What steps did the ancient papermaking process include?

The degumming of phloem plants and the subsequent bleaching method of processing into finer phloem fibers, such as silk cotton, provide technical reference for the invention of papermaking. Through the analysis of ancient paper and referring to the traditional manual papermaking technology, the ancient papermaking technology should include the following steps: first, wash and chop raw materials such as hemp and ramie; Secondly, the chopped raw materials are soaked in alkaline aqueous solution of lime or plant ash to remove pectin, pigment and lignin; Thirdly, the colloid-removed fibers are pounded into slurry in a stone mortar; Fourthly, the pulped cellulose is washed repeatedly, then made into cotton wool, made into a layer of fiber sheet with bamboo mat or screen, and then dried or dried into paper.