Plant fibers in the paper industry

Abstract

For 20 centuries, vegetable fibers from various sources have been converted into thin sheets for use in trade, communications, law, and even for shelter. Cotton and linen rags were the first fibrous raw materials to acquire widespread status in paper making, and they are still needed for specialty products. Increasing demands for paper ultimately surpassed the availability of rags, so that other sources of fiber were sought. About the year 1800, numerous other materials of agricultural origin began to come into use somewhat temporarily. Although woods have become the prime source of paper making fibers during the last 100-125 years, annual plant fibers retain their importance. The technical feasibility of non-woody materials is substantiated by more than 300 paper mills throughout the world that use such raw materials. Both necessity and special properties account for their use. The potential for various nonwoody fibrous plants is being investigated intensively by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, to discover new crops that might hare practical significance in the national agricultural program and in the commercial production of paper.