PROCESS AND COMPOSITION FOR DEINKING WASTE PAPER

Abstract: A process and composition for deinking waste paper is disclosed. The process comprises administering an alcohol, randomly alkoxylated with a mixture of alkylene oxides to form a surfactant, to a sample of waste paper for which treatment is desired. The surfactant enhances the aggregation and densification of electrostatic toner particles, while promoting foaming in the aqueous slurry.

Description: PROCESS AND COMPOSITION FOR DEINKING WASTE PAPER TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention deals with a process and composition for deinking waste paper. The treatment enhances the aggregation and densification of electrostatic toner particles, while promoting foaming in the aqueous slurry. BACKGROUND OF THE ART Dry toner electrostatic printing inks, including laser and xerograph¬ ic inks, are important and growing contaminants in the area of waste- paper recycling. Traditionally, paper has been printed with water or oil- based inks which were adequately removed by conventional deinking procedures. In these methods, secondary fiber is mechanically pulped and contacted with an aqueous medium containing a surfactant. Ink is separated from pulp fibers as a result of mechanical pulping and the action of the surfactant. The dispersed ink is separated from pulp fibers by such means as washing or flotation. Conventional deinking processes have shown minimal success in dealing with dry toner electrostatic printing inks, with the necessary chemical and mechanical treatments of the furnish proving to be time consuming and often rendering a furnish which is unacceptable for many applications. The development of a deinking program for office waste contaminated with electrostatic printed copy will make this furnish more amenable to the recycling process. The ability to recycle office waste will prove commercially advan- tageous and will have a significant impact on the conservation of virgin fiber resources. Although electrostatic printed waste has not reached the volume of impact printed waste commonly seen in the industry, indica¬ tions are such that usage of electrostatic print is increasing steadily and that waste copies available to the recycling industry will also increase. Some deinking systems employ chemical aggregation/densifica- tion followed by forward cleaning to remove non-impact inks, and flotation deinking to remove impact inks (i e., offset) and other contaminants. The chemical nature of many of these deinking products has caused them to act as defoamers in aqueous papermaking systems. A separate flotation aid is thus often added to the flotation cell in order to overcome the de- foaming effect of the earlier chemicals. Furthermore, many aggregation/densification systems use rela- tively high application dosages in order to provide effective treatment. Existing office waste deinking technology utilizes product dosages of 0.60% - 0.75% on fiber to aggregate and densify the toner particles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates a standard deinking sequence. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a process for the deinking of waste- paper containing electrostatic printed ink, impact printed ink, or combina¬ tions thereof, which comprises adding to an aqueous slurry of the waste- paper a compound which enhances the aggregation and densification of electrostatic toner particles, while promoting foaming in said aqueous slurry. A preferred class of compounds are the random alcohol alkoxy- lates, with a random linear alcohol alkoxylate surfactant being particularly preferred, although branched forms of these compounds are also antici- pated to be effective. This substance has the following structure: CH 3 -(CH2) x -0-(CH2CH2θ) y -(CH 2 CH(CH 3 )0) z H 11 < x 14 molecular weight ≡ 800 particularly preferred. The process of the present invention includes the following steps: wastepaper stocks containing electrostatic printed ink, impact printed ink, or combinations thereof are converted to a pulp. The pulp is then con¬ tacted with an aqueous medium containing a treatment comprising a ran¬ dom alcohol alkoxylate surfactant, e.g., with ethylene oxide and propyl- ene oxide groups, and a thiol ethoxylate surfactant, the latter preferably with a degree of ethoxylation of up to 3 moles of ethylene oxide. The resulting pulp-containing medium is then mechanically processed to remove treated ink therefrom. The molecular weight range of the random linear alcohol alkoxy¬ late surfactant is preferably from 600-1000; the temperature of treatment may be from 130°F-180°F, with a pH of from 5.0 to 12.0 preferred. Furthermore, the random alcohol alkoxylate surfactant possesses an aqueous cloud point of 15-25°C. By random alcohol alkoxylate, it is meant an alcohol randomly alkoxylated with a mixture of alkylene oxides (e.g., ethylene oxide and propylene oxide) as described below. Conventional blocked alkoxylates have all of the oxyethylene monomers congruent to each other on the chain. All of the oxypropylene monomers follow, forming a cap. Molecules of this type which are effec¬ tive for office waste deinking are typically water-insoluble, and act as de¬ foamers. Random alkoxylates react ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at the same time with the alcohol hydrophobe. A randomized distribution of the oxyethylene and oxypropylene monomers is therefore obtained. These compounds have been found to be efficient agents to aggregate and densify non-impact inks while remaining water soluble. An important improvement over previous treatment approaches is the foaming potential of the formulations which allows for the complete elimination of a separate flotation deinking agent. The result is that an effective aggregation/densification agent for electrostatic printing inks may also act as a flotation aid. In addition, enhanced treatment efficiencies are obtained at lower product dosages as compared to previous treatments. The stock is de- inked at a product dosage of 0.30 weight % on fiber, as compared to 0.60-0.75% on fiber with previous treatments (weight percent is based on dry fiber in pulper). Examples Example 1 A dose of 0.30% on fiber of a formulation containing a random linear alcohol alkoxylate, a thiol ethoxylate and a secondary alcohol ethoxylate (the latter with an HLB < 10) were added to a pilot-scale hydrapulper containing 200 pounds of sorted office waste and 200 gallons of water, which had been heated to 150°F and adjusted to a pH of 11 with sodium hydroxide. The mixture was pulped for 45 minutes. After pulping, it was diluted and processed through a standard deinking sequence, shown in Figure 1. Deinking system performance in removing the non-impact inks was evaluated by dirt count. Results are found in Table I. These results were achieved at a 50% chemical dose basis as compared to existing office waste deinking chemistry added to the hydrapulper. For comparison, re¬ sults obtained with conventional office waste deinking chemistry are also found in Table I. Also, a further process simplification was realized, by eliminating the 0.40% on fiber of flotation aid dosage, which typically is added prior to flotation in order to achieve sufficient frothing for impact ink removal. It is worthy to note that both processes removed over 99% of the visible dirt due to the non-impact inks. However, the present in¬ vention did so at a substantially lower treatment dosage and without the use of an additional flotation aid. The removal of dispersed impact inks with the present invention was evaluated by brightness measurement on pulp pads. Most dispersed inks will be removed by flotation and washing so long as the correct treat¬ ment is carried out. Flotation feed stock had a brightness of 55.0%; flota¬ tion deinking raised the brightness to 56.8%. The flotation froth rejects had a brightness of 47.1%, indicating significant dispersed ink removal in the flotation cell without the addition of a separate flotation aid. Washing across a high speed belt washer raised the stock brightness to 63.8%. TABLE I Treatment Pulper Chemistry A B Pulper Dosage (% on Fiber) 0.30 0.75 Separate Flotation Aid (fatty acid ethoxylate) No Yes Flotation Dosage (% on Fiber) 0 0.40 Pulper Dirt Count (ppm) 873 578 Deinked Dirt Count (ppm) 4 5 Dirt Reduction - Pulper to Washer (%) 99.5% 99.1% Pulper Speck Count (no./sq.m.) 12,155 7,555 Deinked Speck Count (no./sq.m.) 100 100 Speck Reduction - Pulper to Washer (%) 99.2% 98.7% A: Blend of (a) random linear alcohol alkoxylate, (b) thiol ethoxylate and (c) secondary alcohol ethoxylate in a ratio of (a):(b):(c) of 7:1 :2. Thiol ethoxylate may have a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of from 2-6. B: Commercial deinking product - see U.S. Patent 5,141 ,598. Example 2 A number of different formulations were tested which contained varying concentrations of thiol ethoxylates and random alcohol alkoxy¬ lates. These were dosed individually to 18 g benchtop hydrapulpers con¬ taining sorted office waste at dosages of 0.2% and 0.4%, on dry fiber. This was compared to conventional treatments dosed at the same levels. Pulpers were run for 45 minutes at 150°F, a pH of 11 , and a 6% consistency (concentration of fiber in pulper, i.e., 6 lbs. fiber/100 lbs. of pulp slurry). Results are contained in Table II. As shown, the formulations of the present invention produced enhanced ink particle aggregation (a lower percentage of small ink particles) and higher ink particle density values than an equal dosage of conventional treatments. TABLE II I Dose Aggregation Mean Density Formulation % on Fiber % area < 0.03 sα.mm. (a/∞) A 0.2 23.6 1.022 B 0.2 14.4 1.035 C 0.2 7.4 1.046 D 0.2 10.1 1.048 E 0.2 20.2 1.040 A 0.4 18.0 1.028 B 0.4 10.7 1.132 C 0.4 7.0 1.126 D 0.4 8.5 1.060 E 0.4 6.6 1.164 A: Commercial deinking product - see U.S. Patent 5,141 ,598. B - E: Blends of (a) random linear alcohol alkoxylate, (b) thiol ethoxylate and (c) secondary alcohol ethoxylate, in ratio of (a):(b):(c) of B: 4:0:3, with remainder as triethylene glycol C: 2:2:3, with remainder as triethylene glycol D: 3:3:1 , with remainder as triethylene glycol E: 7:1.5:1.5 (thiol ethoxylate may have an HLB from 2-6; secondary alcohol ethoxylate HLB< 10).

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A process for the deinking of wastepaper stocks containing electrostatic printed ink, impact printed ink, or combinations thereof, which comprises the following steps: (a) converting the wastepaper to a pulp; (b) contacting the pulp with an aqueous medium containing a treatment comprising an alcohol randomly alkoxylated with a mix¬ ture of alkylene oxides to form a surfactant, the treatment enhanc- ing the aggregation and densification of electrostatic toner parti¬ cles, while promoting foaming in the aqueous medium; and (c) mechanically processing the resulting pulp-containing medium to remove treated ink therefrom. 2. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the surfactant contains ethylene oxide and propylene oxide subunits. 3. A process according to claim 2, wherein the surfactant has a molecular weight of from 600-1000. 4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature is from 130°F - 180°F. 5. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the pH is from 5.0 to 12.0. 6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment further comprises a thiol ethoxylate surfactant with a degree of ethoxyla¬ tion of up to 3 moles of ethylene oxide. 7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein from 0.2 - 0.4 weight percent of the treatment, based on dry fiber, is contacted with the pulp. 8. A composition for the deinking of wastepaper containing electrostatic printed ink, impact printed ink or combinations thereof, which comprises a combination of (a) an alcohol randomly alkoxylated with a mixture of alkylene oxides to form a surfactant and (b) a thiol ethoxylate surfactant with a degree of ethoxylation of up to 3 moles of ethylene oxide. 9. A composition according to claim 8, wherein (a) has a molecular weight of from 600-1000. • 10. A composition according to claim 8, further comprising a secondary alcohol alkoxylate with an HLB of up to 10.

Inventors: SUTMAN FRANK J, SUTMAN, FRANK, J.
Applicants: BETZ LABORATORIES, BETZ LABORATORIES, INC.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: D21C5
IPC codes: D21C5