Have you heard about a machine that can remove printed ink from paper?

This device is called Unprinter, it uses a 532 nanometer green laser to burn the words off the page. When black toner absorbs the laser’s light, it quickly heat up. It’s a research project by Dept of Engineering University of Cambridge.

The heat degrades the polyester resin that binds the toner to the paper’s cellulose fibers.

Without the resin binding the ink, the rest of the toner falls right off. The process produces 80% less CO2 compared to traditional paper recycling.

Unprinter manufacturer Reduse hopes to integrate the technology into normal office printers.