Minnesota Professor Creates Furniture From Old Paper

by Tracy Hayhurst
(from Waste & Recycling News, April 2, 2007, p.16)

Stanley Shetka doesn’t put much stock in overnight successes or people and companies promising the latest and greatest technology.

That’s why the artist has spent more than 20 years thinking about and perfecting a process that can turn recycled paper and other fibrous material into a strong, attractive and 100 percent renewable material used for countertops, furniture, doors, decorative frames, even walls and roofs, he said.

Shetka, a professor of art at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., also is the founder of All Paper Recycling Inc. in Le Center, Minn., about 60 miles southwest of Minneapolis. ShetkaWorks, which operates at All Paper’s plant, has been producing ShetkaStone from recycled paper, cloth and other fibers on a limited basis for several years and is preparing to take the process to the next level—one that will make the marble-like surface accessible and affordable for all kinds of applications.

It was after an art paper show in 1980 that Shetka started the research and development process that ultimately led to his stonelike product, which can be cut, sanded and otherwise used like wood. Growing up on a farm, he got a close-up view of fibers and their many qualities, including their strength.

When a professor assigned a paper in college, Shetka the art student took his art history book, demolished it and converted it into a fibrous board. He presented the fuzzy block of paper to his instructor, he recalled, stating that the book “was the past and now it’s the future.” He got an A.

Shetka says he is a community artist—one who finds purpose in the community. His goal now is the same as it has been for decades: to create an aesthetic environment, not just an object, and do so on a larger scale.

“Once we’re automated, we can do solid materials cheaper than laminate,” he said. “We did our homework. We’re in the step-up phase and trying to bring in new money. Once we’re making boards, we will undersell everyone.”

“There is not a product out there that’s fibrous that we can’t recycle. We take newsprint, cardboard, money from the government, old wood pallets, debris from a house –any combination or one at a time,” he said. “It goes through the process of pulping it or breaking it down to particle size, where you get it to a consistent size, and it goes into a machine. We use existing power sources and hydraulics, and retrofit them to our technology, which is a cold process and hot process. It doesn’t have big power demands, and we process tons per day. We take a ton of paper and turn it into 400 square feet at an inch-and-a-half thick.”

The ShetkaStone slurry process uses a hydrogen bonding process that does not require the use of formaldehyde or toxic glues.

“There is a series of natural bonds that takes place with natural, green materials. It’s durable and recyclable, but green is not the selling card; the function and the beauty is,” he said.

Surface color is usually dependant on the paper used to make it, but Shetka said he is working with some other new technology that may give him access to thousands of colors for his product.

ShetkaStone has been used commercially, from a soap dish for Aveda salons and spas to tabletops at the recreation center at Sonoma State University in northern California.

“Herman Miller and other companies have come in to do abrasive testing, and we have passed those tests. In the next three months we will have a lot of documentation. We ran the product through a Class A fire (flame spread) rating, and we scored a 7 and 5 on flame and smoke. Wood is rated at 100, and concrete is zero. Some schools are doing oxyacetylene welding on ShetkaStone instead of fire bricks. We put some in college science labs and they’re still there, so why buy the bricks, which cost more?”

In addition to countertops and other work surfaces, Shetka said anything made of wood could be made from his product.

“We’re talking about flooring, pallets and more. There is no shortage of feedstock, and it’s cost effective.”

Financial support has come in bits and pieces from several sources over the years, including a grant in 1993 from the Minnesota-based Charles A. and Ann Morrow Lindbergh foundation. More recently, in the fall of 2005, he applied for and received a loan through the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, which works closely with banks and other lenders to support small businesses and start-ups.

But Shetka is quick to say that he hasn’t been subsidized and he doesn’t want to be known as just another firm trying to capitalize on the “green” trend.

“We have proven products in homes and schools, and we have patents. We’re moving forward and trying to make it real in the right way. We have to compete on price and have an aesthetic look that no one else has.”

“We want to develop materials; that’s what I do best. And now my brain is 15 years in the future, thinking ahead about what can be real and be done.” Shetka said.

He wants to expand his plant in Minnesota and operate on the East and West Coasts to minimize shipping costs of his material, whether it’s old newsprint or cardboard. He is also working to incorporate different fibers, such as canary grass from swamps or corn fiber, into his boards. Shetka even envisions couples being able to send in wrapping paper from their wedding gifts and turn it into a memento of their special day.

“There are 100 companies within this one company of mine.”