Profession froth flotation deinking operator

Froth flotation deinking operators tend a tank that takes in recycled paper and mixes it with water. The solution is brought to a temperature around 50°C Celsius, after which air bubbles are blown into the tank. The air bubbles lift ink particles to the surface of the suspension and form a froth that is then removed.

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Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Deinking processes

  Various deinking processes such as flotation, bleaching, and washing. These are used to remove ink from the paper in preparation for producing new paper.

• Quality standards

  The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.

• Froth flotation processes

  The different aspects of froth flotation, used to separate floatable (hydrophobic) and non-floatable (hydrophilic) ink particles.

• Types of pulp

  Kinds of pulp are distinguished based on their fibre type and the specific chemical processes through which they were created.

• Types of paper

  The different criteria used to determine differences in paper types such as coarseness and thickness, and the different fabrication methods and wood types from which the types of paper stem.

Skills

• Concentrate pulp slurry

  Measure the weight and concentration of the pulp slurry for further processing and storage by using disk filters and calculating slurry density with specific formulas.

• Separate ink

  Absorb the ink from the substrate, which separates solid particles from liquid material by detergency. This facilitates the separation of ink from fibre.

• Wear appropriate protective gear

  Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.

• Work safely with machines

  Check and safely operate machines and equipment required for your work according to manuals and instructions.

• Supply machine

  Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.

• Use deinking chemicals

  Handle surfactants or deinking chemicals, which remove ink from fibres. Chemicals such as hydroxides, peroxides, and dispersants are used in processes such as bleaching, flotation, washing, and cleaning. Amongst these non-ionic and electrolyte surfactants are the most important.

• Set up the controller of a machine

  Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.

• Monitor chemical process condition

  Monitor the conformity of the chemical process, checking all indicators or warning signals provided by the instruments such as recording instruments, flowmeters and panel lights.

• Work safely with chemicals

  Take the necessary precautions for storing, using and disposing chemical products.

• Tend deinking tank

  Monitor the flow of waste paper and set up the controller of the tank in which the paper is mixed with water and heated to a high temperature. Skim the ink froth forming on the surface.

• Monitor automated machines

  Continuously check up on the automated machine's set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB