of chlorine produces undesirable by-products such as organochlorine compounds and dioxins. These pollutants enter rivers and lakes with the wastewater from paper mills and accumulate in the environment.
Many of these substances are persistent, accumulate in the food chain and are suspected of being carcinogenic or damaging the endocrine system. Many paper manufacturers have switched to chlorine-free processes in order to protect the aquatic environment from this pollution.
How does paper bleaching without chlorine work?
There are two established processes for bleaching paper without chlorine or with significantly less chlorine:
- ECF - Elementary Chlorine Free
The ECF process (Elementary Chlorine Free) does not use pure chlorine gas. Instead, chlorine compounds such as chlorine dioxide are used, which are less reactive. This change means that emissions of organochlorine compounds in wastewater can be reduced by 60 to 80% compared to elemental chlorine bleaching.
The ECF process is now the standard in the European paper industry. Most papers without special labeling are bleached elemental chlorine-free. Nevertheless, the ECF process also leaves chlorine residues in the paper and waste water, albeit at a much lower level.
- TCF - Totally Chlorine Free
The TCF process (Totally Chlorine Free) works completely without chlorine and chlorine compounds. Instead, bleaching agents such as oxygen, ozone and hydrogen peroxide are used. This method no longer produces any organochlorine compounds, which reduces the impact on waste water and the environment as much as possible.
The disadvantages of the TCF process are higher costs and slightly reduced stability and whiteness of the paper compared to ECF and chlorine-bleached papers. The market share of totally chlorine-free papers in Europe is therefore only around 5% so far.
How can you recognize chlorine-free papers?
Unfortunately, there is currently no standardized and mandatory labeling for chlorine-free papers. When buying paper, look out for phrases such as “totally chlorine free”, “TCF”, “elemental chlorine free” or “ECF” on the packaging or data sheet. Environmental labels such as the Blue Angel, FSC or PEFC also set requirements for bleaching in their award criteria.
Conclusion: Chlorine-free is the future
Chlorine-free papers are a sensible choice if you value environmentally friendly products. TCF papers in particular reduce the burden on water bodies and ecosystems by dispensing with chlorine chemicals. ECF papers are now the norm anyway. The use of TCF papers is recommended for particularly sensitive applications such as food packaging. This also makes an important contribution to environmental protection when purchasing office and graphic papers.
