Development of Usps Laboratory and Pilot-Scale Testing Protocols, 2000 Recycling Symposium Proceedings

Carl Houtman, Nancy Ross Sutherland, David Bormett, Donald Donermeyer--The ultimate goal of the US Postal Service (USPS) Environmentally Benign Stamp Program is to develop stamp adhesives that can be removed by unit operations found in recycling mills. The maintenance of final product quality specifications for a recycling mill while loading the feedstock with a significant quantity of adhesive is the criterion for success of this program. However, since it is neither prudent nor cost-effective to test all experimental adhesive materials at mill-scale, we have developed laboratory-scale (360 g pulp) and pilot-scale (112 kg pulp) protocols for testing adhesive performance in recycling environments. Furthermore, since adhesive quantification methods are critical to testing on laboratory, pilot and mill-scales, a computer image analysis protocol, which uses hydrophobic dyes to provide contrast between fiber and adhesive particles, has also been developed.