Development of a novel and environmentally friendly method for the separation of non-inked and inked cellulose fibers in wastepaper
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Pulp and Paper Research Inst. of Canada, Vancouver, BC (Canada)
There is currently no method in existence for the separation of non-inked cellulose fibers from the inked fibers in old newsprint (ONP). Current methods for de-inking involve the pulping of the whole paper in the presence of chemicals (caustic sodium hydroxide, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, sodium silicate, hydrogen peroxide, and a surfactant) followed by washing and flotation operations. The result is a mixture of high- and low-quality de-inked secondary fibers and the production of wastewater that has to be rendered harmless prior to its discharge back to the environment. Water-based inks are a particular problem because of the difficulties in recovering the ink particles after their release from ONP by chemical treatment. Currently, only 15 to 20% of the newsprint market in the USA uses water-based inks. The use of such inks is, however, preferable from an environmental point of view. The work reported here solves several problems: (1) a separation of non-inked from inked cellulose fibers in ONP has been accomplished without the use of de-inking chemicals; (2) the ink is not released to any great extent from the inked fibers; (3) the non-inked fibers contain substantial quantities of long fibers ranging from 1 to 3.5 mm and, as such, are judged to be high-quality secondary fibers that could be recycled without further chemical treatment; and (4) the method is suitable for separating the non-inked and inked fibers in ONP utilizing water- and oil-based inks.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 10191813
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9309235-1; ON: DE93040605
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. international biodeterioration and biodegradation symposium,Leeds (United Kingdom),5-10 Sep 1993; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Method for separating the non-inked cellulose fibers from the inked cellulose fibers in cellulosic materials
U.S. Coal to Conductive Inks