Why grow trees to make paper when there鈥檚 a fast-growing perennial plant that will do the job? Biotek SP of Poland has a new way of making cellulose pulp for papermaking that doesn鈥檛 involve felling forests of coniferous trees (WO 03/004765). The firm suggests growing fields of the perennial plant Virginia mallow, which has a cellulose content of around 40 per cent 鈥� similar to that of pine or birch.
With no bark to remove and with far less resin, fatty acids and lignin in the stems, processing costs are much reduced, say the inventors. The patent claims that paper made from this pulp is just as strong as wood-based paper. And Virginia mallow grows 10 times faster than conifers.
