Every wonder about paper and where it comes from? No? Me neither! But I'll tell you anyway. We use the stuff every day, especially in places like schools and offices. If it wasn't 2012, and we didn't have computers the only way this blog post could exist is if it was written on paper. Paper isn't just referring to the kind that we run through the printer. There are different types of paper that are made in different ways.
Making paper starts with deciding what kind you want, because through that you will decide what kind of wood to use. You've got your two basic types if wood; those are hard wood and soft wood. Ironically, hardwood is what you use for a softer, smother paper while soft wood will produce a tougher but more rough final product. This all has to do with the fibers in the wood. Hardwood is made up of very short fibers. The paper will end up being smooth, but because the fibers are short the paper will not be very strong (think of how easy it is to rip something like a tissue for example). Softwood, on the other hand, is made up of much longer, stronger fibers. This makes the paper though, but the long fibers also mean that it will have a rough texture when it is finished (think cardboard boxes).
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Of course, a piece of wood doesn't just become paper. In order to use those short or long fibers companies need to separate them. To do this the paper producer (but it a large company or someone working from home) employs a technique called pulping. In a big factory pulping works through a combination of heat and pressure. Before it is to be pulped wood is "chipped" (i.e. made into wood chips.. clearly). The heat comes into play once the wood is already in chip form. The chips are heated in order to begin separating the fibers. Then the pressure is used. The heated wood chips are ground between a spinning wheal and a fixed plate in order to grind them into an individual fiber state. Water is
also used, that is what makes the pulp... pulpy.
So once you have pulp all that's left is to squeeze the water out. And that's what they do, they use a combination of presses and wires to drain the water from the pulp. The remaining product is then pressed and cut into the paper we recognize.
This is all well and good, but one question remains... Where is all this wood coming from? Paper doesn't just grow on trees! Well, it kind of does... The wood used to make paper comes from many different spices of tree, and often a mixture, depending on what kind of paper is being made. Most times these trees are grown on farms, which are harvested and then replanted. While the trees are growing they can (theoretically) be a habitat for wild life. This means that making paper could be one of the only big business projects that doesn't have an adverse effect on nature (when it is done right).
So the moral of the story is... Buy green paper that is good for the environment, and recycle, and stuff like that. GO PAPER!
(this blog post has been made possible through a generous contribution by the "do it or you fail" fund. Flunking students one pointless assignment at a time)
