Nippon's Nanofiber Diapers Could Help Boost Japan's Economic Growth

With the success of its nanofiber diapers, Nippon Paper Industries Co. will build a factory to mass produce its nanofiber next year. The market for its nanofiber products could be worth up to 1 trillion yen or $8.2 billion by 2030, which will help boost the country's economic growth.

According to Bloomberg, Cellulose nanofiber is made out of organic material, which makes it one-fifth lighter than steel, but is five times more robust. It is also abundant and environmentally friendly. It can be used on smart phone screens, it can be used for car bodies, and it can even slow down the melting of ice cream. This is Nippon Paper's move to increase revenue amidst the dwindling population of Japan and the declining sales of newspapers and books as more people prefer online content.

Nippon Paper is one of the top paper manufacturers in Japan. The other is Oji Holdings Corp., which according to Lesprom Network has developed an innovative process to produce cellulose nanofibers in Tokushima. Producing the element used to be difficult because of the energy requirement involved in the pulp refining process that creates the nanofibers.

In the official site of Nippon Paper Group, cellulose nanofiber comes from wood-derived fiber (pulp), which will be defibrated to the nano level into smaller particles. It is considered as the most advanced biomass material in the world.

Since it is made from plants, it has minimum impact to the environment during production and when it is disposed. It is very light, it has very elastic modulus, it has the capacity for thermal expansion, and it has high barrier properties that stop oxygen and gases.

With its characteristics and properties, it is seen as a very useful material for a wide range of applications such as electronic devices, high gas barrier packaging material, filter material, cosmetics, medicine, foods, and health care.