AbstractDeinking of recycled office (MOW) paper was carried out by using a flotation column and adding separately sodium hydroxide, and the enzyme Cellulase Thricodema Sp., as defibrillators.The de-inked cellulose fibers were characterized according to the standards of the paper industry, to compare the efficiency of the deinking of each chemical reagent used to hydrolyze the fibers and defibrillate them.The computational simulation of the molecular coupling between the enzyme and cellulose was performed, to establish the enzyme-cellulose molecular complex and then to identify the principal amino-acids of endo-β-1,4-D-glucanase in this molecular link, which are responsible for the hydrolysis of the cellulose.Experimental results show the feasibility to replace sodium hydroxide with the enzyme Cellulase Thricodema Sp., by obtaining deinked cellulose with similar optical and physical properties.The use of the enzyme instead of sodium hydroxide avoids the contamination of the residual water; in addition to that, the column is operated more easily, taking into consideration that the pH of the system goes from alkaline to neutral.
