Abstract:
Recycling of plastics can reduce solid waste disposal and the use of raw materials, often non-renewable materials such as oil and natural gas. Printed plastic containers cannot be effectively recycled unless the inks are removed. Deinking (removing the ink) techniques using surfactants are environmentally benign since surfactants can be biodegradable and non-toxic. In this study, the effects of surfactant type, pH, surfactant concentration, and abrasive, on the removal of solvent-based ink from high-density polyethylene containers were investigated. Cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants were used under basic pH conditions. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and optical scanning methods were used to determine the degree of deinking. Cationic surfactants at concentrations above the CMC at pH 12 were the most effective system
