Design and development of high strength paper bag using non-recycled paper

Abstract

The detrimental effects of plastic bags on the environment are well known. It is now appropriate to use alternative materials for manufacturing bags and in packaging industries. While biodegradable plastics research has gained steam in the first world countries, countries like India are still dependent upon cheaper alternatives such as Kraft paper/ old newspaper (ONP) as packaging materials for transport. Recycling of paper to produce bags is very common but it has its own disadvantages. The best option is to reuse. Every year lacs of papers are collected in academic Institutes in the form of assignment and practical papers with which paper bags can be produced. This option is very good in terms of economic viability. Further, the cost of these bags can be reduced by adopting appropriate materials in manufacturing. The design of the bag conforms and is much more than the expected load carrying capacity of a bag whether plastic or paper of the same size. Striking a balance between the strength and cost of the bags requires extensive experimentation using different designs and materials used for gluing and handle. Design of experiment using software Minitab helped to optimize the experiment results and deduce the best combination therefrom. The design of machine for manufacturing these paper bags is based on the design selected from this analysis. In order to reduce the dependence on plastic bags in our day-to-day life, it is very important to achieve desirable factors such as strength, durability and affordability in paper bags. In future mass production by establishing a centralized unit for our as well as nearby Institutes can help to further reduce and provide sponsorship to this project.