Climate Solutions: Pulp mills
The facilities that turn wood into other products such as paper and cardboard use a lot of energy in doing so, amounting to a 0.6 percent share in global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, they produce tremendous amounts of waste. One way scientists are working to reduce the environmental impact of these processes is capturing that waste and recycling it for use in other products, with high-strength concrete, foams and next-generation batteries just a few of the exciting possibilities.
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Pulp mills generate significant amounts of waste, and we're seeing scientists get quite creative with how it might be put to use. The latest example sees it used as a filler material for cement, which proved to be stronger and more resilient. -
Production of cement is a big source of CO2 emissions, so the more we can recycle existing concrete, the better. That's where a new study comes in, which indicates that discarded concrete becomes stronger than it was before, when wood waste is added. -
Scientists are using paper waste to create cost-efficient, well-insulating bricks. -
Wisconsin researchers have developed a new lignin-solvent process for making biofuels, paper and chemicals from cellulose. -
Scientists have created a rechargeable battery using lignin, a plentiful plant-based byproduct of the paper processing industry. -
A graduate student from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed a way of creating a bio-foam from paper mill waste, radically reducing waste from paper production and creating two products that are highly valuable and in demand.