Making paper using dead leaves instead of healthy trees: that’s the idea of Ukrainian startup Releaf Paper.
As a student, founder Valentin Hrecica used his passion for biochemistry to find a new way to manufacture cellulose, the main raw material for paper.
After failed experiments with grass and straw, he discovered he could extract fiber from the leaves.
After creating a working prototype, he moved to Paris due to the war in Ukraine and founded Releaf Paper with his partner, Alexander Sobolenko.
Is paper made from leaves environmentally friendly?
Releaf uses a combination of chemical and mechanical processes to produce one tonne of cellulose from 2.3 tonnes of dead leaves.
Typically, 17 trees would be needed to produce the same amount.
Cities across Europe are collecting dry leaves from the streets and donating them to Releaf, rather than burning them, as is common in many places.
“We only use leaves that we get from the city because we can’t use leaves from the forest. It’s not easy to collect leaves from the forest and there’s no need to do that because of the ecosystem.
“In cities, green “We’re recovering waste that should be recovered. It’s a good solution because we get fiber to make paper and we give lignin back as semi-fertilizer for cities to fertilize their gardens and trees. So it’s really a win-win model,” Frejchika explains.
Releaf’s process involves removing the solid compounds from the leaves, drying them and turning them into pellets, allowing the raw material to be stored year-round and ensuring a continuous production cycle.
The pellets are converted into special fibers that are used to make paper, and the resulting pulp is compressed and rolled into sheets. paper.
What impact does paper production have on the environment?
Relief Paper estimates that the process could reduce emissions by 78%. carbon dioxide 15 times less than traditional production methods water.
“Leaf-based paper decomposes in soil in 30 days, while regular paper decomposes in more than 270 days,” says Releaf Paper.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the paper industry accounts for 13-15% of wood consumption and uses 33-40% of all industrial timber sold worldwide.
Is paper made from leaves as durable as regular paper?
The company sells papers from 70 to 300 g/m² suitable for a variety of applications, from packaging papers (bags, e-commerce envelopes, etc.) to corrugated packaging (cartons, egg cartons).
The startup produces around 3 million shopping bags per month and counts customers such as L’Oreal, Samsung, LVMHLogitec, Google, and Schneider Electric.
young person Ukrainian The company opened its first commercial factory outside Paris in July and hopes to eventually have production plants around the world.
The first facility, which has the capacity to process 5,000 tonnes of leaves per year, will be partly funded by the European Union and will receive green waste from the City of London. Paris.
Base Station F In Paris, the young entrepreneur, who has already won several awards since starting his business, was named one of three finalists for the European Patent Office’s (EPO) Young Inventor Award for 2024. The result will be announced on July 9th.
Check out the video above to learn more about how to make paper from dead leaves.
