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πŸš€ Inventions and machines πŸ“‘ Communication

Paper

Leading paper-producing countries
Leading paper-producing countries

πŸ“– In short

Paper is one of the most important things in our lives: we write and draw on it, read books and magazines printed on it, and make boxes, bags and tissues from it. Most paper today is made from the wood of trees.

🀩 Did you know?

  • Papermaking began in Baghdad in 795.
  • Some papermaking machines are more than 110 meters long.
  • The first wood pulp for paper was produced in England in 1854.
  • The ancient Egyptians wrote on papyrus, made from a plant that grows by the Nile.

πŸ”Ž Find out more

🌟 A Chinese invention

The Chinese invented paper about two thousand years ago, making it from tree bark and old rags. And they kept the secret for a long time.

πŸ” Baghdad, city of paper

Muslims learned to make paper, and a paper mill was set up in Baghdad more than 1200 years ago. So books and libraries spread through Muslim lands, then papermaking passed to al-Andalus and Europe.

πŸ’‘ How is it made?

Wood is cut into small pieces and cooked in water until it becomes a soft pulp of fibers. Then the pulp is spread on a long mesh, the water is squeezed out and it's dried on hot rollers, becoming paper.

🎯 Recycle paper

Old paper can be recycled into new paper, which protects trees. So put used paper in the recycling bin, and write on both sides of the page.

πŸ“Έ More pictures

How paper is made from wood
How paper is made from wood
A modern paper roll. The picture shows the last steps in making paper, as this computer-controlled machine winds the paper into a big roll before it's cut into sheets.
A modern paper roll. The picture shows the last steps in making paper, as this computer-controlled machine winds the paper into a big roll before it's cut into sheets.
Papermaking in ancient Egypt: paper was made from papyrus fibers. This painting on an old temple wall shows workers harvesting papyrus and tying it in bundles. In Japan papermaking involved mixing fibers with water (left picture). On the right a worker lifts the mixture with a sieve-like mold, letting the water drain away and leaving the fibers in the mold to dry into sheets. The papermaking machine was the first device that could make paper in a continuous roll instead of separate sheets. Nicolas-Louis Robert invented this machine in 1798.
Papermaking in ancient Egypt: paper was made from papyrus fibers. This painting on an old temple wall shows workers harvesting papyrus and tying it in bundles. In Japan papermaking involved mixing fibers with water (left picture). On the right a worker lifts the mixture with a sieve-like mold, letting the water drain away and leaving the fibers in the mold to dry into sheets. The papermaking machine was the first device that could make paper in a continuous roll instead of separate sheets. Nicolas-Louis Robert invented this machine in 1798.

🧩 Test yourself

1 Who invented paper?

2 How can we protect trees?

3 Papermaking began in Baghdad in ?? .

4 Which picture shows β€œPaper”?

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