As many people know, paper is made from plant fibers. Its most important material is cellulose, which is extracted from trees, but reed, cotton, hemp and flax can also provide this material. During paper production, all so-called accompanying materials other than cellulose must be removed. The resulting material is now called the paper semi-product.
In order to extract cellulose from wood, the plant must first be broken down into its components. This is most easily achieved mechanically. However, the fibers obtained in this way are very short and quite damaged, so if paper were made from it, its strength would be excessively low and its durability would be low. Of course, in some cases this is not an authoritative point, so the paper used as the raw material for newspapers is made from such weaker fibers. However, various additives are also added to the paper used as the base material of the wallpaper in order to increase its lifespan and quality.
Gypsum or kaolin is usually added to the paper pulp to improve the fiber structure. Pine resin or synthetic resin are often added to the pulp, as these increase the absorbent capacity of the paper, thereby increasing its strength. However, some components still need to be removed for good quality pulp. When making pure cellulose, lignin (which is deposited in the cavities of the cell wall during the aging of the tree, thereby stiffening the plant) and hemicellulose (an additional component of the cell wall) must be completely extracted from the pulp. This release is usually done by acid or alkaline cooking. The resulting paper will be smooth and white. Of course, if you want colored paper, coloring materials can also be added to the pulp.
When the pulp is ready and all materials that would impair the quality of the paper have been removed, as well as additives have been added to the pulp, then the paper itself can be imaged. This is done on a flat screen papermaking machine. First, the thin, runny pulp is spread over the so-called sieve section, thereby the water in it leaks out and the fibers that are in the pulp are spread evenly on the belt. In the next phase, special pressure cylinders squeeze out the small amount of water that has not leaked out of the paper. The last step is to dry and smooth the paper with steam-heated rollers in the drying section. After that, the finished paper with a smooth, shiny surface is cooled, rolled up, and then the rolls are cut.
