Overview
ISO 12507:2025 - Paper and pulp - Deinkability test for printed paper product mixtures containing woodfree printed paper - is a laboratory test method for assessing the deinkability of woodfree printed paper when present as a minor fraction in a mixed printed-paper stream. The method simulates a single-stage alkaline flotation deinking process using fatty acid–based collector chemistry and specifies testing a mixture composed of 10% by weight woodfree printed paper with the balance being printed wood-containing (mechanical-pulp based) paper. The standard is intended to give an indication of how such mixtures will perform under typical alkaline flotation deinking at laboratory scale.
Key technical topics and requirements
- Scope and principle: Simulates ink detachment and removal under standardized alkaline deinking and single-stage flotation conditions; not intended for near-neutral/neutral flotation or additional industrial steps such as washing, bleaching, post-flotation dispersion, or extensive cleaning/screening.
- Sample composition: Tests mixtures containing 10% woodfree printed paper blended with mechanical-pulp based printed papers to reflect common post-consumer streams.
- Equipment and chemicals: Specifies general laboratory equipment, pulping devices, flotation cell examples, and the use of fatty acid-based collectors for flotation chemistry.
- Procedure and sample handling: Covers sampling, identification, removal of non-paper materials, accelerated ageing, pulping, pH control, dilution, flotation, and yield determinations.
- Specimen preparation and analysis: Procedures for preparing filter pads, membrane filters and handsheets; analytical methods include reflectance measurements, filtrate darkening assessment, and dirt particle measurement (scanner-based), plus guidance on moisture and ash determinations.
- Reporting: Defines information to include in the test report and annexes on device examples, filter testing, pH testing for small samples, and threshold/size classification.
Practical applications and users
- Recycling and deinking laboratories validating how a small fraction of woodfree print affects deinkability in mixed streams.
- Paper mills and deinking plants assessing feedstock blends and predicting flotation deinking performance under alkaline conditions.
- Paper manufacturers, converters, and brand owners seeking to understand recyclability and process compatibility of printed products.
- R&D groups developing inks, coatings, or collector chemistries and needing standardized lab-scale comparison methods.
- Standards organizations and procurement/specification teams incorporating deinkability criteria into quality or sustainability scorecards.
Related standards
- ISO 21993 (mentioned as an adjunct method for testing 100% printed articles under alkaline conditions) - use ISO 12507:2025 when the woodfree fraction is a minor component of a mixed stream.
Keywords: ISO 12507:2025, deinkability test, woodfree printed paper, flotation deinking, alkaline deinking, fatty acid collector, paper recycling, laboratory method.
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