Do que são feitos os copos de papel?

Do que são feitos os copos de papel?

 

UM Copo de papel is a copo descartável made out of paper and often lined or coated with plastic ou wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper.^[1][2][3] It may be made of recycled paper^[4] and is widely used around the world.

 

História[editar]

Paper cups have been documented in imperial China, where paper was invented by 2nd century BC.^[5] Paper cups were known as chih pei and were used for the serving of tea.^[6] Eles foram construídos em diferentes tamanhos e cores, e foram adornados com desenhos decorativos. Evidência textual de copos de papel aparece em uma descrição dos bens da família Yu, from the city of Hangzhou.^[6]

O copo de papel moderno foi desenvolvido no século 20. No início do século 20, era comum compartilhar copos ou bacias em fontes de água, como torneiras de escolas ou barris de água em trens. Este uso compartilhado causou preocupações de saúde pública. Uma investigação notável sobre seu uso foi o estudo de Alvin Davison, biology professor at Lafayette College, publicado com o título sensacional “Morte em copos escolares” in Technical World Magazine in August 1908, based on research carried out in Easton, Pennsylvania‘s public schools. O artigo foi reimpresso e distribuído pelo Conselho Estadual de Saúde de Massachusetts em novembro 1909.^[7]

Com base nessas preocupações, e como produtos de papel (especialmente depois do 1908 invenção da Copa Dixie) tornou-se disponível de forma barata e limpa, proibições locais foram aprovadas no copo de uso compartilhado. One of the first railway companies to use disposable paper cups was the Lackawanna Railroad, que começou a usá-los em 1909. Por 1917, o vidro público havia desaparecido dos vagões ferroviários, substituídos por copos de papel, mesmo em jurisdições onde os óculos públicos ainda não tinham sido proibidos.^[8]

Copos de papel também são usados ​​em hospitais por motivos de saúde. Em 1942 o Massachusetts State College descobriu em um estudo que o custo do uso de óculos laváveis, reutilizado depois de higienizado, era 1.6 vezes o custo do uso de copos de papel descartáveis.^[9] Esses estudos, bem como a redução do risco de infecção cruzada, incentivou o uso de copos de papel em hospitais.

Germ Theory and Paper Cups[editar]

Initial interest in and movement toward the banning of public drinking cups can be traced back to the Plague of 1564 when individual communion cups were banned in European churches out of suspicion that the common cup let to the spread of illness.^[2] No entanto, scientific query into the safety of communal drinking cups was first recorded in 1901 when A. Metzger and N. C. Müller surveyed 112 physicians throughout the United States who shared health concerns related to the common drinking cup, finding that suspicions of danger were justified based on input from many of these physicians. Scientists O. Ruepke and H. Huss of New York later conducted a study of guinea pigs wherein they proved tuberculosis could be transmitted from “one mouth to another by means of a drinking glass.”^[2]

Morte em copos escolares[editar]

Another significant discovery came in 1907, when a study done by Lafayette College professor Alvin Davison concluded that the common drinking cups which were used at most water fountains were a repository for disease-causing germs and bacteria. By analyzing over 2000 students in the Easton Public School system he saw that “the germs of diphtheria and grippe frequently remain from one to three months in the mouths of the patients after they have recovered.”^[3] Davison took deposits that were present on public drinking vessels in the schools and fed them to guinea pigs. He examined fragments of these cups and estimated that they contained over 20,000 human cells and that each cell had as close to 150 germs clinging to it. After giving a sample of the cells and bacteria on the drinking cups to two guinea pigs, one died within two days and the second died a few weeks later. Davison found traces of pneumonia and tuberculosis germs in both corpses. Davison concluded that the common drinking cup was a harbor for dangerous germs that caused diseases and recommended that they should no longer be used in public spaces.

Public Response[editar]

Following this mounting definitive evidence, states began to pass bans on public drinking cups. As of February 1911, 7 states had abolished the common drinking cup and many more would follow. Moreover, “more than 40 railroads throughout the country [had] substituted the individual paper cups for the old time rusty cup familiar to everyone.”^[4] Beyond bans in public places, institutions including public schools and railroad companies began to react to the pressure to curb the usage of public cups. Again as of 1911, “The public schools throughout our country are rapidly awakening to the problem. In a very large percent of our cities some form of bubbling fountain or the individual drinking cup is now used.”^[4]

The publication of this information in 1911 in a major journal speaks to the wave of criticism permeating the mainstream that started the movement against public drinking cups. It was precisely this wave that the Dixie Company (as well as rival paper cup companies) positioned itself to ride and strengthen as sales began to take off.

Early Advertisements[editar]

Initial branding was centralized around the health benefits of the single use cup. Marketing techniques took advantage of the trends against public drinking cups both through distribution of leaflets warning of health concerns as well as through slogans such as “don’t be last” to encourage people to view individual use drinking cups as “the future.”

Marketing toward companies that might use Dixie Cup vending machines was also developed, and the patents of the product were emphasized. “The product is not an expense” and people will gladly pay a penny for an individual use drinking cup.^[1] The product began to capture the attention of the public and marketing became the company’s main objective.

The tone of many of the advertisements created by the Dixie Cup Company took the form of embracing modern ideals and marketing towards people who wanted to improve their lives and jump on board a new trend for fear of being left behind. “This is the sanitary age — the age of dixie cups,”^[11] was used for several years with success.

A subsequent pivot towards soda fountains was made in both product line and advertising, but the central idea of individual use as more sanitary than reusable glasses persisted. An emphasis on the theme of cups being “touched only by you” was seen as an act to make the cups seem individualized.

Fabricação[editar]

O papel base para copos de papel é chamado “armário”, and is made on special multi-ply paper machines. Possui revestimento barreira para impermeabilização. The paper needs high stiffness and strong wet sizing. A classe de cartão para copos possui um design especial para os processos de fabricação de copos. O processo de formação de rolos de boca requer boas propriedades de alongamento da placa e do revestimento plástico. Um rolo de boca bem formado proporciona rigidez e propriedades de manuseio no copo. The basis weights of the cup boards are 170–350 g/m².^[13]

Para atender aos requisitos de higiene, copos de papel são geralmente fabricados a partir de virgem (não reciclado) materiais.^{[citation needed]} A única exceção é quando o copo de papel apresenta uma camada isolante extra para retenção de calor., que nunca entra em contato com a bebida, como uma camada corrugada enrolada em um copo de parede única.

Impermeabilização[editar]

Originalmente, copos de papel para bebidas quentes foram colados e impermeabilizados colocando uma pequena quantidade de argila no fundo do copo, e depois girando em alta velocidade para que a argila subisse pelas paredes do copo, tornando o papel resistente à água.^{[citation needed]} No entanto, isso resultou em bebidas com cheiro e gosto de papelão.

Copos para bebidas geladas não poderiam ser tratados da mesma forma, à medida que se forma condensação no exterior, em seguida, penetra no tabuleiro, tornando o copo instável. Para remediar isso, fabricantes de copos desenvolveram a técnica de borrifar cera no interior e no exterior do copo. Clay- and wax-coated cups disappeared with the invention of polietileno (Educação Física)-copos revestidos; este processo cobre a superfície da placa com uma camada muito fina de PE, impermeabilizando a placa e soldando as costuras.

Em 2017, the Finnish board manufacturer Kotkamills launched a new kind of cup (serviço de alimentação) placa que não usa cera ou plástico para impermeabilização, e, portanto, pode ser reciclado como parte do fluxo normal de resíduos de papel e cartão, biodegradado, or even composted in small quantities.^[14]

in 2017, the Newport Beach CA company Smart Planet Technologies, lançado “recuperar” para o mercado do Reino Unido, a recyclable paper cup using a polyethylene and mineral-blended coating, que é projetado para ser reciclado através de sistemas tradicionais de reciclagem de papel.^[15]

 

Impressão em copos de papel[editar]

This section does not citeany sources. (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Originalmente, os copos de papel eram impressos com blocos de borracha montados em cilindros., com um cilindro diferente para cada cor. O registro em cores diferentes foi muito difícil, but later flexography plates became available and with the use of mounting systems it became easier to register across the colours, permitindo projetos mais complexos. A impressão flexográfica tornou-se ideal para tiragens longas e os fabricantes geralmente usam esse método ao produzir mais de um milhão de xícaras. Machines such as Comexi are used for this, que foram adaptados para suportar as bobinas extra grandes exigidas pelos fabricantes de copos de papel. Ink technology has also changed and where solvent-based inks were being used, tintas à base de água estão sendo utilizadas. Um dos efeitos colaterais das tintas à base de solvente é que os copos de bebidas quentes, em particular, podem cheirar a solvente, Considerando que as tintas à base de água eliminaram este problema. Other methods of printing have been used for short runs such as offset printing, which can vary from anything from 10,000 para 100,000 xícaras. Tintas de impressão offset também foram desenvolvidas e embora no passado fossem à base de solvente, the latest soya-based inks have reduced the danger of cups smelling. The latest development is Direct-printing, que permite imprimir em quantidades muito pequenas, normalmente de 1,000 xícaras, and is used by companies including Brendos ltd offering small quantities in short lead times. Rotogravure can also be used, mas isso é extremamente caro e normalmente só é utilizado para itens que exigem impressão de qualidade extremamente alta, como recipientes de sorvete.

Environmental impact[editar]

Recycling[editar]

Most paper cups are designed for a single use and then disposal. Very little recycled paper is used to make paper cups because of contamination concerns and regulations. Since most paper cups are coated with plastic (polietileno), then both composting and recycling of paper cups is uncommon because of the difficulty in separating the polyethylene in the recycling process of said cups. As of 2016, there are only two facilities in the UK able to properly recycle PE-coated cups; in the absence of such facilities, the cups are taken to landfill or incinerated.

A UK-based business group James Cropper have developed the world’s first facility for the effective recycling of the estimated 2.5 billion paper coffee cups used and disposed of by British businesses each year, and have become one of 14 international companies to formally join the Paper Recovery and Recycling Group (PCRRG).

James Cropper’s Reclaimed Fibre Facility was opened by HM The Queen in July 2013, and recovers both the plastic and paper from the cups; ensuring nothing is wasted from the recycling process.^[16] Although paper cups are made from renewable resources (wood chips 95% by weight), paper products in a landfill might not decompose, or can release methane, if decomposed anaerobically.

UM Newport Beach, CA empresa, Smart Planet Technologies has developed a process for modifying the polyethylene coating on paper cups and folding cartons so they are engineered for recyclability. Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA has begun a program to use cups made with this technology to capture and sell the fibers to fund scholarships for their students.^[17]

Em 2017, the Finnish board manufacturer Kotkamills launched a new kind of cup (serviço de alimentação) placa que não usa cera ou plástico para impermeabilização, e, portanto, pode ser reciclado como parte do fluxo normal de resíduos de papel e cartão, biodegradado, or even composted in small quantities.^[14]

The manufacture of paper usually requires inorganic chemicals and creates water effluents. Paper cups may consume more non-renewable resources than cups made of polystyrene foam (whose only significant effluent is pentane).^[18][19]

Papel versus plástico[editar]

UM life cycle inventory of a comparison of paper vs plastic cups shows environmental effects of both with no clear winner.^[20]

Polietileno (Educação Física) is a petroleum-based coating on paper cups that can slow down the process of biodegrading of the paper it coats.

Ácido polilático (PLA) is a biodegradable bio-plastic coating used on some paper cups. PLA is a renewable resource and is certified compostable, o que significa que quando se biodegrada, não deixa resíduos tóxicos.^[21] Embora os copos revestidos com PLA sejam os únicos copos de papel que podem ser totalmente compostados, eles podem contaminar o fluxo de resíduos, supostamente tornando outros plásticos reciclados invendáveis.^[22]

All paper cups can only be recycled at a specialised treatment facility regardless of the lining.^[23]

A number of cities – including Portland, Oregon — have banned XPS foam cups in take-out and fast food restaurants.^[24]

Emissions[editar]

A study of one paper coffee cup with sleeve (16 ounce) shows that the CO₂ emissions is about 0.11 kilograms (0.24 lb) per cup with sleeve – including paper from trees, materiais, production and shipping.^[25]

Habitat-loss trees used[editar]

The habitat loss from one 16 ounce paper coffee cup with a sleeve is estimated to be 0.09 square meters (0.93 square feet).^{[dubious – discuss][26][unreliable source?]} Over 6.5 million trees were cut down to make 16 billion paper coffee cups used by U.S. in 2006, using 4 billion US gallons (15,000,000 m³) of water and resulting in 253 million pounds (115,000,000 kg) of waste. Overall, US Americans use 58% of all paper cups worldwide, amounting to 130 billion cups.^{[16][unreliable source?][27][unreliable source?]}

Tampas[editar]

Os copos de papel podem ter vários tipos de tampas. The paper cups that are used as containers for yogurt, por exemplo, geralmente têm dois tipos de tampas: heat-seal foil lids used for small “porção única” recipientes, e 150–200ml (5–7 EUA fl oz) pressão de plástico, tampas reutilizáveis ​​usadas para grandes “tamanho da família” recipientes, 250–1.000ml (8–30 fl oz americanos), onde nem todo o iogurte pode ser consumido de uma só vez e, portanto, é necessária a capacidade de fechar novamente o recipiente.^[28]

Bebidas quentes vendidas em copos de papel podem vir com tampa de plástico, para manter a bebida quente e evitar derramamento. These lids have a hole through which the drink can be sipped. As tampas de plástico podem ter muitos recursos, incluindo abas destacáveis, paredes elevadas para proteger a espuma de bebidas quentes gourmet e texto em relevo.^[29] Em 2008, Starbucks introduced shaped plastic “bastões de respingos” para bloquear o buraco, em algumas de suas lojas, depois de reclamações de clientes sobre respingos de café quente.^[30][31]