You might have come across two major terms in pulp testing, deinking and de-fibration.
While de-inking refers to the removal of the printing ink from the fibers of recycled papers, de-fibration is basically separating the fibers of the pulp for the purpose of paper making. Manufacturers of paper make frequent use of both processes for the purpose of making high-quality paper. Let us look at the de-inking process below.
Pulp De-Inking Process
De-baling
In the first step, many extra or unwanted materials such as twine, metal straps, etc. are removed from the recycled paper. A hydro pulper is used for the de-baling process so that it can move to the next process, which is pulping.
Pulping
A hydra pulper is equipment that is designed to de-fiber the dry samples of the pulp. In this equipment, the pulp is torn, broken, and soaked in water, post which it mixes the pulp to achieve a homogeneous suspension. Once the pulp fibers are de-baled, they are turned into this pulper for chopping.
Cleaning/Screening/Filtring
After pulping, the mixture goes for cleaning and screening. In this process the pulp slurry is spun in a cleaner, thereby rejecting the less dense fibers. Screens have holes that remove contaminants that are larger than the pulp.
Deinking
Then comes the deinking process, in which the hydrophobic contaminants such as printing ink and stickies are removed from the paper. For this process, most manufacturers use a floatation cell. This instrument assesses the de-inking effect of the printed recycled paper by the floatation method in laboratories.
Washing
After getting de-inked, the pulp is washed or dewatered, basically filtered, to remove the small particles by passing them through the water.
Bleaching
If desired, the pulp is then bleached to increase the pulp brightness.
Conclusion
De-inking may sound like a small thing but plays a significant role in making high-quality paper. Manufacturers looking for deinking units for their paper manufacturing business can connect with UEC.
