Report 5 (of 6): Rags to Riches - India

Introduction

Developing countries are faced with an increasing shortage of raw materials, energy sources and capital. The demand for paper in India will continue to grow and by the year 2000, it is expected to rise to 4kg per person per year. Paper production requires a supply of raw materials and as deforestation becomes an issue of international concern and the traditional wood-based resources become increasingly scarce, environmentally sound methods which move away from large scale industrial paper production, primarily dependent on wood, are becoming more popular.

Rag Chopping

The handmade paper industry in India offers considerable potential to meet the increasing demand for paper products in an environmentally sound way. The main raw materials used in handmade paper making are cotton rags and waste paper which are rich in cellulose - an essential ingredient for paper making. Delhi is an ideal location to find both of these materials because it has a thriving rag trade which provides an abundance of old cloth and vast amounts of used paper.

Handmade paper production has low capital investment, thereby promoting local entrepreneurship; it can be established in decentralised and rural areas; it generates more local employment; it is an environmentally sound technology, depleting less resources and causing less pollution than paper mill factories; and it can produce certain specialised varieties of paper, for example, watermark, filter paper and drawing sheets, etc. The cost difference between handmade paper and millmade paper is marginal.

Handmade paper production is an effective means of creating sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. The workers employed in paper making plants do not usually require previous technical experience or knowledge. This enables the local population, especially unskilled women, to be trained to work in these plants.

TARA

Established in 1988, TARA (Technology and Action for Rural Advancement) has now become a major manufacturer of handmade paper. It is the production and marketing wing of Development Alternatives, an international network dedicated to sustainable development, and operates on four basic principles. It aims to create new, local jobs - particularly for unskilled women and currently employs 35 women and 7 men. It makes products for basic needs, for example, paper. It conserves scarce resources, for example, wood and water, through using alternative materials and recycling. It minimises pollution.

Production of Handmade Paper

The basic principles of handmade paper making are quite similar to those in large mills. Sorting and dusting: the raw material is sorted manually to remove buttons, plastic, synthetic fibres and other foreign materials. It is also given a vigorous shake to remove the dust and dirt.

Hollander Beater

Rag chopping: the sorted material is chopped into small uniform sized pieces.

Beating: the raw material is mixed with water and inert chemicals and beaten in a Hollander beater. This is a U-shaped trough, with a drum, on the outer side of which are iron blades which cut the raw material to make the pulp. There is also a washing drum which cleans the pulp and removes the dirty water. The quality of the paper to be made determines the consistency of the pulp.

There are two methods of sheet formation.

Dipping Method (for fine/thin paper): the pulp is diluted with water and put into a masonary trough or vat. The lifting mould (mesh on a wooden frame) is then dipped into the trough, shaken evenly and lifted out with the pulp on it. The consistency of the pulp in the tank should be kept constant.

Lifting Method (all paper and card): a fixed measure of the pulp is poured evenly onto a mould, which is clamped between two wooden deckles (frames) in a water tank and dipped. The mould is then raised, using a lever mechanism, to drain the excess water.

Couching: after the sheet formation is completed, the wet paper is transferred onto a cloth/felt sheet and a stack of interleaved sheets is built up.

Pressing: a hydraulic press is used to remove the excess water from the sheets. Pressing reduces the bulkiness of the paper i.e. the sheets become more compact. This improves the physical properties of the paper and facilitates drying.

Drying: after pressing, between 50 and 65% of moisture remains in the sheets. The sheets are dried by hanging them in open areas of sunlight to remove the rest of the moisture. Solar driers can speed up this process and reduce the amount of space needed. Coloured paper is sometimes dried in the shade to avoid the bleaching effect of the sun.

Paper Sizing

Cleaning and Sizing: small dirt particles and other foreign matter are removed manually with a sharp instrument. The cleaned sheets are given a coating with starch to improve the physical properties of the paper and prevent feathering. This is called sizing and can be done manually with a brush or by the dipping method, where the sheets are immersed in a tub of sizing chemicals.

Calendering: the sheets are placed between metallic plates and passed through spring loaded rollers in a calendering machine. This smoothes the paper and enhances the gloss.

Cutting:the sheets are neatly cut to the required size using a cutting machine.

The output for handmade paper making can be increased considerably by implementing a few adaptions to the manufacturing process described above (figure 1). This process is used in India.

(Figure1) Manufacturing Process for making Paper

For further information, please contact:

Development Alternatives, B-32 TARA Crescent, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110016, INDIA.

Tel: +91 11 696 7938 Fax: +91 11 686 6031

Further Reading

Reuse, Repair, Recycle

TVE/ Practical Action gratefully acknowledge support for the HANDS ON programmes from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission (EC), the UN Foundation and UNDP/The Equator Initiative in collaboration with the Government of Canada, IDRC, IUCN, BrasilConnects and the Nature Conservancy.