Flotation Deinking of Xerographic and Laser-Printed Paper: Influence of Surface-Active Substances

In present time, recycled paper from xerographic and laser-printed wastepaper plays an important role as alternatives to paper from virgin pulp because of their good pulp quality and high amount of wastepaper each year. This type of paper is classified as Mixed Office Wastepaper (MOW). The xerographic and laser-printed inks are usually called “toner” which its formulation is different from conventional ink. This work aimed to investigate paper recycling by flotation deinking process. The flotation experiments were conducted using SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and Triton X-100 (C14H22O(C2H4O)n). The experimental results demonstrated that ink removal was more efficient with the use of non-ionic surfactant (Triton X-100) than anionic surfactant (SDS). The efficiency of ink removal was determined by ERIC and the pulp’s brightness. In addition, the quality of de-inked pulps was evaluated by pulp physical properties such as burst strength, tear strength and tensile strength.