International Journal of Science and Technology (IJST)

Preparation of Organic Ink from Natural Pigments Present in Beta Vulgaris L. (Beetroot) and Curcuma Longa L. (Turmeric) for a Sustainable Environment

: Organic inks containing plant based pigments provides sustainable shift on reducing environmental impact and toxicity compared to synthetic inks. Therefore, in this work organic ink formulations from beetroot and turmeric extracts were explored, emphasizing the natural pigment present in it. Four different ink formulations for each extract were prepared by mixing with different proportion of extra virgin olive oil, drumstick resin, and lemon juice, using water or ethanol or both as solvent. Out of all formulations, remarkable result has been achieved using one formulations of each pigment (formulation 3 of beetroot extract which composed of 65% extracted pigment (v/v), 15% ethanol(v/v), 15% water(v/v), 5% lemon juice (v/v), three drops of extra virgin oil, and three drops drumstick resin and formulation 4 of turmeric extract which composed of 55% extracted pigment (v/v), 40% ethanol(v/v), 5% lemon juice (v/v), four drops of extra virgin oil, and four drops drumstick resin). The two best ink formulations retained their vibrant color till 28th day while applied on a paper using ink pen and paintbrush and the ink solutions can be store for 28 days in refrigerator without developing any foul smells. Keywords- organic ink, natural pigments, light fastness, painting, writing.