Rag Rope

[William Thacker <william.thacker@wmich.edu>]

I work for NCASI, which is a nonprofit environmental 
research organization funded by the forest products 
industry. Our membership accounts for over 90 percent of 
the pulp and paper production and 75 percent of the solid 
wood products manufactured in the United States.
I have spoken recently to several dozen mills that generate 
rag rope. There have been a few attempts to recover the 
metal in the rope, but without technical or (more 
importantly) economic success. One mill in the south has 
regulatory approval to burn the rope in its boilers and may 
burn it in the future. France appears to be leaning toward 
burning it as well (1998 TAPPI Environmental Conference). 
With a high metal content, the volume reduction may not be 
great from combustion.
Have you had any success in dealing with the rag rope?

Thanks,

William E. Thacker 
Senior Research Engineer 
NCASI