Patent ID: 6379594
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: C08L,D21B,D21H,D21J

Abstract:
A process for producing a work piece which includes no preliminary chemical treatment step, comprising:providing raw material which is cellulose-containing and fibrous, and which is selected from the group consisting of crude plant fibers, pure cellulose, waste paper, and waste cardboard; adding water to the raw material; finely chopping the raw material in a machine by continuously grinding the raw material with a total energy expenditure of at least 0.5 kWh/kg, based on dry weight of the raw material, into a microfiber pulp having an increased internal fiber surface and an increased degree of interlinking; forming the microfiber pulp to provide a shaped green body; and drying the shaped green body by removing water therefrom to harden the shaped green body and form a work piece, wherein the shaped green body is hardened into the work piece by drying only without admixture of bonding agents to the microfiber pulp and without use of external pressure, and wherein the work piece has characteristics which depend on degree of grinding to produce the microfiber pulp and which range from (a) paper carton-like to (b) wood-like to (c) horn-like, the work piece having a specific gravity which ranges up to that of pure cellulose, 1.5.