First commercial batch of paper from fallen leaves produced in Ukraine

The Zhytomyr Cardboard Factory has released the first commercial batch of paper made from fallen leaves.

The technology creator, Valentyn Frechka told about it on his Facebook.

Valentin Frechka created the technology of producing paper from fall foliage as a schoolboy. The Zhytomyr Cardboard Factory became interested, finished it, and launched it into industrial production.

"As a result, we received 1.5 tons of paper with a density of 90 and 100 g/m2, a thickness of 0.2 mm, and a puncture resistance of 285 kPa," the founder of the technology wrote.

"The hardest road always leads to the top" is the first thing that comes to mind when developing the RE-leaf PAPER project in Ukraine. We faced several problems, including the lack of production facilities that would allow processing fallen leaves into fiber on an industrial scale. But we did it, and our peak, on a hard path, was the production of the first industrial tonnage of paper based on fallen leaves, which finally has the mechanical characteristics and meets the requirements. I remember the first time we conducted a pilot test on forming paper. And again, a year later, we reproduced everything with all the refinements in industrial production conditions," Valentyn said.

Frechka added that soon he is preparing to convert the manufactured batch of paper into paper bags, samples of paper utensils, and cardboard, and hopes for positive results.

Valentyn Frechka is a student of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, an inventor from Zakarpattia, who won a gold medal at the Genius Olympiad in New York for his project Recycle Of Fallen Leaves in 2018. The guy claims that by producing paper with his technology, it is possible to reduce deforestation by 18% worldwide in just one year, processing at least 600 kg of leaves per day.

Photo: Valentyn Frechka