How do you like the idea of using recycled toilet paper for the laying of cycle paths? While you all think in the Netherlands have already found the answer to this question, thanks to an innovative recycling scheme of used material. According to statistics, in this country uses annually about 180,000 tons of toilet paper. Two local companies — CirTec Cellulose and KNN – developed technology of processing of toilet paper in the road-building material.
To test the resulting material is decided in the Dutch province Friesland, paving of 1-kilometer track linking the provincial capital of Leeuwarden and the town of Stins.
The main component of paper is cellulose, which is also used in many other industrial purposes. It is as the basis for the new asphalt. For receiving road construction material, toilet paper is first run through a processing cycle, where it is filtered, purified and sterilized at very high temperatures. As a result, the output is a fuzzy material or material in granules, which can be used for the production of asphalt.
In addition, the material can be used for the production of bioplastics and other building materials. Most manufacturers of toilet paper in the Netherlands produce only high quality product with a high content of cellulose, which in turn allows you to create and higher-quality construction material after processing. In the usual case, used paper and other waste, just burn at special processing plants.
The use of such recycled paper is an effective economic model, the company said CirTec.
“In the framework of processing you get rid of all the excess and get the product of high value that you can sell,” — said in an interview with BBC managing Director CirTec Carline Lahai.
The company says that every day, she clears about 400 kilograms of cellulose. Some of this pulp is exported to England, where it is used as one of materials for the production of biocomposites. The remaining pulp is used for manufacturing other products or for further processing.
The main difficulty now is to increase the production scale, however, the company on this account optimistic and say they are in talks with other potential buyers for conclusion of production to a new level.
Of course, the issue of recycling of used toilet paper, and further use of obtained on the basis of the product may be a proportion factor “fu”, but it seems that the locals are not paying attention.
“Of course, at first glance it may seem strange that the road established on the basis of toilet paper. However, people say that when driving it it feels quite ordinary asphalt coating,” says the Governor of the province of Frisland Michael Shrier.
In the Netherlands there is a bike path out of toilet paper
Nikolai Khizhnyak