Resource or Trash? Recyclability of Digital Prints

Transcription

1 Resource or Trash? Recyclability of Digital Prints Axel Fischer International Association of the Deinking Industry (INGEDE) 6 November 2007 Chemnitz The Water Example Now it is out. Water in plastic bottles has been hip in California.

2 Ban The Bottle The Water Example It took a long time to realize that shipping plastic bottles with water from Italy to the US is not sustainable. Sooner or later something like this will happen to digital prints. Unrecyclable prints will not sell in the long run. The further the technology has developed, the stronger the backlash will become.

3 Outline Who is INGEDE? What is paper recycling? Why do many digital prints create problems? What has been done? What can be done in the future? Who is INGEDE? Currently 40 mills and research departments Representing more than 10.5 million tons of recovered paper per year

4 Who is INGEDE? The members Cartiere Burgo S.p.A., Italy,Belgium Dalum Papir A/S, Denmark Holmen Paper AB, Sweden, Spain Leipa Georg Leinfelder, Germany Lenzing AG, Germany M-Real New Thames Ltd, UK Myllykosky Continental Group Lang Papier GmbH, Germany MD Papier, Plattling, Germany Papierfabrik Utzenstorf, Switzerl. Rhein Papier GmbH, Germany Norske Skog Group Bruck GmbH, Austria Golbey S.A., France Parenco B.V., Netherlands Skogn Mill, Norway Steti Mill, Czech Republic Packages Ltd., Pakistan Palm KG, Germany Papierfabrik Hainsberg, Germany Perlen Papier AG, Switzerland SCA Hygiene Products Consumer SCA Hygiene Products Away from Home, Germany Steinbeis Temming, Germany Stora Enso Group Hylte AB, Sweden Langerbrugge N.V., Belgium Maxau-Wolfsheck Mills, Germany Sachsen Mill, Germany Keräyskuitu OY, Finland UPM Group, Helsinki Augsburg Mill, Germany Chapelle Darblay, France Kaipola Mill, Finland Schongau Mill, Germany Schwedt Mill, Germany Shotton Mill, Germany Steyrermühl AG, Austria What does INGEDE do? We collect money from members. We finance research. We communicate.

5 What is paper recycling? A newspaper is the prototype of a recylable product. The consumer knows that newspapers are made from old paper. No other product is like this. Paper recycling means producing bright paper from bright paper not just board.

6 Paper recycling What happens with the paper? It has to be recycled. Not thermal. Not for board. But for new graphic paper.

7 (Source: KBA)

8 Inkjet: Kodak Versamark a capacity of up to one million impressions per day yielding more than 2,000 pages per minute Kodak Versamark In 2007, KODAK VERSAMARK Printing Systems will top 90 billion black and white and color A4 impressions through a combination of full page document production, partial page or hybrid printing, and address imaging. (Kodak Press Release Sept 10, 2007)

9 Kodak Versamark Chicago Tribune KODAK Microzone Publishing Solution There is a synergy between the various technologies ( ) that can be deployed by newspapers to take advantage of the strength of digital printing in producing highly personalized and short print runs in an economical manner (Kodak Press Release Sept 10, 2007) IBM, Ricoh; Riso

10 Ink Jet combined KBA at drupa 1995: Integration of Scitex (today Kodak Versamark) ink-jet heads into a four-colour offset newspaper. Océ: Dry toner Digitally Printed Newspaper Better Than Offset With print quality claimed to be 'even better than offset', Oce systems have printed ( ) digitally in full colour. Financial Times, Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald, Spanish newspaper El Pais, Germany's Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.

11 Océ Each day Océ produces a total of more than 5,000 international editions around 15 different titles at six separate commercial print sites in London, New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Singapore and Zurich. (June 2007) Where does it all go?

12 Can Digital Prints Be Recycled? Can Digital Prints Be Recycled? Do digital prints have to be recycled? No: if they go to the trash anyway Yes: if they are likely to be recovered

13 Do digital prints have to be recycled? No: Photos, Large Format, Maybe: Manuals, Calendars Yes: High Volume - Direct Mail - Brochures - Newspapers What is deinking? Generally: Removal of printing ink during the paper recycling process Cost effective and sustainable source of fibers for graphic papers (and hygiene papers)

14 Deinking Chemistry & Physics Deinking Chemistry & Physics

15 Deinking Chemistry & Physics Recovered paper is pulped Chemicals support the ink detachment: NaOH increases ph fibres swell and release ink Na 4 SiO 4 supports agglomeration, ph What is flotation? Separation of hydrophobic ink from hydrophilic fibers Air is blown into mixture of fibers, water and chemicals Foam transports hydrophobic particles to the surface Foam with ink is skimmed off

16 What is flotation? What is flotation?

17 What is flotation? Consequence for printing ink Ink has to be hydrophobic particle > 150 µm = screenable (stiff!) 30 µm < particle < 300 µm = cleanable 10 µm < particle < 100 µm = flotable particle < 10 µm = problem Problems with water based inks!

18 Deinkability of ink jet inks Pigment based black ink jet prints are neither deinkable nor bleachable. 10 % black ink jet printed papers in a load of recovered paper result in inacceptable brightness loss. Colored ink jet prints (dyes) are mostly not deinkable. Specks from liquid toner

19 Different types of inks UV inks: unacceptable specks, also Liquid toner: large visible specks Water based pigment inks do not float, spoil in low amounts Dry toners mostly good recyclable What can we do?

20 What can we do? INGEDE Project Recyclability of Digital Prints Task Force in cooperation with CTP (Grenoble) Cooperation with digital industry to improve recyclability of problematic systems Cooperation now with HP, NexPress, Océ, Ricoh, Xeikon, Xerox, KonicaMinolta Recyclability is now accepted as an important product characteristic (partners in the paper chain) Contact to ink suppliers? European Round Table European Round Table 20 participants yet first meeting in Munich, Jan 2006 definition of recyclable uniform test pattern survey deinkability only toner based yet next meeting: Nov 8, 2007

21 European Round Table unique test pattern public domain b/w and color A4 and letter available on INGEDE s website European Round Table Survey Six toner based printers One liquid toner based print system Different papers

22 European Round Table Survey Limit 2, MM MY TK ZP TN ZS ZT ZR MP PB MN TL ZU MW FS ZV MO TM MQ MR ZA ZW ZB MZ PA (on hold) ZX MB MC MS ZY ZZ MX MT MU 0 Specks [mm²/m²] Yield [%] European Round Table Survey ZP before and after deinking

23 European Round Table Survey ZS before and after deinking European Round Table Survey ZU before and after deinking

24 90 80 Recyclability of Newspapers Offset/Flexo Newspapers - Luminosity Y after Deinking A B CH CZ D F GB S SF Ink Jet ,2 50, Different Newspapers PMV / 11. March 2007 F Luminosity Recyclability of Newspapers Offset/Flexo Newspapers - Filtrate darkening Y A B CH CZ D F GB S SF F Ink Jet 10 7,2 7, Different Newspapers PMV / 11. March 2007 Filtrate Darkening Y

25 What did we learn? A lot about toners and fusion technology fusion temperatures (!!!) toner formulations printing conditions deinking conditions Little about ink jet inks small pigments create big problems no cooperation with inkjet manufacturers Legal implications German law: A product that endangers an existing recycling cycle has to be labelled. NOT RECYCLABLE Trash after reading

26 Conclusions Difficult to change the process too many and too different challenges, costs! Change collection? Communication? Label? Eco-label? Change inks? Thank you!