ABSTRACT
Increasing society awareness on sustainable development and environmental pollution has led to increase in utilization of industry-based secondary fibers such as old newsprint, mixed office waste, and old magazines for paper making. Paper recycling is necessary to reduce dependency on virgin wood pulp and to avoid disposal problem for waste paper. Deinking, the most important process in waste paper recycling, is traditionally handled by large quantities of chemicals, is expensive, and is damaging the environment. Microbial enzymes offer a better alternative for eco-friendly deinking of waste paper by reducing chemical consumption, which leads to cost-cutting, energy saving, and lower waste production. This chapter describes microbial enzymes reported for waste paper recycling and comparison of enzymatic deinking with other conventional methods.
