It is clearly uneconomic to remove the lignin for many paper and card applications. G) It also means, of course, that lignin-free paper is going to be more expensive, but that is nevertheless what the archivist must look for in his supplies. There is no point whatsoever in carefully placi...
Microbial activity can also cause decay of paper and pulp. Chemical pulp provides less nutrition to microorganisms because many substances in wood are dissolved by the chemicals used in chemical pulping, leaving behind cellulose and some lignin. Most of the soluble substances are then removed from t...
This is why paper — including the pages of everything from sheet music to dictionaries — is usually white. [Why Is Cow's Milk White?] But when lignin is exposed to light and the surrounding air, its molecular structure changes. Lignin is a polymer, meaning it's built from batches of...
By allowing paper and books to start drying instead of freezing, additional damage is occurring to the documents. The escaping water molecules separate and break the paper fibers while rendering the lignin useless. Paper generally swells about 25% greater in volume and 30% or greater in reduced ...