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Paper. It is all around us. We use it every day. But have you ever asked how it is made?
Worldwide, about 300 million metric tons of paper and paperboard are produced each year. The United States alone produces about 87 million metric tons of paper and cardboard, representing nearly one-third of the world's total production.
Every year, Americans use more than 90 million tons of paper. That's an average of over 300 kilograms of paper products per person each year. Every year in America, more than 2 billion books, 350 million magazines, and 24 billion newspapers are published.
Approximately five percent of the trees felled by the forestry industry are used to make paper. The wood is chipped, then goes through a complex process of soaking, "cooking", washing, bleaching, refining, drying, and pressing to produce different grades of paper.
Paper recycling is proving to be successful in reducing the number of
trees used worldwide for paper production. Depending on the type and grade
of paper produced, paper can be recycled up to seven times before becoming
unusable.
Related Hot Topics
Recycling
This TKI Hot Topic, published on 12 July 2001, highlights how recycling
can help reduce New Zealand's waste mountain. It includes links to TKI
and other web resources, and links to relevant New Zealand curriculum
statements.
www.tki.org.nz/r/hot_topics/recycle_e.php
Resources
on TKI
How
paper is made
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
How paper was made in Ancient Egypt. http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/papyrus.html
Paper Online
A site on all things paper! Features an historical timeline, environmental
considerations, the paper making process, and a students' section that
shows you how to make paper by hand.
http://www.paperonline.org/history/history_frame.html
Paper University: All About Paper
This site reveals the history of paper and a slide show of a paper factory.
http://www.tappi.org/paperu/all_about_paper/paperMade.htm
Pulp and Fiber Products: How Paper is Made
This site has a clear, simple diagram of the paper process and mouse-over
text to provide more detail about each step of paper production. http://www.forestprod.org/cdromdemo/pf/pf8.html
Institute of Paper Science and Technology Museum of Papermaking
Wander through the history rooms, inventor room, and paper gallery of
this online paper museum.
http://www.ipst.gatech.edu/amp/
Please
note: These links were valid when this page was posted. However the Web
is very volatile, and TKI has no control over outside websites. Please
let us know if you find a broken link or if you have an update for a link.
Te Kete Ipurangi recommends that teachers view all websites we link to
before using them with students.
You can register
to receive Hot Topics via email for free by emailing hottopics@tki.org.nz.
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