WETTABILITY OF VARIOUS PAPER GRADES.

In order to exploit the different rates at which different grades of paper wet and sink, to separate and selectively recover mixed paper waste, an experimental study has been conducted to determine their wettability. Capillary rise tests were conducted and contact angles measured with a goniometer using water and variable concentrations of cationic and anionic surfactants. The results obtained show that a very low level of surfactant concentration dramatically affects the contact angle, the wettability and sinking rates of paper. A number of different commercial grades have been investigated and found to behave differently due to their structural differences.