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At ORNL, Biosciences Research Fuels the Future

The Future of Active and Intelligent Packaging to 2025

In 2020, the value of the combined active and intelligent packaging market—also referred to as smart packaging—is projected to reach US$6.33 billion, with the active packaging market valued at US$4.98 billion and the intelligent packaging market valued at US$1.35 billion.

Leading Mills Successfully into the Future

The global pandemic is rocking the business world, causing companies to quickly alter their priorities to remain stable. Mills need to be agile and adjust to the changing business climate.

Brighter days forecast for CelluForce

By Graeme Rodden. Note: This article is provided to Ahead of the Curve readers as an advance preview of the May/June issue of Paper360°, which mails later this week.

Coffee, tea, or… innovation

A paper leaf that dissolves into a cup of tea—a soothing skin treatment in a disposable mask—a confection tucked into a cocoa wrapper. These imaginative products aren’t from a fantasy novel; they were born in a new type of fiber-focused laboratory. These creations represent the innovative spirit that LeafLAB, a design company operating within Schweitzer-Mauduit International (SWM), is hoping to capture in its alternative-fiber products. The mission of the LeafLAB team is to use revolutionary fiber-recycling technologies to bring new botanical product concepts to life.

3 Things about the Paper Industry I Wish I’d Learned Sooner

By Sarah Garchinsky I come from a research and development background, with no previous paper experience. Now that I’m working regularly in mills, here are a few things that I wish I learned sooner about the paper industry.

We need a common language to describe lignin

By Anna Jacobs and Fredrik Aldaeus What do we mean when we say “lignin”? The answer depends on who you ask. A wood chemist probably regards lignin as a macromolecule with a certain chemical structure.

ORNL uses lignin to improve thermoplastic

Your car's bumper is probably made of a moldable thermoplastic polymer called ABS, shorthand for its acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene components. Light, strong and tough, it is also the stuff of ventilation pipes, protective headgear, kitchen appliances, Lego bricks and many other consumer products. Useful as it is, one of its drawbacks is that it is made using chemicals derived from petroleum.

ISRI Survey: Paper Mills Weigh In on Mixed-Waste Recycling

Contamination, odor, and excessive moisture are just a few of the reasons that paper mill fiber buyers cite for rejecting paper stock from mixed waste processing centers. This finding is part of the preliminary results from a survey conducted by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).

Study Underscores Forest Products’ Role in Climate Change

The Canadian Climate Forum has released an issues paper that documents how forests and products made from tree fiber will play an increasingly critical role in the transition to a low carbon economy.