react according to the following scheme 2nh 4 oh h 2 o 2 u2192 nh 3 u2191 2h 2 o o nh 4 oh u2212 the liberated ammonium gas operates to flotate the ink particles to the surface the combination of a peroxide with an alkali metal bicarbonate reacts according to the scheme nahco 3 2 h 2 o 2 u2192 na oh u2212 2h 2 o 2o co 2 u2191 the liberated carbon dioxide bubbles would then work to float the ink particles to the surface since two molecules of nascent oxygen are formed in the system some will readily combine to form molecular oxygen as well as to bleach the pulp the molecular oxygen formed would function as an additional flotation agent the critical parameters of the method of the invention therefore are the use of soluble peroxides and alkaline agents which react under the conditions in the pulp stream to form a gas which bubbles up through the pulp stream and acts to dislodge and float the ink particles present in the pulp stream to the surface it is a further feature of the invention that the nascent oxygen released by the reaction between the alkaline agent and the peroxide functions to bleach the pulp and increase its brightness in addition the nascent oxygen works to break the oils present in the pulp stream into shorter chain length molecules which function to stabilize the froth in the pulp stream for flotation of the ink particles in the cases of combinations of alkaline agents and peroxides which do not react with each other to liberate gas bubbles the process is much less efficient for example where alkali metal hydroxides and hydrogen peroxide are utilized as in the case of some.