Seed Oil of Morinda citrifolia L. as a Surfactant for Deinking Flotation

Surfactants are essential in the pulp recovery process for the removal of ink on paper to be recycled. In order to create a “green” surfactant, seed oil was extracted from Morinda citrifolia L. by Soxhlet extraction for 4–8 h and its composition evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total ion chromatogram (TIC) of fatty acids of Morinda citrifolia L. (FAMC) indicated that extraction yields the largest amount of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), specifically C19H34O2 and C21H38O2, at 6 h. All FAMC fractions were evaluated for their suitability as a surfactant for deinking flotation. FAMC isolated after 6 h of extraction yields fatty acids that are the most suitable surfactants, as the fraction consists of mostly unsaturated fatty acids that show good interactions with the structure of common ink molecules. Our results show that the performance of the FAMC taken after 6 h of extraction approaches that of a synthetic surfactant (SS). The appropriate viscous force for deinking flotation was found to be 1.5–2.0 × 10−4 mg/mm s2 when the synthetic surfactant is used compared to 1.0–1.5 × 10−4 mg/mm s2 for FAMC. The higher intermolecular bonding strength in the synthetic surfactant-ink particle system requires higher viscous force.

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