|
|
 |
|
 |
| Improving the Deinkability of Flexo Printed Paper |
|
|
|
| |
|
The use of water-based inks is steadily increasing in the printing and publishing industries. In Europe in particular, there is planned expansion and replacement of existing offset machines with flexo printing presses, especially in the UK and Italy where flexo has already proved its printing advantages such as relatively lower setup and running costs, and the facility of shorter runs.
The main drawback of flexo printing inks is that they cannot easily be
removed from the printed paper using currently installed deinking technology.
They compromise the good deinkability of the whole mixture of recovered papers.
With the existing inks and deinking technology, further development of
water-based ink for graphic papers will therefore compromise the use of
recovered paper to produce graphic papers.
For example, newsprint is made mainly from 80-100% recycled fibers, so a
constant supply of good quality recovered paper is vital to feed this industry
sector.
If the amount of flexo printed material present in recovered paper collections
increases much more, buyers may have to start looking at increasing the volume
of imports of a better quality with low levels of flexo paper in the mix.
The European recovered paper sector would look very different in this case.
In 2002, CEPIPRINT became one of the main contributors to a project aimed at
finding a solution to the deinking of water-based flexo ink printed papers.
Since then, Centre Technique du Papier (CTP) based in Grenoble, France, has been
leading the project with help from bodies such as the International Association
of the Deinking Industry (INGEDE).
Many other industry sectors are also involved in the project, including ink
manufacturers, paper producers, printers and printing press manufacturers.
There are three main approaches in the project:
1. Adapting waterbased inks to enable them to be removed more easily after
printing.
2. Adapting the deinking process to allow more efficient removal of waterbased
inks.
3. Testing improved inks with the newly adapted deinking process.
Industrial printing trials have been made by La Repubblica in Italy and HQP in
the UK.
Industrial deinking trials have been carried out at SCA’s Aylesford plant and at Burgo Marchi’s Mantova mill in Italy.
Progress has been made according to the final report from CTP, but further
research is necessary to move closer to finding a real solution.
The French organization has called on the original participating task force,
including CEPIPRINT, to contribute to another two years of research due for
completion in March 2008.
CEPIPRINT will take a decision on this at the Association’s next Board Meeting
and General Assembly on 19th June.
The next Flexo Steering Group meeting is due to be held at CTP’s offices in
Grenoble on 22nd June to discuss the project’s future, depending on the
continuation of funding from contributing Associations.
For further information, please visit:
www.webctp.com |
|
|
