If you're concerned about deforestation, you likely blue-bin the no-longer-needed sheets of paper that have been run through your printer. You should keep in mind, however, that even though the recycling of that paper saves trees, the process still requires considerable energy, and most recycled paper still contains some virgin wood pulp. What would be better is if there were an "un-printer" that took the toner off of the used paper, so you would be left with a blank sheet that you could reuse. Well, thanks to research being conducted at the University of Cambridge, there soon may be.
The research was conducted by Dr. Julian Allwood, Leader of the university's Low Carbon Materials Processing Group, and PhD student David Leal-Ayala.
The pair started with regular Canon copy paper, which had text printed on it in HP Laserjet black toner. With assistance from The Bavarian Laser Centre, they then used a total of ten experimental set-ups, to see if lasers could be used to vaporize toner print from paper. Various intensities and pulse durations of laser light were tried, with spectra including ultraviolet, visible and infrared.
They concluded that lasers can be used for toner removal, without causing significant damage to the underlying paper - after the process has been repeated several times on the same sheet, however, some deterioration does occur. Additionally, they estimated that if toner removal was commonly carried out in most workplaces, the emissions produced by the pulp and paper recycling industry could be reduced by at least 50 percent. The need for paper production processes including forestry, pulping, paper-making and paper disposal would also be greatly reduced.
"What we need to do now is find someone to build a prototype," said Allwood. "Thanks to low-energy laser scanners and laser-jet printers, the feasibility for reusing paper in the office is there."
A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A.
Source: University of Cambridge via New Scientist
I'm sure there are other points to ponder as well
Paper is made from commercially grown trees. They are planted, tended for, cut and sold for the sole purpose to produce pulp.
With a diminishing demand for paper the price of pulp drops. This means the land on which these forests are planted will be more economic when used for other purposes such as agriculture or dairy.
There used to be a trend for dairy land to be converted to forests but this trend has now reversed and many forest are not replanted after harvesting.
Although I don't buy into the whole global warming scam, reducing the use of paper kills forests and increases so called global warming gasses due to alternate use of that land.
But I suppose people rarely think beyond step one.
Sure, like the exhaust from a photocopier "must be" filtered... well that would be generally not....
I agree, the "Cost to the recyclers would be reduced by half (sure thing), but the cost to the economy will likely be increased....
Have they also got a laser paper regenerator, to iron out the wrinkles in a used sheet of paper.....
Much of the paper used does not remain pristine, and that "non-pristine" paper will end up jamming the printer.... Again if everyone were to iron every sheet pf paper flat and laser it new, the cost will increase....
Doesn't someone have a development, for large offices to recycle and re-manufacture their waste paper at the end of use.....
Again, economy of scale will make this much cheaper for centralised recyclers....
Often the best option is not so obvious....
The cost of transportation, storage, recycling etc woul dpossibly be better used burning the paper at locally centralised energy generation plants....
Then the diesel fuel used to return the paper to point of manufacture won't be needed, and $$ in the form of energy will be recovered....
Isn't that what many european cities have been doing for a long time....
The concept of landfill is very modern and needs to be rethought....
What is uneconomically recycled often has a high energy density, making direct energy generation viable....
(Even conversion to liquid fuels used a lot of the energy contained (up to 50%) direct conversion, through burning or pyrolysis with the pyrolytic products destined for use at point of generation is more viable.)
(Sorry this is a bit long, but the paper recycling ends up a land use and global energy problem.)
"The concept of landfill is very modern and needs to be rethought..."
Really finding someplace convenient to dump our trash is as old of a concept as any know to man.
The only downside is you can't fold eInk products and reuse them.
Specially HEMP!!!
I found a book in a old abandoned factory in my area, the book was in part with no roof (colapsed) it had rained in that day... the book in question is from 1883!! made of HEMP!! and the sheets of the book were absolutely wet!! I took it home and it still in good shape without any type restauration...
using paper produced with wood pulp specially from eucaliptus (tree used to dry land stolen from submerged areas) that ruins every soil with is nature..
I cant understand why hemp is not used for paper production.
the majority of personal print outs serve only a convenience purpose, ie to read easier or more comfortable and then discard within hours/days.
this is more an "opt in" when you need it rather than being forced to "opt out" by erasing print
food for thought
uli