How many calories are in a piece of paper?

Question

This question was asked about two years ago and it got a lot of smart-assed answers, but the question is a legitimate one. We are not talking about nutrition value, but the amount of energy which could be produced if a standard piece of paper were burned.
And why would one want to ask this?
Because the definition of a calorie is: A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure; used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food.
I am curious about this because I am trying to write a paper about the idiocy of using purely caloric intake as a hard nutritional fact when designing a weight loss program. Paper really does have calories as described in terms of physics, but we can't eat nor absorb paper as a nutrient and energy source, so one must assume that using only caloric value of a substance must be inherently flawed unless other factors are taken into consideration.
Any scientists out there who know how many calories a standard sheet of paper may produce?

Answer 1

The amount would vary somewhat depending on the type of paper, but an average 8.5" x11" sheet would produce about 15 to 20 calories of heat if burned..

Answer 2

According to the referenced site;

The calorific value of mixed paper waste is found to be in the range of 6002 to 6682 BTU per pound with a mean value of 6447 BTU per pound.

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Sine paper is sold in different 'weights', you would determine the weight of the paper and then be able to calculate the BTUs (or calories) in a single sheet of paper.



I hope this is helpful.

Answer 3

Why do you care?