https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/science-nature/technology/20250605-259501/

Please disable the ad blocking feature.

To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload
the page.

This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for
purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and
analyzing our website traffic. By clicking "Accept all," you will
allow the use of these cookies.

Accept all Reject all

Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to
view this site without your consent. We apologize for any
inconvenience caused.

  *  
  *  
  * [                    ]

  * The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun

  * Japanese
  *   
  *  
  * SUBSCRIBE
  *  
  * SIGN UP
  *  
  * SUBSCRIBE
  *  
  * SIGN UP

  * Latest News
  * Politics
      + Politics & Government
      + Defense & Security
      + Elections
      + Political Series
      + G7 Summit
  * Society
      + General News
      + Crime & Courts
      + Imperial Family
      + Obituaries
      + Social Series
      + Coronavirus
      + Noto Peninsula Earthquake
  * Business
      + Economy
      + Companies
      + Markets
      + Business Series
      + YIES
  * World
      + Asia - Pacific
      + US & Canada
      + Europe
      + Russia
      + Wider World
      + Global
      + US Presidential Election
  * News Services
      + Washington Post
      + Associated Press
      + Reuters
      + AFP - Jiji
  * Editorial & Columns
      + Yomiuri Editorial
      + Political Pulse
      + Insights into the World
      + Cultural Viewpoints
      + Outside Contributors
  * Sports
      + Baseball
      + Soccer
      + Basketball
      + Rugby
      + Golf
      + Tennis
      + Sumo
      + Figure Skating
      + Other Sports
      + Soccer World Cup
      + Olympics & Paralympics
  * Science & Nature
      + Science
      + Technology
      + Environment
      + Climate Change
  * Culture
      + Manga & Anime
      + Film & TV
      + Kabuki / Noh / Rakugo
      + Performing Arts
      + Art
      + Fashion
      + Music
      + Books & Literature
      + Museums
  * JN Specialties
      + Perspectives
      + Donald Keene's Legacy
      + Ramen of Japan
      + Delicious Beautiful Spectacular JAPAN
      + Decommissioning Fukushima
      + Weekly Edition
      + Vantage Point
      + Video
  * Features
      + Delicious
      + Japan in Focus
      + Travel Spots
      + Troubleshooter
      + Neko Pitcher
      + Political Cartoons

  * Latest News
  * Politics
  * Society
  * Business
  * World
  * News Services
  * Editorial & Columns
  * Sports
  * Science & Nature
  * Culture
  * JN Specialities
  * Features

  * Home Page
  * Latest News
  * Politics.
      + Politics & Government
      + Defense & Security
      + Elections
      + Political Series
      + G7 Summit
  * Society.
      + General News
      + Crime & Courts
      + Imperial Family
      + Obituaries
      + Social Series
      + Coronavirus
      + Noto Peninsula Earthquake
  * Business.
      + Economy
      + Companies
      + Markets
      + Business Series
      + YIES
  * World.
      + US Presidential Election
      + Asia - Pacific
      + US & Canada
      + Europe
      + Russia
      + Wider World
      + Global
  * News Services.
      + Washington Post
      + Associated Press
      + Reuters
      + AFP - Jiji
  * Editorial & Columns.
      + Yomiuri Editorial
      + Political Pulse
      + Insights into the World
      + Cultural Viewpoints
      + Outside Contributors
  * Sports.
      + Baseball
      + Soccer
      + Basketball
      + Rugby
      + Golf
      + Tennis
      + Sumo
      + Figure Skating
      + Other Sports
      + Soccer World Cup
      + Olympics & Paralympics
  * Science & Nature.
      + Science
      + Technology
      + Environment
      + Climate Change
  * Culture.
      + Manga & Anime
      + Film & TV
      + Kabuki / Noh / Rakugo
      + Performing Arts
      + Art
      + Fashion
      + Music
      + Books & Literature
      + Museums
  * JN Specialties.
      + Perspectives
      + Donald Keene's Legacy
      + Ramen of Japan
      + Delicious Beautiful Spectacular JAPAN
      + Decommissioning Fukushima
      + Weekly Edition
      + Vantage Point
      + Video
  * Features.
      + Delicious
      + Japan in Focus
      + Travel Spots
      + Troubleshooter
      + Neko Pitcher
      + Political Cartoons

[                    ]
  * LOGIN
  * SUBSCRIBE
  * LOGIN
  * SIGN UP
  * MY ACCOUNT
  * SUBSCRIBE
  * MY ACCOUNT
  * SIGN UP

  * Latest News
  * Politics
      + Politics & Government
      + Defense & Security
      + Elections
      + Political Series
      + G7 Summit
  * Society
      + General News
      + Crime & Courts
      + Imperial Family
      + Obituaries
      + Social Series
      + Coronavirus
      + Noto Peninsula Earthquake
  * Business
      + Economy
      + Companies
      + Markets
      + Business Series
      + YIES
  * World
      + US Presidential Election
      + Asia - Pacific
      + US & Canada
      + Europe
      + Russia
      + Wider World
      + Global
  * News Services
      + Washington Post
      + Associated Press
      + Reuters
      + AFP - Jiji
  * Editorial & Columns
      + Yomiuri Editorial
      + Political Pulse
      + Insights into the World
      + Cultural Viewpoints
      + Outside Contributors
  * Sports
      + Baseball
      + Soccer
      + Basketball
      + Rugby
      + Golf
      + Tennis
      + Sumo
      + Figure Skating
      + Other Sports
      + Soccer World Cup
      + Olympics & Paralympics
  * Science & Nature
      + Science
      + Technology
      + Environment
      + Climate Change
  * Culture
      + Manga & Anime
      + Film & TV
      + Kabuki / Noh / Rakugo
      + Performing Arts
      + Art
      + Fashion
      + Music
      + Books & Literature
      + Museums
  * JN Specialties
      + Perspectives
      + Donald Keene's Legacy
      + Ramen of Japan
      + Delicious Beautiful Spectacular JAPAN
      + Decommissioning Fukushima
      + Weekly Edition
      + Vantage Point
      + Video
  * Features
      + Delicious
      + Japan in Focus
      + Travel Spots
      + Troubleshooter
      + Neko Pitcher
      + Political Cartoons

Hot word :

  * #Shigeo Nagashima
  * #Rice Crisis
  * #2025 Expo Osaka
  * #Trump Tariffs

Home>Science & Nature>Technology

  * Technology

Japanese Researchers Develop 'Transparent Paper' as Alternative to
Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with Low
Carbon Emissions

  * Post
  * Share
  * Post

[transparen] Photos courtesy of JAMSTEC
Scenery 100 meters away is seen through a sheet of transparent paper
which is 0.7 millimeters thick.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:47 JST, June 5, 2025

A team of researchers with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science
and Technology (JAMSTEC) and other entities have developed thick
sheets of transparent paper using cellulose, a material made from
plant biomass.

The transparent paper sheets can be broken down by microbes into
water and carbon dioxide. Also, they can be used to make containers
because they are thicker than conventional cellulose-based materials.
The new material is expected to replace plastics for this purpose, as
plastics are a source of ocean pollution.

To make the paper sheets, the team used cellulose powder made from
fibers found on the surfaces of cotton seeds. They dissolved the
powder in a lithium bromide-water solution, mixing it in as they
raised it to a high temperature until it became a gel, at which point
the material was shaped and dried.

When the researchers shaped the material into cups and straws, they
found that it was about as strong as polycarbonate, a type of
plastic.

The paper sheets become transparent because they are packed tightly
with nanometer-scale (one 1-billionth of a meter) fibers. The
concentration of these fibers allows light to pass straight through
the sheets without experiencing diffusion.

Even a sheet of the transparent paper that is 0.7 millimeters thick
remains flexible, and scenery 100 meters away can be clearly seen
through it.

On the assumption that the paper sheets will be washed into the
ocean, the team investigated its biodegradability. The researchers
sank the paper sheets into the ocean and checked whether microbes
there were able to dissolve them.

The results showed that the deeper the place under the sea was, the
slower the dissolution progressed, because there are fewer microbes
in the deep ocean. But the paper sheets were mostly dissolved within
four months even at 757 meters below the surface.

[transparen] Photos courtesy of JAMSTEC
A cup and a straw made of the newly developed transparent paper

So far, paper packs have been the most common alternatives to plastic
containers.

But business experts have pointed out that consumers are less willing
to buy goods in paper packs because they cannot see the contents.

Transparent paper could overcome this problem, but bringing the
material to market will require factories with the technology to
mass-produce it.

Noriyuki Isobe, a deputy chief researcher for JAMSTEC, said, "If a
plant for demonstration experiments of the technology is built, we
estimate that the cost to produce the material will be about three
times that of ordinary paper, while the volume of CO2 emissions can
be kept to about half that of the plastic making process."

Prof. Masaya Nogi of the University of Osaka, an expert on wooden
materials, said, "There have been other types of transparent paper in
the past, but the advantage of this over those is that it has been
proven to be biodegradable in the deep sea."

Add TheJapanNews to your Google News feed. [googlenews]
Return to Technology&nbspPage

Technology Latest Articles

  * [the-japann]

    Spanish Firm Launches Lunar Navigation System

  * [keisansho-]

    Japan to Introduce Automated Driving System for Official Govt
    Veh...

  * [nuclear-fu]

    3 of Japan's Nuclear Fusion Institutes to Receive Y=10 Billion in
    ...

  * [20231109G0]

    Research Team Develops Auto Parts Made from Recycled Plastic;
    War...

Latest Articles

  * [JW-Moses-m]

    Kagoshima: Sandbar Allows Visitors to 'Walk Across Sea' Like
    Mose...

  * [the-japann]

    Basic Economic, Fiscal Policy Draft: Deepen Strategy to Increase
    ...

  * [the-japann]

    Ruling on Nuclear Accident: Y=13 Trillion Compensation Decision
    Ov...

  * [JW-horsesh]

    Okayama: Catch of Live Horseshoe Crabs Hits 35-year High

Popular Articles

(*)Today ( )1week ( )1month

Popular articles in the past 24 hours

  * [JW-Moses-m]

    Kagoshima: Sandbar Allows Visitors to 'Walk Across Sea' Like
    Mose...

  * [JWkeisho-m]

    Heirs to Kyoto Talent: Metal Ornament Craftsmen Responsible for
    C...

  * [Princess-K]

    Princess Kako Visits Japanese Cultural Center in Sao Paulo;
    Princ...

  * [the-japann]

    Basic Economic, Fiscal Policy Draft: Deepen Strategy to Increase
    ...

  * [FTC-Amazon]

    Japan's Competition Regulator Says Tech Giants' Integration of
    Ow...

  * [ECThe-Wide]

    The Last-ditch Race to Save the Orinoco Crocodile

  * [INTL-STUDE]

    International Students Scared to Leave U.S., Return to School
    aft...

  * [2025-06-02]

    87 Japan Universities to Help Intl Students after Harvard Ban

Popular articles in the past week

  * [transparen]

    Japanese Researchers Develop 'Transparent Paper' as Alternative
    t...

  * [the-japann]

    Mt. Fuji Eruption: Preparations Necessary for Widespread Ashfall

  * [Egypt-inte]

    Egyptian Candidate for Unesco's Top Spot Stresses Agency's Role
    i...

  * [Emperor-25]

    Japan's Emperor, Empress, Princess Aiko Visit Okinawa Pref. To
    Co...

  * [Yhq-yoko2-]

    Survey: 71% See Late Marriages, Unmarried Individuals as Causes
    o...

  * [linear-P-2]

    Japan's Maglev Shinkansen's Partially Completed Station
    Unveiled;...

  * [kakoyoko-2]

    Princess Kako Departs from Narita Airport for 1st Official Visit
    ...

  * [study-mang]

    'Study Manga' Make Easy Reading out of Educational Content, and
    T...

Popular articles in the past month

  * [toyoda2-P-]

    Toyoda to Become Automobile Business Association of Japan
    Chairma...

  * [scanner-ma]

    Advance Payments for 2025 Rice Foretell Rising Prices; Big
    Buyers...

  * [biofuel-1-]

    Japan to Introduce Car Fuel with Up to 10% Biofuels from Fiscal
    2...

  * [tax1-250x1]

    Japan's Current Account Surplus Hits Y=30.3 Trillion in Fy2024;
    In...

  * [transparen]

    Japanese Researchers Develop 'Transparent Paper' as Alternative
    t...

  * [rice-P-WEB]

    Rice Prices Dip for First Time in 18 Weeks as Govt Stockpiles
    Rea...

  * [tax1-250x1]

    Consumption Tax Exemption to Be Nixed for Low-Cost Imported
    Items...

  * [scanner-si]

    Auto Industry Downturn Could Shake Japan's Economy; Blow to
    Expor...

"Science & Nature" POPULAR ARTICLE

  * [nuclear-fu]

    3 of Japan's Nuclear Fusion Institutes to Receive Y=10 Billion in
    Funding, as Govt Aims to Speed Up Research

  * [Dark-finge]

    Study Doubts Water Flows Caused Streaks on Martian Slopes

  * [PHawaii_s-]

    Bone Collector Caterpillar Wears Body Parts of Dead Prey

  * [Urashima-8]

    Japan Unveils Urashima 8000 Underwater Drone Capable of Diving
    8,000 Meters Under the Sea

  * [greenhouse]

    New Satellite to Make Detailed Survey of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    Across Entire Globe in 3 Days

JN ACCESS RANKING

  * [toyoda2-P-]

    Toyoda to Become Automobile Business Association of Japan
    Chairman; to Help Guide U.S. Tariff-Affected Industriessns

  * [scanner-ma]

    Advance Payments for 2025 Rice Foretell Rising Prices; Big Buyers
    Moving Early; Farmers Spurred to Grow More

  * [biofuel-1-]

    Japan to Introduce Car Fuel with Up to 10% Biofuels from Fiscal
    2028; Limited Rollout Expected at Areas with Refineries

  * [tax1-250x1]

    Japan's Current Account Surplus Hits Y=30.3 Trillion in Fy2024;
    Increase of 16.1% from Previous Year

  * [transparen]

    Japanese Researchers Develop 'Transparent Paper' as Alternative
    to Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with
    Low Carbon Emissions

 

  * [20250227WE]
  * [20250220WE]
  * [weekly_202]
  * [weekly_202]

The Japan News / Weekly Edition

Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an
exciting, readable fomat.

Read more

  * 
     1. The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
     2.  
     3. X_en

        eng

     4. X_jp

        jp

     5.  
     6.  
     7. Subscription of Newspaper
  * 
        Politics
        Society
        Business
        World
        News Services
        Editorial & Columns
        Sports
        Science & Nature
        Culture
        JN Specialties
        Features
        Video

  * 
        About us
        Membership Terms & Conditions
        Website Policies
        FAQ
        Advertise

(c) 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun