ViaStone: Biodegradable Paper Made From Stone
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 08.24.06
ViaStone is a unique printing paper that is made with natural stone, inorganic mineral powder and trace amounts of non-toxic resins. It is designed to be used exclusively with inkjet printers. The production of Viastone is tree-free and does not require water or toxic agents. It is also biodegradable. Some have argued that using stone to produce paper is not entirely sustainable if production is upscaled, since it requires the extraction of limestone. Still, the production of Viastone and other stone-based papers is more benign than the process of producing conventional photo printing paper.
Other stone-based papers include Terraskin (watch out: awful Flash website) and Xterrane. But they don't seem to be readily available in the U.S.
The Image Shop Online has the full range of ViaStone paper.
:: ViaStone.
Wow. That's a really unique innovation. I want to know who had the brainstorm, "Hey! We should start writing on stone again!"
But is rock recyclable at all?
"Stone based papers is more benign than the process of producing conventional photo printing paper." - I'm not familiar with either process, but I find that very hard to believe. After all, cement production is a major source of green house gases because of the huge amount of energy required to turn solid rock into fine powder. Do you actually know if your statement is a fact, or are you just repeating a claim made by the paper makers PR department?
Don,
Apparently the source of the carbonate used in the paper is a waste byproduct of other manufacturing processes. Please explain which method of producing photographic paper you comparing it to.
would composting this with pet waste (for the ornamental crops) have any benefit?
Ironically (I think...could be simply coincidentally) I read an article in the NYTimes about young children in south Africa spending their days in stone quarries, pounding rocks into powder to sell to builders for use in concrete. The huge amount of energy in that case is generated by huge amounts of poverty and emits few greenhouse gases, but a lot of sadness.
TH has an earlier post on "rock paper" which is made in China, possibly on a similar process. Here is the link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/02/rock_paperwater.php
As inferred by another commenter, the calcium carbonate might be a chemical precipitate, a byproduct of another industrial process so it would be finely divided enough.
The resin used to hold rock paper together was reported to be virgin polyethylene. Then there were various proprietary formulations of coatings to admit and hold printing inks and make it water resistant, etc. If this material is made similarly, mfg is on the same sort of equipment used to make plastic films.
My concern is that there are biodegradation parallels to the legendary "green trash bag" issue. The manufacturers will have to establish whether the polymer resins actually biodgrade or whether they just become particulates in groundwater.
This sounds really great! What methods are used to break down the rock to fine powder and would this fine powder be damaging in some way to the invironment. Could you send me a sample and price list? Can it be used for all the same uses as tree paper?
I would like to market this item.
Kind regards, Therese
My address is C/Miguel Rossello i Alemany 39 6R
Palma de Mallorca 07015
Islas Baleares
Spain
I saw this for the first time today at Office Max but am concerned as no mention of the life of the printed photos. Will they last as long as the HP ink and paper I have now before fading? Is it archival and acid free? I need to poke around some more. I do very much like the matte finish-I refuse to buy that glossy stuff I see all the time so I have a stash of what I like.
Yes! Stone paper is great. FiberStone™ (naturalsourceprinting.com) is what you should be looking for. It has a beautifully smooth, white finish and is an eco friendly paper.
Yes! Stone paper is great. FiberStone™ (naturalsourceprinting.com) is what you should be looking for. It has a beautifully smooth, white finish and is an eco friendly paper.