Nano-Biotechnology Changing the Challenge in Pulp and Paper Research, 2003 Fall Technical Conference

Today’s pulp and paper industry is rapidly becoming a globalized industry that is positioning itself to deliver low-cost, high-value, fiber-based products to consumers. Employing advanced chemical- and mechanical-based technologies; pulp, paper, and tissue manufacturers have sought to provide high-quality consumer products that are in worldwide demand and support the lifestyles of our new global economy. These products require substantial capital manufacturing investments that many of our industry leaders have stated are too high and are limiting creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit of the industry. Coupled with these challenges, the emergence of low-cost fiber resources outside the Northern Hemisphere has contributed to further pressure the paper industry to significantly reduce its manufacturing costs through a major redesign of its core manufacturing technologies. In addition to these challenges, new synthetic nonrenewable materials have been developed that have now begun to challenge the traditional dominance paper products has had in many applications.

A competitive review of emerging technologies suggests that biotechnology and nanotechnology are one of the few research avenues that could dramatically redefine the product lines in the forest products industry. This paper will review emerging developments of these technologies and how these new research avenues will change paper from a passive medium to an active substrate and facilitate new product and manufacturing platforms.