Method for de-inking printed waste paper by the washing process using an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant

Abstract

A process for deinking a printed wastepaper pulp slurry comprising: (a) adding to a printed wastepaper pulp slurry a deinking composition consisting essentially of a nonionic ethoxylated and propoxylated surfactant of the formula (I): R--O--(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n --(OCH.sub.2 CHCH.sub.3).sub.m --(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.q --O--X (I) wherein n is a number from about 1 to about 50, m is a number from about 1 to about 50, q is a number from about 1 to about 50, and R and X are H or an alkyl, alkenyl, or aryl group containing from about 3 to about 35 carbon atoms; (b) washing the slurry in order to obtain a deinked paper pulp suspension and an ink suspension; and (c) separating the deinked paper pulp suspension from the ink suspension.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.