Paper has been one of the most used materials for centuries and that, despite the fact that the digital age is changing customs and uses, it still constitutes one of the most common media for reading or printing. Paper was invented in China, around 200 BC. Later, it would reach Europe through the Arabs and eventually spread throughout the world, becoming the material that it is today. However, the way of making craft paper is far from the methods used today.
If you want to know what kinds of paper are used to make books, keep reading Green Ecologist because we will explain it to you below.
Cellulose is the basis of any paper
The basic material with which any type of paper is made is cellulose. Cellulose is a material that is obtained from plants (it is also present in some species of the protista kingdom). Thus, cellulose is a molecule mainly present in plants and that, when it is separated and isolated, a paste is obtained that can be used to make different objects or more processed materials, including paper. Due to this, the largest amount of material that makes up any paper or cardboard is made of cellulose, including also the different papers that are used for making books.
Within plants, cellulose is a very abundant molecule. In fact, it constitutes the most abundant organic matter in terrestrial areas. This is because cellulose is one of the molecules that makes up the wall of plant cells. That is, it is present in a large amount in plants, since it is responsible for the protection and isolation of each of their cells.
Types of paper for making books
However, although cellulose is the basis of any paper or cardboardToday, you can find papers of many types. This is because, although the base is celluloseThanks to various substances and subsequent treatments, it is possible to give it a different finish as the case may be. An example of these treatments is found in paper whitening. Cellulose is not white, but rather grayish or brownish. To get it to take on the white color so characteristic of paper, various substances are used, including chlorine, especially a pollutant if it is released into the environment.
Likewise, it must also be borne in mind that, when it comes to make books, there are many different types of paper, as each one is better suited to the specific needs of each book. Some of the types of paper to make books that are most common are the following:
- Offset paper: It is the standard white paper, it is one of the most common, since it is quite cheap to produce and is used in a general way for almost any type of book or binding.
- Boned or ivory paper: It is a paper with certain yellowish touches and somewhat rougher to the touch. It is a paper that allows comfortable reading, so it is mainly used for printing literature books, such as stories, novels or poetry.
- Coated paper: This type of paper has a glossier finish due to the use of color-fixing chemicals. In fact, it is the most used in books that are printed in full color or, even, for magazines.
Why is it important to recycle paper
There are many people who think that, as the great base of paper is cellulose, an organic and biodegradable molecule, paper does not pollute. This would be true if today's paper were composed solely of this substance. However, the paper that is used today, both for making books and for magazines, brochures, folios, notebooks, some cardboard, and many other things, is made up of cellulose and dozens of synthetic chemicals which are what give it the final finish. Also, beyond the role itself, the inks that are used are composed in many cases of synthetic chemicals. In this way, if the paper decomposes in the environment, these synthetic chemical substances end up also dispersing in the environment, making it a type of polluting material despite its low resistance to degradation. In addition, the paper manufacturing process also involves environmental pollution (for example by the emission of gases).
Therefore, the correct thing to do when disposing of paper or cardboard is to deposit it in a paper recycling bin (the blue ones). In this way, cellulose fibers can be decomposed in a controlled way and reused for the manufacture of new paper, so that potentially polluting waste is transformed into raw material that can be used again without the need to cut more trees to obtain virgin cellulose.
Expand this information with this other Green Ecologist article in which we talk about Why it is important to recycle paper and cardboard and in this one about What is the environmental impact of paper consumption.
If you want to read more articles similar to What kinds of paper are used to make books, we recommend that you enter our category of Other ecology.
