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June D. Passaretti, Ph.D. Minerals Technologies Inc., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (Formerly Specialty Minerals Division of Pfizer Inc., N.Y.) Ninety percent of recycled paper is remanufactured into mechanical paper grades which are produced under traditionally acidic paper making conditions. These conditions are necessary to prevent fiber darkening which occurs as pH is increased to alkaline levels. Calcium carbonate, which has been used for years by fine paper makers to foster higher brightness and improve printability, color reproduction and paper performance, readily dissolves in acid and therefore could not be used to improve the quality of these paper grades. June Passaretti developed a process in which calcium carbonate could be used in acidic conditions without dissolving. Her "buffer" system opens the doors for groundwood papermakers to use calcium carbonate to improve the quality and brightness of mechanical paper grades and improving market acceptance of recycled paper. The invention was commercially developed at a paper mill in New Jersey that uses 100 percent recycled paper as their wood fiber source. Passaretti's patents have grown into a comprehensive program employing at least 20 people at Minerals Technologies with many more to be employed at numerous locations throughout the United States. The patents have the potential of doubling the current size of the company while keeping U.S. groundwood papermakers competitive with European papermakers. Passaretti earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from William Paterson College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Brown University. She is a resident of Liberty Corner.