A young scientist from Arkhangelsk has found a way to make paper from cotton waste, but the new method won't be available in Russia.

Technology using cotton stems invented postgraduate student at the Arkhangelsk Northern Federal University (NArFU) Ismail Sodikov.

Cotton stalks are now considered post-harvest waste. Some are used as fuel or livestock feed, but most remain in the fields.

The process of making paper from cotton stems is not complicated and does not require the construction of factories, as is the case with traditional production from wood.

Head of the Department of Pulp and Paper and Wood Chemical Production at NArFU Natalia Shcherbak says, that in the USSR there was a practice of producing materials from plants. For example, in Astrakhan There was a factory where they made fiberboard from reeds.

The university believes that Sodikov's development will help launch paper production in regions where timber is scarce.

The method has already attracted interest in the scientist’s homeland, Uzbekistan, where just last year collected more than 3 million tons of cotton.

But for Russian regions the new technology is not yet relevant, explains Director of the Russian Cotton company Vasily Fursov:

"In Russia, many companies in the Krasnodar, Stavropol, and Volgograd regions attempted to revive cotton cultivation. The main reason for their failure was that the technology was not taken into account, and there was a lack of specialized equipment and prepared fields. As a result, cotton remains unproduced commercially."

Revenue of paper and paper product manufacturers in Russia in 2024 made 1,68 trillion rubles. This is 16,8% more than last year.