PRODUCTION PROCESS OF HANDMADE PAPER IN INDIA

Handmade Paper Production

Paper is generally defined as a single ply, flat material, varying in density and material content according to end use. Paper is a cellulose material amended with different additives, which form a cohesive sheet with desirable paper qualities. Paper can be made from many different plants, which contain adequate amounts of cellulose fibres. Board is defined as a multiply bound material, which normally has a greater density than the paper. The cellulose, in the strong and durable form of elongated tubular fibres is the basic substance of paper. Paper can be made from many different plants which contain adequate amount of cellulosefibres.

In paper manufacturing the fibrous portion of the plants are reduced to pulp by chemical or biological action followed by mechanical process of grinding. Paper is made by deposition, from a dilute water suspension of pulp, an even layer of cellulose fibre on fine screen that permits the water to drain through but retains the intermingled particles of cellulose. This layer of fibres, removed from the screen and finally pressed and dried, becomes a sheet with cohesive strength and associated properties that we recognize as paper. The characteristic quality of the paper produced depends on the colour, length, diameter, flexibility, strength and other related properties of the fibres used.

Fiber used for Handmade Paper Making:

The principal factors that determine whether a plant shall or shall not be used in manufacture of paper are suitability of fibre, dependability of supply, cost of collection, transportation and preparation and tendency to deteriorate in storage.

Seed hair fibre- cotton, silk-cotton, hemp, jute, flex etc.

Stem fibre - corn, sugarcane, bamboo, straw etc.

Leaf fibre - Aloe fibre, pineapple leaf fibre, palm etc.

Fruit fibre - Coconut

Wood fibre- Spruce, cedar, maple etc.

Waste papers -Shredded currency waste, office records, press cuttings etc.

The principal factors that determine whether a plant shall or shall not be used in manufacture of paper are suitability of fibre, dependability of supply, cost of collection, transportation and preparation and tendency to deteriorate in storage.

Handmade paper production requires low capital investment, can easily set up in rural areas and thus can be used to encourage local entrepreneurship. The industry is environment friendly and non-polluting and units can even specialize in the production of a particular type of handmade paper. These units can be used as a means to create employment opportunities in the rural areas. The production of handmade paper does not require skilled labour and local population especially women can be absorbed in this industry. The difference in cost of production of mill-made paper and handmade paper is marginal.

The process of making handmade paper involves a series of steps that are briefly discussed below.

Sorting and dusting: the raw material that is to be used is manually sorted and foreign material like buttons; plastic, synthetic fibres etc. are removed. To remove dust and dirt the material is shaken vigorously.

Rag Chopping: The sorted and dusted material is chopped into pieces of equal size.

Beating: The raw material is mixed with water and harmless chemicals and beaten in a Hollander beater. This consists of a U-shaped trough, with a drum; on the outer side of this drum are iron blades that cut the raw material to make a pulp out of it. There is a washing drum as well that cleans the pulp and drains the dirty water. The quality of the paper to be made determines the consistency of the pulp.

Sheets of handmade paper can be made in two ways.

Dipping Method: This method is normally used for fine or thin paper. The pulp is diluted with water and put into a masonary trough or vat. The lifting mould (a mesh on a wooden frame) is 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 all the time.

Lifting Method: This method is used for all paper and especially for card paper. A fixed quantity of pulp is poured evenly onto a mould, which is then clamped between two wooden deckles (frames) and then dipped into a water tank. The mould in then lifted using a lever mechanism that allows the excess water to drain away.

Couching: Once the sheet is formed, the wet paper is transferred onto a cloth like muslin or felt sheet and a stack of interleaved sheets in made.

Pressing: A hydraulic press is used to remove the excess water from the sheets. Pressing reduces the thickness of the paper and the sheets become more compact. This process improves the physical properties of the paper and helps drying.

Drying: Even after the sheets have been pressed, they still contain about 50% to 65% of the moisture. The sheets are hung in the sunlight to dry. Solar dries can speed up the process and the space required for drying. Coloured papers are dried in the shade to prevent the sun from bleaching the colour.

Cleaning and Sizing: Small particles of dirt and other foreign matter are removed manually with a sharp instrument. The cleaned sheets are coated with a layer of starch to improve the quality of the paper and prevent feathering. This process is called sizing. This can be done manually using a brush or by dipping the sheet into a vat containing sizing chemicals.

Calendering: The sheets are then placed between metallic plates and passed through spring-loaded rollers in a calendaring machine. This makes the paper smooth and increases the gloss of the paper.

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

Raw Material used in Handmade Paper making:

S.NO.	RAW MATERIAL	PROCESS	CHEMICAL USED	CONDITIONS	AVAILABILITY	REMARKS
1	Rag	Cooking Bleaching	3-4% NaOH, 6-8% Na2CO3 or 15%Ca(OH)2 Hypochlorite+ lime or H2O2+Na2CO3 +Na2SiO3	6-8 hrs. 130-1400C Bath ratio-1:3 2-2.5 hrs	White and new rags, old whites, threads and color rags from cotton textile industry, tailors, denim fabric industry and hosiery market	Soda silicate can be used up to 40%, when NaOH is being used 80% brightness can be achieved Ledger paper, Filter paper, Drawing paper, Bible or Skin Paper
2	Cotton linters	Pressure Cooking	6-8% NaOH	2-4 hrs. Bath ratio-1:3	Cotton mills	Very high tear strength
3	Jute and Kenaf	Pressure Cooking Open Cooking	NaOH+Na2SO3 as 14% Na2O NaOH+Na2SO3 as high as 20% Na2O	4 hrs. 160-1650C 8-10 hrs.	West Bengal, Bihar, Assam	High strength but very low brightness. Shopping bags, cover, tags, folders etc.
4	Kenaf and Mesta	Open Cooking	15% NaOH+ 5-10% H2O2	2hrs. Bath ratio-1:10	Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu	High tensile strength and brightness level upto 65% IS0
5	Sun Hemp	Pressure Cooking	NaOH+Na2SO3	-	Uttar Pradesh	Used in tissue and cigarette tissue paper
6	Common Hemp	Pressure Cooking Bleaching	20% NaOH Hypo, chlorination and then hypo	4hrs. 1450C Bath ratio-1:5 -	-	Herbaceous and dioecious plant Produced in India for narcotic as well as medicinal values 80% ISO brightness
7	Sisal	Open Cooking	-	1hrs. Bath ratio-1:8	Orissa, Kerala and Karnataka	Dark in color but impart high porosity and absorption capacity
8	Banana	Soaking Pressure cooking Bleaching Open cooking	Water 8% NaOH O2 diglinification+ hypochlorite bleaching .05% EDTA+8% NaOH+2% H2O2	20 hrs. 2hrs., 1350C Bath ratio-1:6 4hrs. Bath ratio-1:6	Maharashtra, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh	Extremely thin transparent like papers, good quality strong tissues and decorative papers. Banana pulp is superior to Rag pulp
9	Ankhada	Soaking Bleaching	15% Na2CO3 30% Na2CO3 1%hypo	70 hrs., 400C 139 hrs., 400C	Gujrat, Punjab, Bihar and Rajasthan	94% yield and 49% ISO brightness 94% yield and 55% ISO brightness 75% ISO brightness so it is possible to produce TCF pulp
10	Waste paper	Soaking	Mild dose of NaOH and deinking chemicals	12 hrs.	Pulp substitutes and high grade deinking waste	Admix with other high strength pulps

Handmade Paper Training Institutions:

• Any of KVIC units in the region.
• Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute  (KNHPI), Sanganer, Jaipur;
• Jamnalal  Bajaj Central Research Institute (JBCRI) in 1955 in Wardha,  Maharashtra
• Khadi Ashram, Ram Nagar, Karnal, Haryan
• Dr. Vatsala, MCRC, Turanani, Chennai
• Dr. H. Sudershan, VGKK, BR Hills, Chamraj Nagar (Distt.), Karnataka.
• Aurobindo  Ashram, Auroville, Pondicherry.
• Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Center (MCRC), Chennai