cotton and linen rags were the papermaker's raw materials and rag collectors were a common sight in the Western world. However, the demand for paper eventually out-paced the supply of rags. A new way had to be found to overcome the constant shortage of papermaking fibre.

As is often the case with momentous discoveries, a combination of instinct and keen observation gave rise to the notion that wood or plant fibres could be used to make paper. A French naturalist, Rene de Reaumur, observed that, in its texture,a wasp's nest closely resembles paper. He and other scientists after him set about replicating this clever insect's work.

By the mid 19th century, advances in pulping technology had made it possible to produce paper from wood fibre, providing the impetus for the growth of Canada's pulp and paper industry.

 

Wood is composed of cellulose (the woody substance that constitutes the cell walls of trees and plants), lignin (which binds the cellulose and gives wood its strength and flexibility), water, and traces of materials like gums, resins, sugars, and mineral salts.

Papermaking starts with the pulping process for, to apply the phenomenon of papermaking, the raw material, usually wood, must be reduced to a fibrous state. Pulping, or separating the fibres, can be accomplished by mechanical or chemical means or by a combination of the two. The pulping process selected depends upon the available fibre (hardwood, softwood, or a combination of these two, recyclable paper or wood-free materials such as rags, linen or cotton), the machinery and equipment in place, and the end product required.

 

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