The journey of turning straw into paper by a group of female students at a specialized school

2(3).jpg — Students in the paper-making group from straw at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted. Photo: PHAN VINH

Passion for research

Originating from their concern about plastic waste and disposable plastic bags, two female students Le Thanh Ngan (IT major) and Pham An Nhien (Physics major) of Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted came up with the idea of making bio-paper from straw, a material with a high cellulose content, very suitable for making paper.

Both spent a lot of time reading documents on the Internet, looking up the properties of raw materials, processing procedures and looking for solutions that could be applied at the school's laboratory scale.

3(3).jpg — Students perform the process of grinding straw to separate the cellulose component. Photo: PHAN VINH

Pham An Nhien shared: "At first, we tried to research materials such as sugarcane bagasse and corn stalks, but realized that these materials are currently used as feed for livestock. Meanwhile, straw has not been exploited much but still contains a high amount of cellulose to help create bonds between molecules to form a paper structure. From there, we decided to experiment with making paper with straw."

To complete the research, the two students invited Tran Nha Linh (a student in the Biology class) who is currently the Vice President of the school's Environmental Club to join. With a solid background in biology, Nha Linh contributed significantly to the analysis and improvement of the paper production process from straw to achieve high adhesion, smoothness and applicability.

1(4).jpg — The team members tested many times to produce a product with the desired quality. Photo: PHAN VINH

“We have to collect dry straw from the fields, soften it, and then grind it to create a thick mixture. Then, mix it with water and put it into molds to shape it according to each type of paper. The adhesive is completely based on the natural cellulose in the straw. The resulting products can be used to make bags, envelopes, file folders, greeting cards, and can also be hand-decorated to increase personalization,” Nha Linh shared.

In addition to focusing on the raw material processing process, the group also created the slogan "Straw spreads joy - Straw spreads green lifestyle" as a message to everyone about an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

[ VIDEO ] - The research team shares about the process of forming the idea of turning straw into paper:

The entire research and product development process was carried out by the students in about 3 months, from the end of July to October 2024 with hundreds of tests. The product won First Prize in the High School Student Startup Idea Competition organized by the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam Province (formerly) in 2024. In 2025, the students continued to win the Encouragement Prize at the Quang Nam Startup Talent Search Competition.

Spread the message of green living

The straw paper product is not only the result of a student project but is also considered to have high potential for practical application. According to the research team, with the current framework, each 20x10cm bag costs about 15,000 VND, 2-5,000 VND higher than the market price of products made from industrial paper.

However, if mass-produced using industrial equipment, the cost can be halved. With a production rate of 1 ton of straw yielding 400kg of finished paper, the possibility of expanding production is completely feasible if a partner investor is found.

4(3).jpg — Paper products made from straw can be made into environmentally friendly bags, cards, envelopes... Photo: PHAN VINH

The team is now exploring the possibility of expanding the product to bioprinting paper or packaging materials, incorporating additional waterproof coatings for increased durability.

One of the notable points is that these paper products can be easily personalized, suitable for the needs of making gifts, souvenirs, and highly handmade stationery.

This year's finalist startups include many generations of students. Photo: PHAN VINH — Participants in the Quang Nam Startup Talent Search Contest 2025. Photo: PHAN VINH

Le Thanh Ngan said: "We are still students, so we do not have enough capacity to invest and produce on a large scale. But we always hope to find a business or partner to commercialize this product. The most important thing is to spread the message that the environment is being severely damaged by plastic waste and we need an alternative solution from nature."

Dr. Le Thi Lanh - Chemistry teacher at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted said that when assigned by the school to guide the students, she realized that the product had been shaped but still needed many improvements in terms of chemical properties and applicability. She instructed to adjust the ratio of solvents and raw materials to be more reasonable, helping to increase the durability of the paper, improve the waterproofing ability by adding chitosan membrane prepared from shrimp shells.

[VIDEO] - Dr. Le Thi Lanh shares about the project of turning straw into paper of a group of students:

“
The students were very proactive, learning from many sources on the internet and doing experiments, however, the chemical principles needed to be optimized with the actual conditions of the laboratory. The final result was a paper product with better smoothness, more beautiful colors and significantly shortened production time."
Dr. Le Thi Lanh

Source: https://baodanang.vn/hanh-trinh-bien-rom-thanh-giay-cua-nhom-nu-sinh-truong-chuyen-3297160.html