Durian fruit is native to Thailand and it has a hard or durable skin that also contains fibers that can be turned into paper. Fruits with similar skins or husks include the cogon, banana and abaca. Since the skin of these fruits is typically discarded and is not edible, turning the husks into paper is one way to reduce waste. If you enjoy paper crafting, writing letters on pretty stationary or want to start your own paper product business, then turning durian fruit into paper helps you to accomplish any of these three goals.
Things You'll Need:
- Durian Fruit Husks
- Water
- Bucket, Bowl Or Sink
- Paper Mold Or Wood Assembled Into A Square
- Tray
- Potassium Permanganate
- Pot
- Knife
- Chopping Block
- Newspaper
Peel the rinds from the durian fruit or other types of fruits. Chop up the rinds into pieces to make it easier for soaking.
Add 20 liters of water to a sink, clean bucket or bowl. Add the rinds to the water, along with about one teaspoon of potassium permanganate, which is a crystalline compound. Allow the durian fruit rinds to soak for about 30 minutes and remove from the water.
Tear newspaper into small pieces. Soak the newspaper in a bucket of water for 24 hours.
Add the durian rinds to about 40 liters of water and boil for one hour. Allow the rinds to cool completely.
Mix seven parts of the durian and water mixture with one part of the newspaper liquid substance. Pour the mixture into a pot with 40 liters of water and mix well.
Place the paper mold or wooden frame on to a tray. Place on a flat surface. Pour the mixture into a paper mold. You only need to pour the mixture so that it is one-half to 1-inch deep or thick so that it creates a sheet of paper.
Play the mixture in the sun to dry. The drying process typically takes about five hours. You can store the paper in a dry area until you are ready to use it.
Tip
You can add additional fibers or materials to your paper such as press flowers, rose petals or other fibrous materials. Add any desired materials to the mixture step prior to pouring the mixture into the mold and drying it in the sun.
Other than writing paper or decorative paper, you can also create picture frames, decorative boxes and other paper-based products out of durian fruit.
Paper made from durian fruit has a natural brown color. You can turn the paper a different color by adding the dye color of your choice to the mixture prior to drying the mixture in the sun.
Writer Bio
Kristie Lorette started writing professionally in 1996. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and multinational business from Florida State University and a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Her work has appeared online at Bill Savings, Money Smart Life and Mortgage Loan.
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