Enzymatic Deinking of Inkjet Printed Papers, 2009 TAPPI Engineering, Pulping, Environmental Conference

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With inkjet printing the ink is jetted from a small electronically-controlled aperture onto a medium to create the image. Inkjet printers can print in color and they are quieter and less expensive than color laser printers. Since ink-jet printers are commonly used in home and small offices, the water is commonly used as the solvent for dyes and if pigments are used, they must be very small to fit through the small inkjet apertures. Due to the aqueous composition and small size pigments, the ink disintegrates into very small particles during pulping. This study investigated deinking of pigment based colored inkjet paper using enzymes. The effects of the enzyme activity on deinking and on the paper properties were studied by varying parameters such as deinking chemicals, pulping time, the type of enzyme, dosage of enzyme, contact time of enzyme and temperature. In this study we present experimental results designed to optimize process variables that influence ink removal. We also identified the conditions effectively enable enzymatically detached ink particles to be removed in flotation cell. The use of enzymes in the presence of proper surfactants could be an alternative to chemical deinking of inkjet printed papers.