Model of Ink Particle Separation in Column Flotation Deinking

Column flotation is a novel technique of separation of hydrophobic particles from a suspension. An experimental investigation of column flotation as applied to de-inking of a 50-50 mix of photocopier and laser-print waste paper is described. Experiments were conducted in both the batch and the continuous mode of operation.  Hand-sheets were made from the de-inked pulp and the brightness and ink particle size distributions were measured. The kinetic constants for de-inking were determined for the continuous modes.   A comparison between the laboratory scale column flotation and other flotation deinking methods is evaluated and modeling of the process described.