Stone paper products, also referred to as bio-plastic paper, mineral paper or rich mineral paper, are strong and durable paper-like materials manufactured from calcium carbonate bonded with

high-density polyethylene High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density rat ...

(HDPE) resin. They are used in many of the same applications as cellulose-based paper.

Properties

Stone paper has a density range of 1.0-1.6g/cm³, which is equal to or slightly higher than that of ordinary paper, and a texture somewhat like that of the outer membrane of a boiled egg. It is not biodegradable or compostable, but is photo-degradable under suitable conditions. It consists of roughly 80% calcium carbonate, 18% HDPE and 2% proprietary coating. Because it is not made from cellulose fibers, stone paper can have a smoother surface than most traditional products, eliminating the need for additional coating or lamination. The calcium carbonate is mined from quarries or precipitated from limestone. The production of stone paper uses no

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a se ...

bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

or optical brighteners. It can be recycled into new stone paper, but only if recycled separately at dedicated civic amenity sites.Palladino
"This Paper Is Made From minerals, But It Isn't Exactly Eco-Friendly"
WIRED, 2013 Stone paper products are compatible with

inkjet Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper and plastic substrates. Inkjet printers were the most commonly used type of printer in 2008, and range from small inexpens ...

solid ink Solid ink (also referred to as hot melt ink) is a type of ink used in printing. Solid ink is a waxy resin-based polymer that must be melted prior to usage unlike conventional liquid inks. The technology is used most in graphics and large fo ...

printers (e.g., offset, letterpress, gravure, flexographic) but do not respond well to very high temperature

laser printers Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively-charged cylinder called a "drum" to ...

Sustainability

Comparisons have been made between stone paper and traditional paper for applications like book printing in Europe. If stone paper replaced coated and uncoated graphic printing stock in Europe, it could potentially reduce CO₂ emissions by 25% to 62%, water consumption by 89% to 99.2%, and wood usage by 100% compared to current European consumption, which is mostly of virgin paper. The environmental benefits of stone paper relative to recycled paper are much less substantial.

References

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