Literature--ANL May 1996

Four papers that were cited in the Literature section of the last Alkaline Paper Advocate are of potential interest to people outside the paper industry:

"Development of Biopolymer Adsorbents for Heavy Metal Ion Separations," by R.G. Rorrer and T-Y. Hsien. Chitosan shows a high selectivity toward heavy metal ions over alkali metal ions. (3B1.5)

"Alum," by S.R. Boone. Alum's chemical and physical properties, and its many chemical reactions on the paper machine, are described. (3B3.45)

"Effects of a Starch-Based Foam Packing Material Entering a Waste Paper Recycle Mill," by J.A. Parsley et al. Biodegradable packing (starch-based foam) can be a serious problem in the paper mill. (3B3.61)

"The Kinetics of Residual Delignification and Factors Affecting the Amount of Residual Lignin During Kraft Pulping," by C.T. Lindgren and M.E. Lindström. The last 1% or so of lignin in wood pulp is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove without degrading the cellulose. The amount of residual lignin removed is not affected by temperature, but it is affected by a higher hydroxide ion concentration. (3B3.83)

"Hitting the Green Wall," by Rob Shelton and Jonathan Shopley, in Perspectives, a series of separately published reports from the international consulting agency Arthur D. Little, Inc., of Cambridge, MA. This brief report and additional information are available without charge; call Pat Mahon at Arthur D. Little, 617/498-5777. A longer treatment of the same issue is "Rethinking the Environment for Business Advantage," by J. Ladd Greeno, Karen Blumenfeld, and S. Nasir Ali, in Prism (Arthur D. Little's journal), 1st quarter 1996, p. 5-15.

The "green wall" is a communication gap between corporate environmental, health and safety (EHS) officers and the corporate managers, which often brings implementation of EHS programs to a halt. Arthur D. Little surveyed 185 corporations in the U.S. and Canada to examine this roadblock and to look for ways around it. Although they did not mention preservation programs, their report describes conditions that resemble those in preservation departments of libraries and archives, and their recommendations sound appropriate and useful too, though some allowance has to be made for the difference between library and corporate settings.

EHS managers surveyed said that two critical problems often impeding their ability to improve their companies' environmental management were 1) a lack of integration between environmental and business issues in the company, and 2) their own failure to convince management that environment is an important business issue. Insufficient resources were also a key factor.

They say the EHS function is still commonly viewed as an outside operation whose sole mission is to "keep the company out of trouble." Shelton notes that many business managers need to view the environment as a potential business opportunity, not just a liability that the environmental staff worries about. Also, environmental managers need to shift their self-image and operating style from technical advisers to business strategists; they need to break out of their old compliance and manufacturing mentality, and begin to reduce the barriers to collaboration with other business functions if the environment is ever to find its rightful place in corporations. (3B3.9)

Volume 21, Number 1 May 1997

Literature

Volume 21, Number 1
May 1997