Why Does Paper Explode in a Hydraulic Press?

Crushing paper may not seem exciting or unexpected; yet Finnish workshop owner Lauri Vuohensilta managed to do just that using his 144-ton hydraulic press! The end result is truly astonishing and unexpectedly awesome.

Paper has long been known to explode due to calcium carbonate added during production; here's why.

Cellulose Fibers

Cellulose is an organic compound composed of glucose molecules linked together in long chains. It's commonly found in plant parts, and structural elements of many trees such as wood, cotton, bamboo, hemp and jute. When combined with other compounds like lignin and starch it forms cellulosic fibers which are extremely strong; these fibers can then be woven to produce paper products, fabrics and other items.

Cellulosic fibers offer several advantages over synthetic ones, including improved environmental impact. Unfortunately, however, they also come with some drawbacks, including high energy requirements during processing and product disposal. To address these hurdles, the cellulose industry is working towards developing technologies which produce strong yet flexible filaments without solvents - something the cellulose industry hopes will alleviate any concerns from regulators or consumers alike.

Manufacturers use an enzymatic dissolution process to separate water from cellulose fiber, with lower environmental impact than traditional pulping techniques and potential cost-savings due to reduced chemicals and energy needs during refining processes. Although still under development, this technology offers textile industry players an alternative.

Cellulose has multiple uses in the textile industry. It's often added to food products, like ice cream and frozen yogurt, to prevent lump formation. Powder form of cellulose can also be added as a thickening agent or anti-caking agent in beverages and foods - you may recognize its name on ingredients lists as carboxymethylcellulose, microcrystalline cellulose or methylcellulose.

In this video, the paper used is actually made of cellulose that has been treated with calcium carbonate to strengthen and expand its resilience and strength. Once put through a hydraulic press, however, a spectacular explosion was witnessed!

In this video from Hydraulic Press Channel, they conducted some tests using their 144-ton hydraulic press on various materials from paperback books and playing cards to book pulp. Some materials like playing cards were unsuccessful while other, like paper pulp exploded!

Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate is a versatile chemical found in many forms; chalk being the most prevalent example, though other minerals such as limestone and marble also contain it. Calcium carbonate is an extremely soft mineral with multiple uses including filler in paper production as well as coating in paints and plastics - not forgetting household cleaning powders like Comet!

Paper manufacturers utilize calcium carbonate as a filler to enhance brightness and opacity in paper products, since it is an affordable material that can be added in large amounts without incurring significant costs. Calcium carbonate also has great water absorption properties that make it a key element in manufacturing paper towels; additionally precipitated calcium carbonate is utilized in making pharmaceutical products such as antacids and phosphate binders.

YouTube videos displaying hydraulic presses crushing various objects have become immensely popular, with one famous video showing an incredible feat: folding seven times in half an 8x11 sheet of paper without it exploding! However, it could have simply exploded from too much pressure being applied on it.

Folded paper doubles its thickness every time it is folded in half, so seven folds will result in 128 times thicker paper than before - this is known as exponential growth and it happens very rapidly.

Calcium carbide can be produced using unslaked lime (CaO) heated in an electric arc furnace with coke or anthracite, producing acetylene, calcium oxide, and sulfide as by-products of this reaction. Acetylene was once widely used to fuel carbide lamps used in lighthouses and cave exploration; now, however, its main use is as fuel for lamps burning with acetylene fuelled by acetylene-fueled lamps; its other uses include producing vinyl chloride, acetone production as well as producing chemicals such as vinyl chloride vinyl chloride from synthetic rubber production as well as manufacturing synthetic rubber production from production of vinyl chloride chemicals such as vinyl chloride vinyl chloride; generate high pressure carbon dioxide to use for blasting hard materials; its use should only be undertaken under proper safety precautions when dealing with hard materials; however; its use should only ever be undertaken under proper safety precautions to avoid burnout or fire risk when using calcium carbide compounds produced from its formulation when exposed to such elements of its formulation, such as in its composition; when used properly precautionary precautions when handling calcium carbide produced in its form or its derivatives must only ever used when handling. Caution should always take prior to being exposed. CaCarbide should never be handled when dealing with hard materials thereby producing high pressure carbon dioxide that allows blasting or cutting hard materials like asphalt asphalt while using calcium Carbide should only ever use should only abide by those who take appropriate safety precautionary precautionary conditions when operating such equipment should never used! CaCO2. Ca2 emissions will - should also produce emissions while making synthetic rubber manufacturing can only used. CaCarbide emissions must also generate high pressure carbon dioxide or any potentially dangerous materials can only ever used.

Acetylene

Paper may seem unlikely to explode under pressure, yet that is precisely what happened in this YouTube video by Hydraulic Press Channel. Paper pulp burst forth with surprising force - much to Lauri Vuohensilta's surprise!

Acetylene gas can be used for cutting and welding metal, and has a distinct garlic-like aroma. Produced through chemical reaction or thermal cracking of hydrocarbons, it typically arrives commercially packaged in steel cylinders of 10 feet 3 to 420 feet 3 (0.3-11.9m3) in steel containers with safe pressure levels; when exposed to heat sources its temperature increases naturally leading to dangerously elevated internal pressure levels that threaten explosion. Acetylene falls under both Department of Transportation (DOT) and Transport Canada (TC) classified flammable compressed gases for storage under safe pressure levels; when exposed to heat it can increase dramatically leading to serious internal pressure levels reaching dangerously high internal pressure levels before explosion occurs.

Acetylene that exceeds its danger limit will explode, so acetylene cylinders come equipped with valves to prevent this from happening during normal use and shipping or storage. Furthermore, these valves can break under a specified pressure to protect the cylinder against accidental explosions that may happen while transporting or storing.

Paper may have burst due to the calcium carbonate crystals present within it. When compressed, these crystals compressed under incredible pressure and ruptured suddenly under its incredible weight resulting in its disintegration into brittle fragments of paper.

The Hydraulic Press Channel features several videos that demonstrate the power of their machine, including shooting Johnny with an air cannon they created themselves. Lauri and Anni take great pains to ensure safety when operating the hydraulic presses from behind thick glass barriers or other barriers; additionally they have created another channel called Beyond the Press where they share other related videos such as outings, preparation work for pressing videos or footage from work related activities at their shop.

Pressure

Hydraulic presses can be used to crush many different materials, but perhaps one of the more unexpected applications is paper. As Hydraulic Press Channel (HPC) discovered, when subjected to extreme pressure a stack of paper will suddenly collapse under immense force, creating spectacular effects when subjected to this extreme stress.

HPC is operated by husband-and-wife team Lauri and Anni, known for their highly entertaining videos showing them using a hydraulic press to destroy items of various sorts. Their work has been featured by various news outlets and their channel boasts millions of subscribers as well as various sponsorship deals.

Lauri and Anni understand the press can be hazardous to use, which is why they utilize extreme caution during their demonstrations. Both typically wear protective gear while hydraulic presses are operated from behind thick safety glass panels. Furthermore, they host another channel called Beyond the Press where they post videos about non-press-related topics.

Hydraulic presses serve multiple functions depending on their industry and application. For instance, agricultural equipment manufacturers may enlist hydraulic presses as an indispensable way of repairing their large farm machinery, from separating rusted parts to straightening bent ones and pressing out bearings that need replacements.

Hydraulic presses have an array of commercial uses for their machinery, from making metal components to packaging materials. Each industry often has specific standards it must abide by such as ANSI or ISO, while special requirements apply if the press will be used in military, food and medical applications.

Many people enjoy using hydraulic presses to crush objects for entertainment purposes, with The Hydraulic Press Channel frequently testing this theory out by crushing various objects like golf balls, books, rubber ducks, Lego toys, Barbie dolls and Nokia 3310s among others. The results have always been quite spectacular and YouTube channel has proven immensely popular as a result.