What happens to the ink once it is removed
from the paper?

As you have learned, ink and stickies are trapped in the froth produced during flotation deinking. This material is collected, and much of its water is removed and reused in the mill.

The remaining material, which is still 30%-50% water, also contains very small fibers which have washed out of the pulp during the deinking process.

This material can be burned to make energy, composted, or land filled. It can also be used to make concrete and gravel for roads. The disposal method depends upon the material’s content. In a typical deinking plant, every 100,000 dry lbs. of recovered paper placed in the pulper will result in as much as 35,000 dry lbs. of ink, stickies, and small fiber.