Nanowerk April 5, 2022
Conventional paper is made of cellulose fibres found in wood, and the process involves energy-intensive steps that include logging, debarking, and chipping. Making pollen-based paper is similar to traditional soapmaking, which is much simpler and less energy-intensive.
Researchers in Singapore used potassium hydroxide to remove the cellular components encapsulated in tough sunflower pollen grains and turned them into soft microgel particles. This step also removes allergens from the pollen. They used deionized water to remove unwanted particles from the microgel, before casting it into a 22 cm x 22 cm mould for air-drying, forming a piece of paper that is about 0.03 mm in thickness. It was immersed in acetic acid to ‘stabilize’ the paper and to render it insensitive to moisture. After demonstrating printing, they “unprinted” the paper by immersing it in a common alkaline reagent and rubbing it gently which weakens the bond between the toner powder and the paper…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE