Scientists develop a recyclable pollen-based paper for repeated printing and ‘unprinting’
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a pollen-based ‘paper’ that, after being printed on, can be ‘erased’ and reused multiple times without any damage to the paper.
In a research paper published online in Advanced Materials on 5 April, the NTU Singapore scientists demonstrated how high-resolution colour images could be printed on the non-allergenic pollen paper with a laser printer, and then ‘unprinted’ — by completely removing the toner without damaging the paper — with an alkaline solution. They demonstrated that this process could be repeated up to at least eight times.
This innovative, printer-ready pollen paper could become an eco-friendly alternative to conventional paper, which is made via a multi-step process with a significant negative environmental impact, said the NTU team led by Professors Subra Suresh and Cho Nam-Joon.
It could also help to reduce the carbon emissions and energy usage associated with conventional paper recycling, which involves repulping, de-toning (removal of printer toner) and reconstruction.
The other members of this all-NTU research team are research fellow Dr Ze Zhao, graduate students Jingyu Deng and Hyunhyuk Tae, and former graduate student Mohammed Shahrudin Ibrahim.
Prof Subra Suresh, NTU President and senior author of the paper, said: “Through this study, we showed that we could print high-resolution colour images on paper produced from a natural, plant-based material that was rendered non-allergenic through a process we recently developed. We further demonstrated the feasibility of doing so repeatedly without destroying the paper, making this material a viable eco-friendly alternative to conventional wood-based paper. This is a new approach to paper recycling — not just by making paper in a more sustainable way, but also by extending the lifespan of the paper so that we get the maximum value out of each piece of paper we produce. The concepts established here, with further developments in scalable manufacturing, could be adapted and extended to produce other “directly printable” paper-based products such as storage and shipping cartons and containers.”
Prof Cho Nam-Joon, senior author of the paper, said: “Aside from being easily recyclable, our pollen-based paper is also highly versatile. Unlike wood-based conventional paper, pollen is generated in large amounts and is naturally renewable, making it potentially an attractive raw material in terms of scalability, economics, and environmental sustainability. In addition, by integrating conductive materials with the pollen paper, we could potentially use the material in soft electronics, green sensors, and generators to achieve advanced functions and properties.” More