What are the potential environmental advantages of the more promising of these fiber sources?
Three of the more promising alternative sources are offered by agricultural residues, hesperaloe, and kenaf. Agricultural residues have the advantage of providing fiber without growing anything beyond what is already produced. As noted above, channeling excess residues into papermaking would mean they are not burned in open fields, a practice that contributes to air pollution and releases greenhouse gases. Researchers have estimated that as much as 280 million tons of residues are available in the U.S. alone and could be diverted for paper production. [6] Hesperaloe, an arid-zone perennial, can be farmed with 30% less water than cotton and can be harvested at 18-month intervals over an 11-year period without replanting. Because of its superior fiber quality, 1 pound of hesperaloe pulp can replace 2 to 4 pounds of typical wood-fiber pulp. As a result, lighter weight paper can be manufactured for a given purpose than is possible with wood-based fibers. That results in lower costs for pur
