The process of making the paper involves grinding leftover mined marble into a fine powder, adding calcium carbonate and a resin mixture and bringing it to boil at around 160 degrees Celcius. The composition does not require acid, alkalis or bleaching. It also does not cause water pollution. The paper thus formed, is lightweight, soft-to-the-touch, suitable for storage and can even be used for note-taking by divers under water.
The stone-based paper is resistant to flame, water and bugs. The paper is also an ideal material for posters, manuals and trail maps owing to its durability to the elements. It is also lighter, which translates into reduced burden for textbook-toting schoolchildren.
However, for 900kg of wood pulp paper, 20 trees need to be cut and 28,400 litres of water are required.
Taiwan Lung Meng’s process has been developed at a cost of $50 million. TLM has won several accolades and certifications for the process, including being the first to be awarded “Cradle to Cradle” (C2C) certification in Taiwan.
TLM has ventured into stone-based T-Shirt Bags (reusable grocery sacks). These bags take half a year to a year to decompose under direct UV exposure unlike traditional grocery sacks that take decades. TLM’s technology has been patented in over 40 nations and is being sold in Europe, Canada and Australia.
[…] are also used in the manufacturing of papers and paints. Ground marble is mixed into these products to improve their texture and […]