Environmental Compact Disc Recycling using Cationic and Anionic Surfactants

Omar R Soliman; Saber A Ibrahim

Abstract

Environmental Compact Disc Recycling using Cationic and Anionic Surfactants

Author(s): Omar R Soliman, Saber A Ibrahim

The use of polycarbonates in industry has increased sharply in recent decades. Various methods are used to remove inks from the polycarbonate surface of printed Compact Discs (CDs). Surfactants were used for de-inking as an effective method for polymer recycling. In this study, the effect of using cationic and anionic surfactants with different concentrations at Critical Micelle Concentrations (CMC) was studied for de-inking of compact discs. The cationic surfactant Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) removed significantly more ink from CD surfaces than the anionic surfactant Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to investigate the topography of CD surfaces before and after treatment with different surfactants. The de-inking power, which is represented by the area of ink-free pixels in the CD image, was increased with increasing surfactant concentration. The most significant de-inking using CTAB was achieved at 8x CMC, while that for SDS was achieved at 9x CMC.

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