THE EFFECT OF FILLERS ON THE DEINKING OF PHOTOCOPIED PAPER

Model experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of different fillers on the removal of toner ink. Combinations of different papers (commercial photocopy paper and filler-free paper), fillers (calcium carbonate, kaolin clay, and talc), and chemicals(1-octadecanol, stearic acid, oleic acid, and TOFA) and stearic acid were found to be effective in detachment and agglomeration of toner ink. Furthermore, pH had little effect on toner detachment and agglomeration, indicating both protonated fatty acids and their anions are equally effective. In the presence of either kaolin clay or talc, all these agglomerating agents are equally effective, although a slightly higher dosage(1% for clay and 2% for talc as compared with control) is required, presumably due to the adsorption of chemical by the filler. Calcium carbonate filler, on the other hand, has a significant and adverse effect on the fatty acids used but has little effect on 1-octadecanol with the exception of possible adsorption. While stearic acid is not effective, a much higher level of oleic acid or TOFA is needed when calcium carbonate fillers are present as compared to the filler-free case. Fatty acids react with calcium carbonate to form calcium salts. The availability of fatty acid anion for toner detachment and agglomeration is determined by the solubility of calcium salt of a given fatty acid. Calcium oleate is 10 times more soluble in water than calcium stearate.