Scanning electron microscopy analysis of fiber free toner agglomeration

摘要

Chemical agglomeration is a process which is designed to agglomerate contaminants in waste paper by a combination of chemicals, heat and agitation. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of system components has been performed to study the agglomeration process. SEM analysis of uncured toner, cured toner and 1-octadecanol in an aqueous, fiber-free system treated at different temperatures was performed. The SEM analysis revealed that heating the toner alone in water did not result in the formation of effective agglomerates, even at temperatures above the softening point of the toner. When loctadecanol was added to the toner, effective agglomeration, i.e., the formation of large spherical agglomerates, was observed for processing temperatures below and above the softening temperature of the toner.