Deinking by Washing Experiment

Objective: Understand the effect of washing on recycled newsprint.

Background: Washing is used in the recycling process to remove small contaminants

like inks from the recycled paper. Inks fall into 2 categories- dispersible and non-
dispersible inks. Dispersible inks can be broken down to the sub-visible range during the
pulping process and can be removed during washing. Non-dispersible inks are not
broken down into the sub-visible range and may remain in the pulp after washing, leaving
visible ink specks in the paper. Multiple washing stages are used in industry to increase
the overall removal of small contaminant particles. This lab focuses on a simple washing
procedure that students can perform in the lab. Students will make and compare
handsheets made from recycled newsprint after a single washing stage and multiple
washing stages.

Procedure:
1. Obtain the classified ads section of the newspaper.
2. Take one page and cut it in half.
3. Using one half of the page, tear it up into approximately 2-inch squares. Place in
the blender cup.
4. Add 500 ml of cool tap water in the blender cup.
5. Blend for 1-2 minutes until the paper is thoroughly pulped.
6. Put a cheesecloth over a colander in the sink.
7. Pour the sample into the cheesecloth. Rinse the inside of the blender cup and add
contents to the cheesecloth. Allow the water to drain.
8. Rinse the fiber in the cheesecloth under cool tap water, stirring gently with your
finger for 1 minute.
9. Allow the water to drain.
10. Lift the cheesecloth and fold it so that the remaining water can be squeezed out.
Squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands.
 11. Remove the pulp from the cheesecloth and place in a beaker. Add 500 ml of water
and stir gently with your fingers to separate the fibers.
12. Make a handsheet using the handsheet mold. Add the sample to the mold. Lift the
sheet mold out of the tub and allow the water to drain.
13. Open the hatches of the mold and place 2 blotting papers on top of the wet sheet.
Gently press to remove as much water as possible. Remove the top blotting paper.
14. Gently lift the blotting paper with the wet sheet of paper you just made from the
mold.
15. Place on top of another blotting paper and gently press to remove more water.
16. Gently separate the wet sheet from the top blotting paper.
17. Place the wet sheet between two dry paper towels.
18. Press with a hot iron until the handsheet is dry. This is the low level washing
sample, washed only once. Safety: use caution with a hot iron. Make sure the
iron is not left at the edge of the table where it can accidentally be knocked off.
Use extreme caution if located near water. Turn the iron off and unplug it when
finished.
19. Rinse the handsheet mold to remove any fibers from the first hand sheet.
20. Repeat steps 3-7 with the remaining one half of the classified ads page.
21. Repeat the washing process (steps 8-10) a total of three times.
22. Repeat steps 11-19 and make a handsheet with this sample. This is the highly
washed sample; it has been washed three times.
23. Qualitatively compare the two handsheets. Answer the following questions.

Questions:
Which handsheet visually has less ink remaining?

What was the effect of repeated washing cycles?

How might the effectiveness of the washing procedure be affected by limiting the amount
of wash water?
What would be a disadvantage of further washing cycles?

How might the temperature of the water change the time and number of washing cycles
needed to remove the ink?

How does this lab relate to items that you mistakenly leave in your pockets when you
wash your clothes? Why can you still read the print on some of these items but not on
others?

Further investigations:
1. Do national newspapers like USA Today use different inks that would be harder to
remove by washing than local small town newspapers? Test this.
2. Will washing remove ink from paper printed by a copy machine or computer
printer? Test this.
3. What other processes can be combined with washing recycled newsprint to
produce a whiter handsheet? Test this.
4. How might the washing temperature affect the ink removal? How might the
addition of dish-washing detergent affect the ink removal? Would the
combination of hot water and detergent improve the ink removal? Test these.

This experiment was designed and tested by Martha Debevec, a high school teacher
who attended the 2003 Workshop for Teachers in the Wood and Paper Science Dept. at
NCSU.