Ahead of the Curve

3 Things about the Paper Industry I Wish I’d Learned Sooner

04 May 2016 By Sarah Garchinsky I come from a research and development background, with no previous paper experience. Now that I’m working regularly in mills, here are a few things that I wish I learned sooner about the paper industry.

We need a common language to describe lignin

27 Apr 2016 By Anna Jacobs and Fredrik Aldaeus What do we mean when we say “lignin”? The answer depends on who you ask. A wood chemist probably regards lignin as a macromolecule with a certain chemical structure.

ORNL uses lignin to improve thermoplastic

20 Apr 2016 Your car's bumper is probably made of a moldable thermoplastic polymer called ABS, shorthand for its acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene components. Light, strong and tough, it is also the stuff of ventilation pipes, protective headgear, kitchen appliances, Lego bricks and many other consumer products. Useful as it is, one of its drawbacks is that it is made using chemicals derived from petroleum.

ISRI Survey: Paper Mills Weigh In on Mixed-Waste Recycling

13 Apr 2016 Contamination, odor, and excessive moisture are just a few of the reasons that paper mill fiber buyers cite for rejecting paper stock from mixed waste processing centers. This finding is part of the preliminary results from a survey conducted by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).

China’s Recovered Paper Import Demand Over the Next Five Years: Don’t Get Your Hopes Up

06 Apr 2016 After falling continuously in 2013 and 2014, Chinese recovered paper imports rebounded by about 6% from 27.5 million metric tons in 2014 to 29 million metric tons in 2015, just slightly less than the peak level of 30 million metric tons in 2012. More than 55% of the import increase came from Western Europe, while the United States accounted for only 20% of China’s import growth.

Attracting Engineering Grads

30 Mar 2016 It’s spring and that means days are getting warmer, nights are getting shorter, and flowers are blooming; it also means thousands of soon-to-be engineers are looking for jobs. Before hiring a young engineer they must first know about your organization.

U.S. Senate Recognizes Biomass Energy Carbon Benefits

23 Mar 2016 In late February Bob Cleaves, president of the Biomass Power Association, wrote the following commentary on the current level of U.S. government support of biomass for energy.

The Evolving Role of the Mill Engineer

16 Mar 2016 By Graeme Rodden This is an advance-look excerpt from the cover story of the March/April issue of Paper360°.

Researchers Turn Paper Waste into Multi-Use Aerogels

09 Mar 2016 A research team led by Assistant Professor Duong Hai Minh from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Engineering, has achieved a world’s first by successfully converting paper waste into green cellulose aerogels that are non-toxic, ultralight, flexible, extremely strong, and water repellent.

Study Underscores Forest Products’ Role in Climate Change

02 Mar 2016 The Canadian Climate Forum has released an issues paper that documents how forests and products made from tree fiber will play an increasingly critical role in the transition to a low carbon economy.