Paper

Single sheets of homemade paper were only fabricated until a machine could make rolls of paper continuously. The machine had a conveyor belt submerged in suspended cellulose fibers. The conveyor belt was a screen that drained water from it as fibers were pulled out of the suspension. The fibers were later squeezed through a bunch of rollers to create a long continuous sheet of paper. England improved this machine a few years later. Instead of regular rollers, they used heated rollers in the machine. This machine was called the Fourdrinier. The Fourdrinier is still being used today.

Rosin and alum were later added to make paper more adaptable to ink as well as strengthening the paper. Paper gets its white color by getting bleached with chlorine and titanium dioxide. Paper makers still to this day use the same process to make paper. 75 percent of U.S. paper comes from wood pulp. The remainder comes from recycled waste paper. Paper made with wosin and alum turn yellow and brittle within a couple years.

Trees are used more often to make paper because they are abundant and renewable. It takes them 20 years to grow. The U.S. used 70 million tons of paper a year. Only 25% is recycled. 50% of solid waste is paper. A lot of energy is used to make paper. The more you recycle, the less amount of energy is being used. That means more paper!

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