Process for the treatment of wastepaper using drum soaker

A process for the treatment of wastepaper and accompanying heavy contaminants, said contaminants being selected from the group consisting of wood, glass, plastic and metal contained in the wastepaper, and metal straps from wastepaper bales, wherein a major proportion of said wastepaper is imprinted with printing inks, said process comprising the sequential steps of:

• soaking said wastepaper and contaminants in a first rotating drum under circulation movements in the presence of process chemicals so that a portion of said wastepaper is disintegrated into fibers, said process chemicals being present in an amount comprising at least 40% of a total amount that would be required for substantially complete disintegration of said wastepaper and separation of said printing inks;
• directly conveying said soaked wastepaper and contaminants to a sorting apparatus;
• sorting coarse contaminants from said soaked wastepaper solution in said sorting apparatus by screening, said sorting apparatus comprising a second rotating drum;
• directly conveying said sorted soaked wastepaper to a disintegrating apparatus, said disintegrating apparatus having a rotor for stirring said wastepaper;
• extensively dissolving said wastepaper in said disintegrating apparatus, said soaking, sorting and dissolution steps taking place at a consistency of at least 13%;
• and
• separating said printing ink from said fibers.