Cellulose products such as newspaper, cardboard, wax-board and now glassine liner can be transformed into new resources such as insulation, hydroseed, the basis of hydro mulches, oil spill kits and more.
Glassine liner is the most recent addition to the Enviroflex cellulose offering. This liner is a fine quality, high density paper with a silicon coating on one side. It is used in the label industry as the backing for label printing.
The silicon allows the labels to be removed easily from the roll to be applied to a wide array of products from water bottles to beer cans and dairy packaging.
WHAT IS CELLULOSE?
Most simply put – “The definition of cellulose is the main substance that makes up the cell walls and fibers [fibres] of plants”. A more scientific explanation – “A polysaccharide, (C6 H10 O5), that is composed of glucose monomers and is the main constituent of the cells of walls of plants. It is used in the manufacture of numerous products including paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals and insulation”. (www.yourdictionary.com)
While cellulose is a natural fibre, it can go through numerous processes to transform it into many different products and applications. Timber, bamboo and sugar cane are cellulose, cotton, linen, hemp and jute are also cellulose. There are many resulting products from these cellulosic bases. For example, cotton, linen and viscose textiles, newspapers, paper and cardboard, and various wrappings – food and non-food grade, are all made from cellulose pulp. Note that some industrial processes to transform these cellulosic products are not environmentally friendly, particularly in the textile industry.
As cellulose is a precious resource being harvested from our environment, it is crucial that we keep it in circulation for as long as we can, rather than burying it in landfill.
Enviroflex processes a variety of cellulose-based waste products such as –
• Newsprint
• Cardboard
• Wax board
• Glassine liner
The Enviroflex process is to collect the waste cellulose, sort it and then process it through shredders and hammer mills to “fiberize” it, breaking it down to be used as a feedstock for other products. The term ‘feedstock’ refers to a raw material that is supplied as a component part of an industrial process.