Ahead of the Curve Archive

3D printing cellulose materials for cars, cruise ships, and more

07 Apr 2021 Cellulose is an ideal raw material for electrical insulation components, but manufacturing these products requires a considerable measure of craftsmanship.

World's first sculptural paper art museum opens in Berlin

31 Mar 2021 Over the years, we have explored many exciting new uses for paper and its components, lignin and cellulose, here in Ahead of the Curve. This week’s news brings us an opportunity to showcase a new museum that honors one of the oldest—and as philosophers may argue, highest—ways that paper can be used in human culture: as art.

What is Our Industry’s Most Critical Workforce Need?

24 Mar 2021 This article is provided to Ahead of the Curve readers as a “sneak peek” at the forthcoming March/April 2021 issue of Paper360°, which includes a feature section on workforce issues. Check www.paper360.tappi.org.

Graphene Oxide Membranes Could Reduce Paper Industry Energy Costs

17 Mar 2021 The Georgia Tech Renewable Bioproducts Institute reports that a new engineered membrane may be able to help improve filtering efficiency for pulping wastewater. Can that help mills save money on energy, too?

Paper Correspondence Is Bridging the Digital Divide in Vaccine Rollout

10 Mar 2021 “Unprecedented” and “an historic challenge” are some of the terms medical experts use to describe the efforts to get COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of entire populations as quickly as possible. The science was its own miracle, and the extreme temperature-controlled logistics from manufacturers to local vaccination sites is a marvel in progress that continues to be fine-tuned.

The Secret to M&R All Great Organizations Know

03 Mar 2021 In all of my experience, I’ve noticed that the best performing organizations do one thing in common. It’s the secret to maintenance and reliability all great organizations know, and today I’d like to share it with you. It can be said in one word…

Safety, Sustainability, Recycling are Top Advocacy Priorities

24 Feb 2021 This article originally appeared on the AF&PA website at www.afandpa.org. AF&PA advances public policies that promote a strong and sustainable US forest products industry in the global marketplace.

At WestRock, Safety is Universal

17 Feb 2021 The following article is an excerpt from the cover feature of Paper360°’s January/February issue, and is offered here for AOTC readers who may have missed it. Catch the entire feature at paper360.tappi.org.

Properties, not chemistry, form roadmap for biofuels design

10 Feb 2021 The following is excerpted from an article originally published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its cooperation with the US Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines initiative.

Cellulose-based food packaging moves to testing phase

03 Feb 2021 The following article comes from a VTT news release dated January 28, 2021. VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutions; see below for more details.