DIY wood pulping project 

Thank you for your kind words! I've had the same problem at school trying to learn about topics from books, but having hard time understanding how things relate to the real world. By doing things my self, or watching others do it gives a far better understanding of things 😁

Yeah, it seems like magic when you read about it and you're never sure if they are telling you the whole picture and whether all the conditions that they usually mention are necessary to get a usuable product. By seeing someone doing it at home you really see how easy some of this stuff can be and what's needed and what's unnecessary.

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Yeah, you gotta take risks - For science! XD Though I've handled knives from childhood, so I never felt I was taking any major risks. At least not bigger risks than when cooking :D

or-Worse-"this is why I need a seeing-eye dog and a cane."

😅

😂😂😂😂I was thinking the exact same thing.

Absolutely! I have done paper from this pulp, and also I have successfully pulped my tomato plants into paper too. I suggest experimentation, like how fine should the fibers be etc. And most importantly, to have fun!

So I can use any wood type??

@@KaiHeng I think so. Trees like pines and spruces might give you hard time because of the gooey sap, but feel free to experiment :D

Alright thx

Can I use toilet cleaner instead of drain opener?

I will just pass the bleaching process!

Hi, I also thought along the same lines. It looked appetizing!

Probably yes. I've been meaning to get a pressure cooker at some point to test the usability. In the industry they do use pressure to make things faster or better :D

NaOH won't fume, but the burners will consume oxygen, so I did this one on a garage with the door open. I just chuck everything in a canister, label it, and take to a local disposal center. NaOH and sand aren't particularely dangerous, but can clog the drain.

Maybe??

I haven't tried hemp, but I did try tomato plant, and the chemical side of the process is the same. No need for taking the bark off :D

Yes and no. It is mostly cellulose, but pulp can also have additives (pulp is paper precursor)

Technically yes. But if the saw dust is too fine, the fibers may not be long enough to create strong papers etc.

At any stage it works I think. Before blending it too fine, you can stop and roll out. Longer strands will result in stronger paper.

Didn't find any use, but maybe constructing a burner to heat something

Maybe you can disolve it with alcohol and make some ink? I don't know if that's possible because i'm not a quemist, but maybe?

Anything related to physically breaking The wood. Boiling lignin out is still necessary.

@@RavenFly1232 Thank you kindly!

Yes, I'm a big fan of Nilered :D The idea in this experiment was to limit myself into chemicals anyone could get easily (where I live, most sulfur compounds, even just basic salts, are quite hard to come by). Sulfur compounds would of course make things easier, but lignin can dissolve in strongly basic solutions. Though it can be seen that my attempt in recreating the Kraft process took multiple steps. To remedy this, a pressure vessel and alkali sulfate salt would've made this process much faster, and less labor intensive. Also the fact I used consumer products without any treatment (just some drain opener solution etc) was to show that this process is very robust. But next time I end up making wood pulp, I would very much like to try improving the setup, with better chemicals, and pressure equipment (though the safety of that equipment would need to be thoroughly tested, nobody wants 100C+ hydroxide solution exploding on their face).

Any heating element works as long as you make sure to take safety into account.

@@RavenFly1232 and are there any strong fumes that are emitted by heating the sodium hydroxide? is it ok to do this inside if you have a gas stove?

Usually when paper is made, the fibers are mixed with water very well to create even pulp, and then strained and pressed to make paper. If for some reason the fibers don't stick, you could try adding some water soluble glue (if I remember correctly, PVA or Elmers glue could be used) to help the fibers stick together. Most of the commercial paper you buy from stores to use in printers etc. Contain loads of different additives, including very fine sand (photography papers can be made of a very high proportion of sand) and binding materials, so I see no reason why with some ingenuity you couldn't find a perfect paper recipe for you :D

@@RavenFly1232 Thanks for the reply, Yeah I think the main problem when I tried it last time was I was using sawdust and I forgot to mention that I haven't actually tried mixing this with water yet so we'll see what happens I just don't wanna mess this up again, lol.

@@WikkyPlays Sawdust might not be ideal, longer fibers are easier to get stuck together. But with some additives it could work :D

@@KianVil Yes. Hard woods might be more difficult to cut, but other than that not much different.

@RavenFly1232 Ahhh i see, i was planning to make a research about it. But im quite unsure about my wood, well the thing is my research is about converting tree branches into cellulose and later on use this cellulose to make a specific product but the thing is i used calamansi branches i think its in the citrus plant fam so ithink its hardwood. I tried to do the same process as you did but the difference is i used sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) than lye solution(sodium hydroxide) and hydrogen peroxide for bleaching than using sodium hypochlorite (bleach) cause i heard they have the same traits as the two but the difference is they are only mid solutions meaning theyre not as strong as lye or regular bleach. theoretically, if i did use lye and regular bleach will ill be able to soften the hardwood and extract the cellulose? Also is powder lye okay to use and if i indeed made a cellulose can i use it as an alternative for starch? Sorry for a lot of questions i really like this kind of stuff.

Also my plant branches is rather thin and long than usual tree branches which are thick and large so its like twigs if that's the term idk. Greetings from the Philippines🇵🇭

Actually, I'm located in Finland :D Now to answering your questions: The softness of toilet paper comes more from the geometry than the material of paper. If you search in youtube "How It's Made: Toilet Paper", you see, that there is a pattern embossed to the very thin sheet of paper material, and then two of these sheets are combined. Using a sub par wood or recycled paper just means that the breaking down of the fibers is easier (though other impurities may or may not affect this). Yes, wood ashes contain sodium and potassium oxides, and if you extract it by dissolving it first in water (in which the Na2O reacts to form NaOH), and then strain, you should get a solution of NaOH, that you can concentrate (if needed) by boiling or evaporating water (evaporation won't get as good results, as NaOH is hygroscopic, so no complete dryness, probably not even crystals). Bleach may or may not be needed. Sure it breaks down some lignin, and gives a nice white color, but mostly this is not too necessary if you want just fibers. Use of recycled paper is very much the easiest way of getting nice fibers, that's what most of commercial TP is made anyways, so that's my recommendation. At least the stems of tomatoes worked. Every cell of a plant contains fibers, but the quality of them is the thing. In wood, you have long chains, but in leaves they aren't as long. Experimentation is the key here.

@@RavenFly1232 Hello again, thank you for your prompt reply! So yeah, when I was searching yesterday yours came up first. Actually, I did not expect anything to come up, so I was delighted to see your video which explains the crux of the matter in such a concise, clear. and complete way. After that, I searched and searched, but really you cover it all. Everything else is extra. I did see that commercial production seems to depend on some kind of sulfuric acid (sorry, my science knowledge only extends to first year Biology and some basic Chemistry and curiosity). So, I will probably experiment. I am keeping all the cardboard I have received from all the packages lately. Any ideas how to remove the ink from glossy papers (advertisements, catalogues and such)? Re: the ashes in water: I would not filter the solution, nor would I try to get crystals, since my interest is t.p.; I would decant it, leaving ashes on the bottom (I am working on the assumption that resources-such as filters are scarce in April 2020). So I would just decant it and boil it with the wood. Do you have any idea how I could determine the pH of the water-ash solution without pH strips, or any equipment? Now, if I were a villager 100 years ago, I would probably know by looking at the way it moves (say when stirred), or some other experiential way. But since I am not...hhmm...maybe I should search for it. You know what I mean, right? Once, for example, when I was trying to learn the different stages of sugar caramelization, I did not even have to look at it, after observing it for the first time. I could hear the stage of caramelization from several feet away by the sound the boiling bubbles made, and confirming by looking at the size of the bubbles, and other indicators. Lastly, because we are also experiencing flour shortages (N. A.), I was able to buy a bulk quantity of wheat kernels. There was no flour in the grocery stores the last time we went to the store, which was quite some time ago. So I am resigned to cooking wheat kernels like we cook rice if necessary. I prefer to make flour. I don't want to destroy my blender, nor do I want to pay $600 or more for wheat grinding stones. So I thought I would try to put the wheat kernels in a sturdy bag and run it over with the car to make flour. Do you have any other easier or at least more graceful suggestions? Thank you. Wishing you and all health, resilience, and courage.

@@GreekVegetarianRecip There are three big processes in use right now in pulping industry (actually more, but three more established procedures): -Kraft process: Use of NaOH and Na₂S (sodium sulfide) -Sulfite process: Use of various sulfites -Soda pulping: Use of NaOH (the one I emulated in the video) Soda pulping has the benefit of being easy, but the resulting paper is a bit less strong, the others need more chemicals, but produce stronger fibers. There are other pros and cons as well, but for DIY projects, the easy chemicals are the big thing. Glossy paper won't work well in making wood pulp, as it contains not an insignificant amount of stuff that will be a pain in the but (very fine sand, talc, binding chemicals etc.) It won't even burn without leaving a ton of useless ash. So I personally wouldn't even bother with that stuff. Though you could try blending the paper in to a low concentration water mixture, bubble air through, and skim off the foam. Decanting works as well, as long as you let it sit for long enough. I personally prefer coffee filters and vacuum filtering methods, as I am a bit impatient. To determining PH level, there is no accurate way of doing that without some indicator chemicals etc. Some can be made out of plants, but have limited range in which the color etc changes. And as is the nature of PH, it will easily go to high or low even with small concentrations of acids/bases, so determining concentration accurately from homemade things is kinda hard. Easiest way would be to titrate, but then again, more chemicals and equipment etc. You could confirm the presence of alkali metal hydroxide by first diluting the sample (a lot, as this is dangerous and stupid method that I do not recommend) and then dipping your finger in. If they feel slippery, then there is very likely some lye in there. But once again, this is not too good for your skin, and if for some reason you find your fingers feeling slippery, wash them with lots of water. Also, I recommend using protective gear, as lye and other bases are those "melts your flesh away" chemicals. I would advise against using car. In addition to not being efficient (you would get probably only a couple of cracked kernels), it can be dangerous, as there is all sorts of crap in tires and ground, and the least bad thing would be sand in your flour that could damage your teeth. Much better option would be to get one of those 20-30€/$ coffee grinders. They are designed to deal with hard materials, and grinding them to a fine consistency. I had one few years ago, and used that to grind salts. I also broke it because I didn't clean the salts off, and it rusted shut, but with proper maintenance it should last a long time.

@@RavenFly1232 Thank you! I do have a coffee grinder. Eventually I will experiment with the car method (just because now I am curious), and I will let you know if it works.

@@GreekVegetarianRecip Great idea to experiment! There is never enough people doing experiments :D

The drain opener is around 10-15% solution, but contains all sorts of other stuff that may lower the percentage when heated/reacting.

What do you mean by organic? I have heard of some molds that have been used to destroy lignin, but I have no idea about that sort of stuff. Maybe some enzymes?

@@RavenFly1232 Thank you for your response. Using Enzymes are one of the good methods but those are quite expensive. I mean't Organic method as in without usage of any chemicals .Would you suggest any physical method for this conversion?

@@abinayasenthil7129 The purpose of the chemicals is to dissolve/remove lignin between the fibres. With lignin it is really hard to break fibres, but it is possible. This results in a weaker fibres, and paper that will turn yellow over time, so you'd produce something like news paper. But if your starting material is not wood, but say you start with different source of fibres, and alter the process a bit, you could do something like papyrus or cotton paper.

@@RavenFly1232Sure sir.. I will try in fibres but my doubt is about, is there any natural method or physical (machinery)for this conversion process?

I actually don't know. In this case NaOH was there to help break/dissolve lignin. I am not sure about the composition of white cotton silk fiber, but more likely mechanical means are the way to go in softening them, with maybe addition to bleaching agents.

No. It's basically all the byproducts in one jar. It contains unused chemicals, salts, lignin, water and other stuff that broke off from the wood. It's basically what they call 'black liquor' in the industry.

I've done this with tomato stalks, so I believe it should work with most things that contain fibre. Lye is the easiest chemical, with a pressure cooker you might be able to use other salts, but check on different pulping methods, and try to emulate those.

@@RavenFly1232 Thank you for your response! I’m sorry if I’m gonna have to ask more questions regarding this, this is my first time and I surely need guidance. Since I need to come up with my main product as soon as possible, (this Monday) I think of doing the method you used. My drain cleaner contains 48-50% of sodium hydroxide with the mixture of water, is it okay for boiling? I’m going to boil it in a beaker. And for the paper making process, is it still required to wait for the cellulose to dry? Or can I already proceed making the paper? Again, thank you very much! Your response means a lot to a student like me.

@@seazury The beaker will probably survive, but just to save a bit of chemicals, and make it more safe, you could dilute the drain cleaner to ~10-20%. The drain cleaner I had was 15 ish. No need to dry. I wasn't planning on doing paper from that cellulose immediately, and wanted to see how it works dry, so I dried it. Actually I still have the fibers somewhere in a jar waiting for a day I make a follow up video. The fact that I blended them dry into smaller fibers just makes the possible future paper weaker, so keeping the longer fibres could be beneficial.

@@RavenFly1232 Thank you so much for your response, sir! Should I use distilled water? Or tap water will do?

@@seazury Distilled water is of course preferred, but I'd assume as the drain opener is probably not very pure anyway, I think that if your tap water has low calcium/salt content, it will work fine, especially for a concept run, where efficiency is not a priority.

You can leave it spread on a sheat and it will dry on its own. Or you can heat it to drive out the moisture. Too high heat will break the stuff, but a little bit will make the drying process faster. Or you could use a vacuum to lower the boiling point of water.

Thanks! Can you tell me how to use a vacuum? Maybe there is a video or an article?

@@АлексейАли-ф5т It's quite well known that drawing a vacuum lowers boiling point of water, so you put vacuum pump, a cold trap and the sample in some container in series, and maybe apply some heat. This will dry the sample quicker, but I am not sure if that is much better than leaving it in a heated chamber with some ventilation so that water just evaporates away.

Thank you very much! I also heard that vacuum drying has the least effect on the structure of raw materials. Do you think it is possible to make it at home?

@@АлексейАли-ф5т in this case the effect is negligible, so the cheapest route would probably be the best. You might also be referring to freeze drying, which also utilizes vacuum. To build a vacuum dryer you need two jars, some pipes and a vacuum pump. The jar closest to the pump needs to be cold (immerse in ice water) and the further needs some heat (immerse in warm water). Now to be fair, there are real dangers with implosions, so it might not be a great idea to build unless you are absolutely sure about everything.

To get rid of stuff that is not homogenous and contains crap. Thus making the process maybe a cit easier.

Not abandoned, just waiting to get resources to continue these projects 😄

Birch If I remember correctly. How were they dissolved?

@@RavenFly1232 I read bitch if I remember

I am sorry, but that is beyond the limits of my knowledge. For paper making purposes at home, it is sufficient to make a sample square of paper (with same amount of dry fiber used), and see how much force it can take. For anything beyond that, you'd have to consult people who research or do these analyses.

I had planned on experimenting with that, but never got that far. From what I know, in kraft process the black liquor is first burned giving green liquor, that is reacted with CaO and NaOH is then separated and reused. So maybe there is a chance that I get to experiment with that, as the process is well known, but right now I have other pressing matters that limit my ability to do research.

@@RavenFly1232 I see I see. Thank you and great video 👍

Sodium hydroxide comes from reacting the green liquor (Na2CO3) with quicklime (CaO). The green liquor is the product of burning at low oxygen the black liquor which also transforms the sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) into sodium sulphide (Na2S) that is a very important component of the white liquor used in cooking the wood ships

Any kind works in theory, but wood with low resin content is probably the best.

@@RavenFly1232 thankyou

Basically the same way you would do paper paste from any other cellulose material, like newspapers etc. You add some water (I have no exact recipe, but more water equals thinner papers, and less water means more cardboard like papers), and blend your pulp in. Now you have a ready mixture to put on the screen and then to the press :D

Raven Fly's Channel Thanks a million for your prompt response and your help 🙏 🙏

@@halaahmedtalaat3658 No problem! Happy to help :D

Yes, that's one idea I had peen playing with. Also dissolving of cellulose to urea/NaOH solution at -12 degrees celcius.

I don't know any local sawmills.

Sometimes, Alepa is all you need 😉

@@RavenFly1232 more often than not! 😄

Wood, lye, bleach