From POOP to POOPOOPAPER^TM

We love to introduce people to our paper making process and to teach them about the six steps that we use to make what we like to believe is a very beautiful, eco-friendly, organic, sustainable, tree-free POOPOOPAPER^TM. Explore and learn about each of the steps in what we call our Poop-to-Paper Process.

 

All Paper Pulp is Derived from Fiber

All papers everywhere are made from a pulp mixture derived from fiber materials. The most common papers today are made using wood pulp from cut trees. We use NO wood pulp in our paper. Our pulp mixture is made from fibers that are 100% Tree-Free, Sustainable and Chemical free - Poo (Pooh, Poop or Dung) fibers - of course. We use Poo fibers from elephants, cows, horses, donkeys, buffalos, along with other animal and plant waste-materials to make our amazing, all natural, TREE-FREE, Chemical-FREE, POOPOOPAPER products.

All the animals that generate the poo that we require for our paper making process have at least two things in common:

Poop to Paper the Process - Collecting

Elephant poo fibers are collected from some of the many elephant sanctuaries and parks in northern Thailand and our local mahout network. Poop fibers from other animals such as cows, horses, Thai buffalos, donkeys etc. come to us from many farms, dairies and stables in the region. All these materials are abundant locally and in many cases our removal of the waste material helpful and welcome.

Poop to Paper the Process - Cleaning

Cleaning and boiling are important stages in the POOPOOPAPER paper making process. All non-fiber materials such as pebbles, dirt, mud, leaves etc. are removed as much as possible at this point so that all that remains is actual fiber material. The fibers are then ‘boiled to a pulp’ for 4-6 hours which softens the fibers and makes them more supple resulting in an oatmeal-like slurry. The boiling process occurs at 90-100 degrees celsius in order to ensure that the protein based cells of any bacteria are destroyed by extreme heat. Our cleaning and boiling processes use no chemicals or other cleansing agents like bleach or chlorine that would be harmful to the environment – only water. Therefore, after cleaning and boiling the fibers the waste water can be re-used to boil more fibers or used to nourish our trees, flowers and gardens adjacent to our production.

Poop to Paper the Process - Mixing

The next step is to thoroughly mix and blend the poo pulp fibers together with other seasonally available non-wood fiber pulp material which allows us to make a stronger, well bonded sheet of paper. These non-wood fibers may include corn stalks, pineapple husks, hay, banana tree trunks, mulberry bark and others depending on seasonal availability. The mixing and blending process further transforms the raw pulp into a stringy, cellulose-filled, stew mixture.

Poop to Paper the Process - Coloring

Once adequately mixed and blended, coloring may be added to the off-white mixture. Our process uses non-toxic food coloring to achieve dozens of different colors. At this point, the pulp is removed from the mixing reservoir and formed into round balls of similar weight. The water is drained from the mixing reservoir and can be used again for the next batch or used to water surrounding vegetation.

Poop to Paper the Process - Screening

Screening refers to the process of making the actual sheets of paper using a framed screen. This method has not changed significantly since the innovation of paper in China in 105 AD.

• The pulp mixture is poured into a large sink or a basin filled with water where a framed screen is already submerged.
• The papermaker catches the sinking pulp fibers with the framed screen and then manually spreads the fibers evenly across the entire surface of the screen.
• Once the fibers are evenly spread and any small particles are removed by hand, the screen is lifted out of the basin, the water drips down through the screen and the screen is placed upright into the sunlight to dry naturally.