Old Corrugated Container Research Articles

Amine-impregnated cellulose aerogels prepared from old corrugated containers: Microstructure characterization and CO2 capture performance

Here, five different amines (MEA, DETA, TEPA, PEI, and PEPA) were immobilized onto a mesoporous cellulose aerogels (CAs) support prepared from old corrugated containers (OCCs) using the impregnation method, and the thermal stabilities, pore structures, and CO2 adsorption capacities of the resulting amine loaded materials were investigated. The results showed that the thermal stabilities and pore textures of the materials decreased relative to the unmodified CAs support. Additionally, the addition of high molecular weight amines improved the thermal stability of the resulting materials, in the order of PEI>PEPA>TEPA>DETA>MEA. The adsorption capacities of the five Amine40@CAs materials tested ranged from 111.76 to 62.48 mg.g−1 and were in the order of DETA>PEI>MEA>TEPA>PEPA. Considering both thermal stability and CO2 adsorption capacity, PEI is the most suitable for physical immobilization in the CAs support. Consequently, the sample loaded with 30 % PEI exhibits a maximum CO2 capture capacity of 136.84 mg.g−1 material. However, a loading above 30 % results in pore blockage due to amine infiltration into the pore structure, leading to a decrease in the specific surface area and hence the CO2 adsorption capacity. This indicates that there is a balance to be struck between amine loading and CO2 uptake in the solid amine adsorbents using the physical impregnation method, and it is necessary to choose an appropriate method for improving the pore structure in order to maximize the amine loading and thus enhance the CO2 capture capacity.

Two-step modification strategy enhances carbon fiber/old corrugated container fiber flexible conductive film

Carbon fiber (CF) possesses inherent properties of low density, high strength, and environmental stability. Its high aspect ratio and knittability enable the formation of flexible conductive networks. Old corrugated container (OCC) is rich in cellulose and hemicellulose, rendering them flexible and exhibiting a low coefficient of thermal expansion. In this paper, CF/OCC/PVA flexible conductive films were prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the matrix, CF as the conductive filler and OCC as the flexible support material. Firstly, the coupling agent was grafted on the surface of CF to enhance their surface activity, improve the dispersion of CF in solution and the chemical bonding of CF to the matrix. Subsequently, sizing nanoparticles were applied to increase the roughness of the CF surface. This served to increase the volume of the conductive network and enhance the mechanical interlocking between CF and PVA. The results show that the two-step combined modification strategy have a significant positive impact on the interfacial chemical activity, contact angle, and roughness of CF. Moreover, it leads to notable improvements in various properties of the conductive film materials. This finding is relevant for the preparation of CF reinforced other matrix materials as well as for expanding the special properties and application value of CF conductive thin film materials.

A New Strategy for the Treatment of Old Corrugated Container Pulping Wastewater by the Ozone-Catalyzed Polyurethane Sponge Biodegradation Process.

Old Corrugated Container (OCC) pulping wastewater has a complex organic composition and high levels of biotoxicity. The presence of dissolved and colloidal substances (DCSs) is a major limiting factor for pulp and paper companies to achieve closed-water recycling. In order to solve this problem, the coupled ozone-catalyzed oxidation and biodegradation (OCB) method was used to treat OCC pulping wastewater in this study. A polyurethane sponge was used as the basic skeleton, loaded with nano TiO2 and microorganisms, respectively, and then put into a reactor. After an 8-min ozone-catalyzed oxidation reaction, a 10-h biological reaction was carried out. The process was effective in removing organic pollutants such as COD and BOD5 from OCC paper whitewater. The removal rates of COD and BOD5 were 81.5% and 85.1%, respectively. By using the polyurethane sponge to construct a microenvironment suitable for microbial growth and metabolism, this study successfully applied and optimized engineered bacteria-white rut fungi (WRF)-in the system to achieve practical degradation of OCC pulping wastewater. Meanwhile, the biocompatibility of different microbial communities on the polyurethane sponge was analyzed by examining the degradation performance of OCC pulping wastewater. The structure of microbial communities loaded on the polyurethane sponge was analyzed to understand the degradation mechanism and microbial reaction behavior. White-rot fungi (Phanerochaete) contributed more to the degradation of OCC wastewater, and new strains adapted to OCC wastewater degradation were generated.

FRACTIONATION OF OLD CORRUGATED CONTAINERS FOR MANUFACTURE OF TEST LINER AND FLUTING PAPER

Old corrugated container (OCC) pulp was fractionated and it was found that the longer fiber fraction represented 76.54% and the short fiber fraction – 21.3% of the OCC pulp. The fiber length was 1.22 mm for the long fiber fraction and 0.6 mm for the short fiber, which was longer and shorter, respectively, than the fiber length of the whole OCC pulp (0.95 mm). In addition to fibers in pulp, the cellulosic microparticles that pass through a mesh screen or a perforated plate with a hole diameter of 76 μm, called fines, also have an impact on the properties of the final paper product. The fines content in both longer and shorter fiber fractions was lower than in the whole OCC pulp, consequently, drainage resistance (°SR) in the longer fiber fraction decreased to 14 from 21 in the whole OCC pulp. The air permeability and papermaking properties of the longer fiber were higher than those corresponding to the whole OCC and shorter fiber pulp. Therefore, the longer fraction of pulps can be used to manufacture test liner products and the shorter fiber fraction – for fluting paper.

Cool roofing tiles derived from recycled corrugated containers

To reduce the heat island effect brought by conventional asphalt roofing products with high solar absorption, we propose a category of self-cleaning and self-cooling composited roofing tile (CRT) made of old corrugated containers (OCC) and tung oil inspired by traditional Chinese oil-paper umbrellas, which can be fabricated at scale and easily recycled for roofing applications. Compared with asphalt shingles, CRTs can improve the solar reflection due to the randomized structure of the cellulose microfibers, contributing to a significant temperature difference of ∼13.2 °C. In addition, they have a high thermal emissivity of 0.93 in the atmospheric window, radiating great amounts of heat into the cold outer space (∼ 3 K). The top layer tung oil film smeared on the OCC pulp fibers transforms the roofing tile from a waterabsorbing to a waterproofing state and significantly enhances the mechanical strength, contributing to a stable thermal performance in outdoor applications. Furthermore, dyed CRTs can selectively reflect visible light for desired colors and effectively reflect near-infrared light to reduce solar heating, which synchronously achieves roof cooling and aesthetic variety. These cheap, eco-friendly, and multifunctional roofing tiles can provide a value-added path for OCC recycling, which may inspire more radiative cooling composites purely from recycling waste towards an energy-saving and sustainable society.

High Performance of Paper Strength and Energy Savings in OCC Pulp Papermaking via MFC Addition

Fiber screen fractionation of recycled old corrugated container (OCC) pulp and subsequent targeted processing of each fraction can lead to higher fiber quality, more uniform pulp, and increased handsheet strength and surface smoothness. This pilot-scale study evaluates the benefits of fiber fractionation using a pressure screen prior to low consistency (LC) refining. A 0.81-mm smooth holed screen cylinder is utilized, and two refiner plate patterns are adopted (wide 0.99 km/rev BEL and interim 2.01 km/rev BEL). Here, LC-refined reject fractions are mixed with the created microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), and the mixed pulp and paper qualities are compared with no-MFC OCC pulps. The results indicate that the highest tensile strength of the handsheet is obtained by the addition of MFC to the fractionated refined OCC pulp compared to the unfractionated refined OCC and primary OCC pulps at a given specific energy. Furthermore, the experimental approach adopted in this study can be used to optimize recycled OCC pulping systems. Overall, the results indicate that fractionated LC refining plus MFC addition provides higher pulp and paper qualities and the potential for saving energy to reach the desired tensile strength of the OCC pulp.

Producing flexible calcium carbonate from waste paper and their use as fillers for high bulk paper

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) was prepared from post-consumer old corrugated container (OCC) material, which was first disintegrated in water, cleaned to remove impurities, and then fibrillated by grinding. Those processed MFCs were treated with in-situ formation of calcium carbonate by adding calcium oxide and injecting carbon dioxide into the mixture up to the ratio of 1:40 (MFC : calcium carbonate) by weight. The MFCs had a dark brown color initially but turned into high brightness materials similar to commercial ground calcium carbonate (GCC) after the in-situ formation process. The MFCs that had calcium carbonate attached on their surfaces, which were lengthy and flexible, were called flexible calcium carbonate from OCC (FCCO). Paper containing FCCO gave higher bulk, higher stiffness, and higher tensile index without lowering smoothness when compared to the paper containing commercial GCC. However, brightness was slightly lowered because of initial low brightness of the OCC. This study also demonstrated the feasibility to substitute wood fibers up to 5% with FCCO without lowering essential properties for printing paper. Benefits of the waste paper are savings of both wood resources and production cost.

The Effect of Calendering Treatment on the Friction Coefficient of Recycled Linerboard from Aseptic Carton

Recently, when a paper mill in Thailand produced linerboard by mixing recycled OCC pulp with recycled pulp from aseptic cartons, the coefficient of friction decreased rapidly as the mixing ratio of pulp from aseptic cartons increased. The study was carried out to investigate the main causes of reduced coefficient of friction of recycled linerboard made by blending aseptic cartons and OCC. Three types of stock from the actual site were used for analysis: aseptic carton, old corrugated containers (OCC) and 50:50 blended stock. Handsheets were made from these three stocks by using a square handsheet former and the effect of machine calendering treatment on the handsheet was analyzed to investigate the relationship between the coefficient of friction and the surface roughness of the handsheet. Regardless of the type of pulp, calendering reduced the surface roughness of paper and the coefficient of friction as well. However, when comparing papers of different types of pulp, simply having a lower surface roughness than other papers did not mean that the coefficient of friction is lower. In the case of paper made from OCC mixed with aseptic carton pulp, the surface friction was sharply lowered by calendering treatment. It was judged that calendering exacerbated the problem of a sharp decrease in coefficient of friction according to the increase of mixing ratio of aseptic carton pulp. The relationship between friction and actual contact area of handsheets was discussed.

Binary additives of polyamide epichlorohydrin-nanocellulose for effective valorization of used paper

This paper presents a binary reinforcement system of polyamide polyamine epichlorohydrin with nanocellulose (PAE-NC) for effectively modification of the reclaimed fibres for paper production, and based on the improvement of physical and mechanical properties of cellulosic fibres together with PAE-NC self-crosslinking networks, the strengthening mechanisms of recycled papers are examined. The PAE-NC binary system was applied directly to old corrugated container (OCC) and softwood bleached kraft pulp (SWBKP), and handsheets are prepared with varying amounts of PAE/NC/PAE-NC, namely 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 wt% (dry pulp). The results showed that the studied additives improved the performance of recycled fibres, whether SWBKP or OCC pulp, and handsheets in solely or combined mechanisms except for the air permeability of the handsheets. The treatment of PAE-NC combination was significantly more effective than those of PAE or NC alone for both OCC and SWBKP, although the combined PAE-NC treatment results in better performance enhancement for OCC than SWBKP handsheets, and the NC alone is more effective than PAE for SWBKP recycled paper and conversely for OCC recycled paper. SEM observations further confirmed that the combined PAE-NC addition treatment imparted a relatively uniform surface structure to the handsheet.

Valorization of old corrugated container to dissolving pulp

As an alternative raw material for various cellulose derivatives, the current research studied the processing of old corrugated container (OCC) in the subsequent stages of homogenization (soda cooking) and purification (bleaching with hypochlorite). The properties were characterized in four different categories including chemical composition or purity, accessibility, reactivity, and structural features. Alkali delignification and a bleaching sequence of HEHEHEA were selected for homogenization and purification of pulp followed by characterization of the pulp properties. The dissolving pulp exhibited the following properties: yield, 78%; cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content, 90.5%, 7.76%, and 0.3%, respectively; alpha cellulose, 70%. Pulp reactivity measured with two experiments showed Fock reactivity value of 85.67% as well as iodine sorption value (ISV) of 94.95 g/g; accessibility represented by two tests of water retention (WRV) and alkali retention capacity (ARC) with 6.87 for the first and 6.1% for the latter, degree of polymerization (DP), 913.4; crystallinity index, 76.95%; and brightness, 72.87%. FTIR spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) isotherms were utilized to examine the modifications of OCC to dissolving pulp. The results indicated that the dissolving pulp produced from OCC as a raw material is suitable for DP applications of cellulose derivatives.

A statistically designed evaluation of nanocellulose, refining and cationic starch on the properties of linerboard from recycled old corrugated containers (OCC)

Methods to improve the physical properties of recycled paper can greatly enhance its potential applications, especially for packaging. This study aimed to understand the effect of refining, cationic starch addition, and cellulosic nanofibers (CNF) generated from old corrugated containers (OCC) addition with recycled OCC on tensile index (TI) and ring crush index (RCI). Linerboard from OCC made on an industrial paper machine was compared with the lab prepared handsheets, and the results indicated that the lab procedure including the refining step produced board reflective of the industrially made linerboard. CNF addition was observed to decrease the drainage rate of the unrefined OCC pulp stock but not significantly when the OCC pulp stock was refined to a freeness of 300 mL CSF. The results of a statistically designed experiment showed that cationic starch, refining, and the interaction between cationic starch and CNF were significant parameters that improve TI. Through experiments that measured the retention of the pulp stock, it was determined that CNF retention was only 44.8% without cationic starch and increased to 90.0% with cationic starch present, thus explaining their interaction. This study indicates that CNF from OCC can be combined with cationic starch at appropriate levels to improve properties of the resulting board without critically decreasing the drainage rate.

Shear strength and microstructure characteristics of soil reinforced with lignocellulosic fibers-Sustainable materials for construction

Increasing environmental concerns and depleting non–renewable resources have prompted many researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of eco-friendly materials, such as lignocellulosic fibers, on the geotechnical properties of soils. In this research, the effects of fiber content (0.5, 1 and 2 percent by dry weight of soil), fiber length (0.5, 1 and 1.5 mm) and curing time (one and seven days) on the strength behavior of sandy soil reinforced with three types of randomly distributed lignocellulosic fiber pulps, namely soft woods bleached kraft pulp (S.B.), old corrugated containers (OCC) and high yield wheat straw soda pulp (W.S.) were investigated. To this end, a series of consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial compression tests were conducted. Furthermore, the environmental and microstructure characteristics of the lignocellulosic fibers-treated soil were evaluated using pH test, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. At identical conditions, those specimens reinforced with 1 percent of fibers demonstrated the highest ultimate deviatoric stress and lowest pore water pressure. Furthermore, longer fibers led to more strength and pore water pressure while S.B. fibers (pure cellulose) were more effective to enhance the shear strength of the investigated soil. Curing time also led to the higher strength but lower pore water pressure. Besides, the increased shear strength of the reinforced specimens was mainly resulted from the effective cohesion rather than the effective internal friction angle. The effective cohesion of seven day-cured specimens reinforced with 1 percent of 1.5 mm-long S.B., OCC and W.S. fibers increased up to 36.6, 31.1 and 29.6 kPa, respectively. Moreover, no considerable pH change or trace of heavy metals was observed in the treated soil specimens. The results of SEM and XRD analyses also demonstrated that the change in the soil strength behavior was merely the result of a physical process.

EFFECTS OF BUTYLAMINE TREATMENT ON CELLULOSE FIBERS DURING RECYCLING OF OLD CORRUGATED CONTAINERS (OCC)

This study aimed to determine the effects of butylamine treatment on cellulose fibers during the recycling processes. Three recycling stages have been carried out and two different butylamine (Ba) treatments (5.0% and 7.5%) were applied to old corrugated containers (OCC) papers during recycling. After each recycling process, papers were produced and the mechanical and optical properties of these papers were measured. SEM images and FTIR spectra were taken and the crystallinity index of the cellulose fiber was calculated by the XRD peak height method. Some improvement (11.0-15.2%) in paper brightness with the Ba treatment was realized in the third recycling stage, while yellowness values typically decreased by 1-2 points. Chemical treatments resulted in definite differences in water absorptiveness (Cobb value) for papers. The highest water absorptiveness of 160.0 g/m2 was observed with a 7.5% Ba treatment in the second recycling stage (75Ba2), indicating a value about 15.6% higher than that of the control. The highest tensile and burst indices were observed with 7.5% Ba treatment in the third recycling stage, indicating approx. 28.7% higher tensile and 34.5% burst indices, compared to the control at similar recycling stages. In contrast, the highest tear strengths of 4.54 Nm2/g, followed by 3.86 Nm2/g, were observed for untreated samples in the second and first recycling stage, respectively. The butylamine treatment in the recycling processes increased the cellulose crystallinity more (1.3%), compared to the control. It seems that the strength properties of recycled paper, such as tensile and burst, are closely related to the individual fiber strength and fiber bonding potential, which are typically reduced in recycling, but could be improved by Ba treatment.

Making ultra-thin high density fiberboard using old corrugated container with kraft lignin

Ultra-thin high-density fiberboards (HDFs), a newly developed variety of fiberboards, broaden and extend the applications of medium thick medium- and high-density fiberboards and are capable of replacing cardboards for most applications. Old corrugated container (OCC) is an important packaging solid waste. The mechanical strength of OCC deteriorates after repeated recycling processes. Application of OCC fibers for value-added ultra-thin HDFs can be of much interest. Because the OCC fibers have more surface area than the wood particles, the resin coverage per surface area of the OCC is much lower than wood particles during panel board formation. Therefore, the performance of the OCC fiber-based board is poor and the resin adhesive consumption is high. To overcome these problems, a novel method of using OCC to make ultra-thin HDFs was developed and investigated. In this work, the OCC was shredded and pulped before making the ultra-thin HDFs. To protect consumers from exposure to harmful formaldehyde, kraft lignin was used as a binder. The target density and thickness of the ultra-thin HDFs were 1.0 kg/m3 and 2 mm respectively. The resulting ultra-thin HDFs were evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties. Comparisons with the Chinese Standards

Grafting nanocellulose with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and chitosan as additive for enhancing recycled OCC pulp fibres

This paper develops a novel paper additive for effectively recycling old corrugated container (OCC) by functionalizing nanocellulose (NC) with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and chitosan (CS), and investigate the reinforcing mechanisms and effect of the developed additive on the physical properties of recycled OCC pulp handsheets. The tensile, tear and burst index, air permeability, tensile energy absorption (TEA), and drainage performance of the recycled OCC handsheets are examined. Fourier transform infrared FTIR) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used for the chemical and microstructure characterization of both NC based additives and paper from recycled OCC pulp. The results show that functional groups on the NC based additive, such as carboxyl, amino and hydroxyl groups, can bond with the hydroxyl groups on the recycled OCC fibres to generate a chemical bond. This leads to an increase in the crosslinks and bonding area between the fibres, which increases their tensile strength and improves their recycling rate. SEM shows that the paper with NC based additives had tighter inter-fibre bonds and smaller paper pore structure. Addition of 0.3% NC-DTPA-CS additive results in optimal properties of the recycled OCC paper with an increase by 31.64%, 22.28% and 36.6% of tensile index, tear index, burst index respectively, and the air permeability decreases by 36.92%.Graphical

Valorization of mixed office waste as macro-, micro-, and nano-sized particles in recycled paper containerboards for enhanced performance and improved environmental perception

Recent surveys have shown that consumers do not know how to recognize sustainable packaging and are misled by the excessive usage of environmental clues by the packaging industry. A better approach to communicate sustainability is therefore needed to promote purchasing towards sustainable products. This study proposes to re-design recycled paper-based containers so that consumers easily recognize visually large contaminants in the paper influencing the consumer to refer to this product as recycled and perceive it as sustainable. To this end, the appearance of recycled containers from old corrugated containers (OCC) was intentionally altered with the addition of processed mixed office waste (MOW) of distinct average aspect ratio (AR) (length divided by width), namely 52 (macro-scale), 72 (micro-scale), and 163 (nano-scale), to produce recycled paperboards with visually noticeable recycled contents. The addition of MOW with the lowest AR resulted in visible particles on the surface of paperboards, evidencing the presence of recycled materials. The mechanical performance with this material, however, decreased. On the other hand, the addition of MOW with the highest AR improved the mechanical properties of the paperboards similar to the addition of nanocellulose but with less obvious cues of it having recycled content in the product. Thus, the combination of low and high AR contaminants is suggested to strategically engineer sustainable packaging with high performance and clear visual clues of recycled content and positive environmental perception.

USING OF LACCASE IN PAPERMAKING PROCESS FROM OLD CORRUGATED CONTAINER (OCC) PULP

Old Corrugated Container (OCC) is one of the most potential raw material for paper and paperboard manufacture but it has some disadvantage of a continued decrease in the quality of the fiber during the recycling process. It’s caused by decreasing of carboxyl groups when the fibers undergo drying, resulting in decreased ability for swelling, thereby reducing the ability of the bond between the fiber and the fiber strength. Modification of waste paper using laccase enzyme may increase the fiber content of the carboxyl group of waste paper, therefore will increase paper strength. Experiments carried out with the addition of laccase in various dosage paper stock originating from OCC by 5% pulp consistency. 80 g/m Laboratory sheets, was made from stock, then analyzed by tensile index, burst index, wet tensile index, the content of carboxyl groups and SEM analysis. The experimental results showed addition of 50 U/g laccase at OCC giving optimum value for physical properties. Keywords : OCC, laccase, Physical properties, Carboxyl groups, SEM. DOI: 10.7176/CMR/13-3-04 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

Old Corrugated Container (OCC) Cardboard Material: An Alternative Source for Obtaining Microfibrillated Cellulose

ABSTRACT Nowadays, there is a growing interest in lignocellulosic nanoscale materials produced from alternative recycled sources because of their attractive physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, as well as their ecological contribution. In this work, MFC preparation through mechanical fibrillation using lignocellulosic fibers from OCC cardboard was investigated. Also, the effect of alkaline pulping and bleaching treatments was also evaluated in a comparative study. The fibers’ and microfibers’ morphology were determined by light microscopy, SEM, and TEM. The structural and chemical characterizations of the samples were inspected by intrinsic viscosity, FTIR, and XRD. The chemical treatment improved effects on the kappa number, morphology, and crystallinity of the lignocellulosic materials. The fibrillation process in a colloidal mill was possible using unbleached OCC fibers, contributing to a more efficient and environmentally friendly procedure. The OCC is a promising alternative source to produce microfibrillated cellulose with suitable properties and high potential in renewable material applications.

Lignin-containing micro/nanofibrillated cellulose to strengthen recycled fibers for lightweight sustainable packaging solutions

As e-commerce drives the packaging growth, consumers are pushing for more sustainable packaging solutions. Considering the current societal needs, we have been able to engineer a new pathway for sustainable packaging solutions by developing lignin-containing micro- and nano-fibrillated cellulosic (LMNFCs) materials to strengthen the recycled fibers. LMNFCs from unbleached softwood pulp containing 14.4% lignin at high and low fibrillation levels were produced. Packaging papers from recycled old-corrugated containers were strengthened with LMNFCs with varying addition levels of 1 wt% to 3 wt% at two basis weights. The results show 2 wt% addition of LMNFC can enhance strength at low levels of fibrillation, and that basis weight can be reduced by 16.7%, from 150 gsm to 125 gsm, while maintaining a burst strength of 49-53 lbf. Reduction in basis weight and high lignin content of LMNFC also enhanced dewatering during sheet formation with the lowest increase in drainage time, 9%, relative to the 150 gsm with no LMNFC. The techno-economic analysis supports the feasibility of using LMNFC to produce lightweight and sustainable packaging materials at industrial scale with an 8% reduction in fiber cost.

Emerging technology for sustainable production of bleached pulp from recovered cardboard

Post-use corrugated packaging cardboard is commonly known as old corrugated containers (OCC). They are complex and heterogeneous materials composed of various sources of unbleached cellulose pulp derived from several raw material processes which must be revalued due to its functionality, recyclability, and biodegradability. Besides, as recovered pulp have a greater composition of long fiber than short fiber because are mainly manufactured from softwood pulp by the kraft process. OCC are the main category of recovered paper; however, due to their high lignin content and hemicelluloses, additives, pollutants, hornification and degradation of fibers and other problems resulting from the pulp to cardboard conversion processes, their physical properties decrease with each recycling or reprocessing, which justifies evaluating a set of technologies to improve it. The objective of this work was to obtain improved unbleached and bleached OCC pulp more ecologically and economically justifiable than derived from wood chips for higher grade papers using sustainable processes evaluated in pilot scale tests. Mixed OCC were collected as waste from a landfill, cleaned, repulped, and treated with extended delignification with the alkaline soda process, obtaining a pulp with significant physical–mechanical improvements in relation to the original material, such as tensile strength, tearing resistance, bursting strength and folding endurance. The OCC soda pulp was bleached by a sequence totally free of chlorinated compounds (TCF), obtaining bleached pulp with optical and mechanical properties comparable to virgin pulps of annual plants such as bagasse but with improved drainage properties and lower processing costs. According to their properties, it is a competitive pulp obtained with emerging and existing technologies, available for use in various grades of printing and writing paper replacing totally or partially bleached wood pulp.Graphic Abstract