Thin
Straw Pulp Papers are being made in some rural areas of Myanmar as a
cottage industry. Straw makes excellent paper. Straw fibers are similar
to hardwood fibers and straw pulp is used to make handmade paper in a
similar manner. There is plenty of straw produced globally, about 1.5
billion tons annually.
Straw papers are generally imported from China and other Asian
countries. Earlier North America was considered to be the largest
producer of straw fibers to make paper but currently there is no market
for handmade straw paper and pulp in North America.
Making of Straw Paper
- Cereal straw is rested in water and lime in clay pots for few
days.
- After few days, the straw is cooked and steamed under a wood fire
for thirty hours.
- The material is then rinsed and washed in cold water.
- The fiber is then beaten with a metal tipped, wooden stamper.
- Water is then added to pulp and a pronged wooden rod is twirled
to disperse the fibers. The slurry is then poured into the screen
immersed in water.
- Distribute the slurry evenly on the screen and lift out the
screen.
- Leave the screen in sun to dry.
- After drying, the sheets are removed from the screen.
Types
of Straw Paper
- Rice Straw Paper- Rice straw makes beautiful
handmade paper. Rice straw paper is translucent and absorbent finely
made with smooth surface and high quality. This paper is designed
for art uses.
- Bamboo Straw Paper- Bamboo leaves, branches and
clums are used to make wonderful handmade papers.
- Wheat Straw Paper- These are beautiful non
toxic handmade paper made from blended wheat straws.
Disadvantages of Using Straw Fibers to Make Handmade Paper
- Straw fibers have high silica content that causes problems in the
chemical recovery process such as scaling.
- Straw fibers have higher water retention capacity and this pose a
significant problem when separating water and pulp to make paper.
- Straw yields less pulp per ton of raw material.
- Straw bales takes three times space, so the transportation is
expensive.
