ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE RECYCLING CHARACTERISTICS OF VEGETABLE OIL BASED INKS FOR USE WITH NEWSPRINT AND LASER PRINTED PAPERS

Informazioni relative al progetto

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: AIR32272

Progetto chiuso

Data di avvio 1 Novembre 1994

Data di completamento 30 Aprile 1997

Finanziato da

• Specific research and technological development and demonstration programme (EEC) in the field of agriculture and agro-industry, including fisheries, 1990-1994

Costo totale € 1 043 740,00

Contributo UE € 521 870,00

Coordinato da

PIRA International
United Kingdom

Exploitable results

Recycling characteristics of vegetable oil-based inks

Research was carried out into the recycling characteristics of two main process printing inks to address the environmental and agricultural issues. The following work was carried out: de-inking assessment of commercially available vegetable oil based newsprint and sheet fed inks; ink component evaluation; de-inking chemical development; improvement of de-inking technology through mechanical treatment; vegetable oil based ink development; printability characteristics; de-inking evaluations; validation of laboratory results on a semi-industrial scale. The newly formulated vegetable oil based inks have shown improved de-inking properties when compared to a similar quality mineral oil based ink. On the basis of the information generated by this research project, the following conclusions have been made. .For newsprint inks de-inkability is affected by the drying rates of vegetable oils; resistance to natural ageing can be improved; vegetable oil based inks show improved de-inking characteristics; individual ink components have an effect on de-inking characteristics; for single flotation processes, the use of modified vegetable oil based printed waste has better de-inking properties; for secondary flotation and mechanical treatment in a de-inking line vegetable oil based inks do not show any advantage; existing commercially available de-inking chemicals were satisfactory at dealing with the new vegetable oil inks; recycling of the newly formulated vegetable oil printed newsprint waste had no significant effect on pulp and paper properties of remade newsprint. For sheet fed inks siccativity of ink clearly effects the de-inking characteristics of sheet fed inks; visible ink particle contamination and residual ink content are lower for modified vegetable oil based inks; de-inking characteristics are clearly effected by the type of drier that is used; overall de-inkability is governed by the ink formulation rather than the surfactant formulation; using recycled paper printed with the newly formulated vegetable oil based inks had no significant effect on pulp and paper properties of remade paper.