See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/358557451

Sustainable Biodegradable Inks

Article · May 2020

DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19165025.v1

CITATIONS READS

0 3,065

1 author:

Hamza Al Kakoun
Swansea University
1 PUBLICATION 0 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Hamza Al Kakoun on 12 February 2022.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Sustainable Biodegradable Inks
Hamza Al Kakoun
College of Engineering
Swansea University
Swansea UK
689272@swansea.ac.uk
Abstract - In the long-lasting battle of trying to maintain
cost-efficient products, the ink industry is one of the
industries that can find better solutions. For years,
water-based inks have been around doing a good and
reliable job, however, still contain acrylic resins.
Acrylic resins are used in many different industries and
are becoming increasingly expensive to obtain due to
demand. They also include VOC’s that could harm the
environment around us. Acrylic resins are also non-
biodegradable which makes it hard to recycle, causing
more damage to our environment. Soy protein was
examined as a potential replacement for the acrylic
resins in water-based inks. Soy protein is biodegradable
and environmentally friendly, making it good for
recyclability. They can also be used in flexographic
printing processes. A soy vehicle was formulated along
with an acrylic vehicle. Soy vehicle is later added in
increments of 10%, 20%, 30% and up to 100% to
replace the acrylic resins. Tests such as optical density,
colour difference and rub resistance were conducted,
and compared performances of each ink incremented
soy were carried. The soy vehicle performed well and
similar to the acrylic vehicle, with the colour change
having a very minimal difference that cannot be
observed by the human eye. The water drop test was
where the soy ink fell short to the acrylic ink. The soy
ink proved to be a suitable replacement and with time
could achieve the replacement of acrylic resins.
Keywords –Sustainable Ink, Biodegradable Ink, Soy-
based Ink, Acrylic Resins, Soy Protein, Social Impact,
Sustainable Impact
I. INTRODUCTION
Throughout times, the Earth has been affected and
increasingly polluted by the actions and inventions of
human beings. As humans, we tend to progress with
technology to make our lives easier, yet we leave behind us
crumbles of pollution that gradually compile to potentially
create a world problem. As seen in the recent events of
Covid-19, in which the world faced a highly contagious
virus, which caused people to isolate and stay at home, in
every part of this Earth. Due to this halt in peoples’ day to
day activity, cities such as Paris, Madrid and Rome saw a
drop of over 50% in nitrogen dioxide [1], a chemical
1
compound that contributes to air pollution, and upon
reaction with released volatile organic compounds (VOC)
in the presence of sunlight, causes ‘ground-level ozone’,
which is hazardous for the environment and humans. The
above statistic showed that in such a short period of time, a
change was made. In line with the benefits of the reduction
of VOC’s released into the atmosphere, the following
question was proposed: “What if we implemented safe and
environmentally friendly products in our daily lives and see
the change?” One of those changes can be petroleum-based
inks. Petroleum-based inks contain a high amount of
VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) including toluene,
xylene and benzene (Flammable). Petroleum-based inks
are very hazardous to the environment, not only because of
their contents, but also due to the extraction process of the
crude oil and making it useable. This leaves harm around
the environment [2], which leads us to finding alternatives
of petroleum-based inks such as water-based inks.
Due to the demand from customers and managements in
companies in being environmentally friendly, companies
are driven into using water-based inks when applicable, as
they contain 90% less VOCs than solvent based inks [3].
Water-based inks are mainly being used in flexography,
rotogravure and digital processes. The water-inks being
used are made of acrylic resin chemistry, good for its gloss
and stability, but making it non-biodegradable. An
alternative to the acrylic resins is Soy protein. A successful
implementation and use of soy are in litho inks, used in
newspapers as they are easily recycled and reusable.
Moreover, sustainable (such as economic, environmental,
and societal) implications of substituting soy based ink are
discussed in the paper, such as: in some places around the
world such as India and Lebanon, newspapers are used to
cover and wrap oily sandwiches or bread as a common
practice in their day to day lives [4]. If these newspapers
are being printed using petroleum-based ink, the chances of
developing hazardous health problems are drastically
increased – as I have been guilty of biting off a chunk of
newspaper paper myself whilst eating in a rush on the
streets! This paper will also cover results and discussions
of previous experiments on extracting soy oil from
soybeans, therefore obtaining soy protein and potentially
replacing acrylic resins from water-based inks. It will also
touch upon the process and utility of the soy product,
ProSoy 7475, used in the experiments. As due to the
restriction imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, no practical different sections of industries [11].
work was made on my behalf. Experiments showed that the
soy protein product mainly being used is ProSoy 7475. The
main focus of this paper discusses the potential
replacement of acrylic resins with soy protein, therefore
making an ink more sustainable, biodegradable and
environmentally friendly, as well as its comparison with
petroleum-based inks.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

The world as we know it is changing and evolving at a rapid

pace. We have gone from riding horses to flying airplanes
in a span of over 30 years. The problem lies with the
pollution that the Earth is having to endure because of said
evolvement. According to the World Health Organisation,
air pollution is the cause of 4.2 million premature deaths
worldwide [5]. People may not pay attention to the
environment and pollution enough, but as seen during the
Covid-19 pandemic, the result of people isolating has
caused pollution to drop significantly in the atmospheres of
major cities worldwide [1]. As seen in Figure 1 [6], after
Figure 1: India Aerosol Level Over Time [6]
India imposed a strict lockdown, they saw the lowest
aerosol levels in 20 years over northern India [6]. The An alternative to the petroleum-based ink is water-based
Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite operated by the European inks. Water-based inks are being widely used to
Space Agency and European Commission was launched to compensate for the environmental aspect of inks and
monitor air pollution levels in cities and towns across the printing. They are made by composite grinding and
globe and showed a significant drop of Nitrogen dioxide dispersion processing the water-soluble resins, paint,
levels across Italy [1]. solvents and related additives. They replace benzene and
other solvents from traditional petroleum-based inks with
Nitrogen dioxide, a chemical compound that is primarily
alcohol and water, therefore containing 90-95% less
used in the production of the ‘greenery encouraging’
VOC’s than traditional petroleum-based inks [4], thus
fertilizers [7], is also found in fossil fuels combustion, or
making it more environmentally friendly for the reasons
vehicle exhaust, which contributes to the air pollution [7].
discussed. Water-based inks are used in flexography,
A harmful event that could be caused by nitrogen dioxide
rotogravure and screen and digital printing processes [13].
is ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone occurs when
It was not until the 1980’s that water-based inks were
nitrogen dioxide interacts with volatile organic compounds
accepted and being used [14]. Among reasons as to why
known as VOCs in the presence of sunlight [8]. Breathing
they were not being used as much, were:
ozone can cause health problems such as coughing, chest
pain as well as worsening existing conditions such as • To use the water-based inks, new machinery and
asthma and bronchitis [9]. Since pollution can come in all equipment would have to be purchased, therefore
shapes and forms, companies worldwide have been put a hefty cost would be implemented.
under pressure and demand for more environmentally
friendly products and processes. Companies such as Coca • Water-based inks could only be used in certain
Cola have had changes to meet the demand such as materials, not metals nor plastics, as they required
introducing the ‘plant bottle’, where the bottle is made of an increased dying capacity.
up to 30% plant-based and 100% recyclable [10].
• Water-based inks had poor print quality, poor
A source of VOC’s and pollution is the ink industry. For blocking, water and abrasion resistance.
many years, petroleum-based inks were used throughout all
industries. These inks tend to have VOC’s such as benzene, The physical properties of water-based inks have since
xylene and toluene [11] which are very harmful to human evolved and now offer better performance as well as lower
beings given that compounds such as benzene has the printing costs, causing it to be applied on most materials
capability of causing cancerous health problems. VOC’s such as plastics, foil and food packaging. The water-based
could also contribute to the breakdown of the ozone. To inks are based on acrylic resins chemistry which helps the
make the petroleum-based inks, drilling is required to ink achieve gloss and stability [15]. In the case of flexo
obtain the crude oil which is then separated and refined for water-based inks, petroleum-based acrylic polymers are
different markets such as inks and asphalt, making it used. The acrylic resin is made of acrylic, methacrylic, acid
expensive to make because of the demand on crude oil from esters and other allyl monomers. Different properties and

2
applications could be achieved through a selection of
different resin structures and production processes. The
acrylic polymers are used in different industries such as
automotive, paint, and adhesive industries [12]. This
generates a problem of competing for the acrylic polymers,
making it more expensive. The acrylic polymers are also
not biodegradable which means a replacement is needed in
the ink industry, therefore leading to soybean protein as a
viable option.
Soy Ink has been around for many years. It is currently used
in newspaper, magazines and packaging prints around the
world. It was first introduced when petroleum was
expensive, with demand outweighing the supply. The
Newspaper Association of America was looking for a
substitute for the petroleum-based inks [16]. Soybeans
contain approximately 40% protein and 20% oil. They
contain three natural surfactants, soy protein, soy lecithin,
and soy saponin [17]. To obtain soy proteins, an extraction
of soybean oil is required. Soy oil is used in cooking and
food products and is renewable, therefore making it
reasonably priced for ink manufacture. Soy oil has a wide
variety of advantages when used in inks, it can easily mix
with pigments to make deeper and brighter colours in litho
inks, resulting in a better print quality.
Figure 2: Soybean Composition [24]
To extract soy protein, the soybean’s fat (oil) and hull
would have to be removed. Once the soybean has been
defatted and dehulled, there are three forms of protein that
can therefore be attained. The forms are, soy flour, soy
protein concentrates, and soy protein isolates. To obtain
soy flour, the soybean would have to be grinded, and it
would contain around 50 to 59% protein. To obtain soy
protein concentrates, the aqueous liquid of the soybean
would be removed, and it would contain protein in the
region of 65-72%. Finally, soy protein isolates are obtained
by removing the water-soluble carbohydrates of the
dehulled and defatted soybean, resulting with around 90%
protein, making it the most refined form of soy proteins.
[18]
3
Soy protein is popular due to its versatility of usage, for it
can be used in foods, as a foaming agent, or in other aspects
such as cosmetics, inks asphalts, cleaning materials and
paper coatings. The proteins are built by the condensation
reaction of amino acid monomers, therefore creating
peptide bonds. The result of the reaction is the release of
water molecules.
To conduct experiments using soy proteins, different
products can be used such ProSoy 7420 and ProSoy 7475.
ProSoy 7420 is a soy based thermo-mechanically
processed polymer, while the ProSoy 7475 is both
chemically and thermo-mechanically processed polymer.
Both of which are designed to be a functional, consistent
and cost saving binder for water -based inks. Both products
are environmentally friendly, non-hazardous and
renewable. They can be let down into the ink as a solution
or dispersed as a powder into pigment prior to dispersion.
Both products’ advantages include superior heat resistance,
excellent ink resolubility, and controlled amphoteric
charge density. [19]
III. METHODOLOGY
In the experiment section, the formulation of soy vehicle is
considered first. The formulation of the tradition acrylic
vehicle was considered second and compared properties
with the soy vehicle. Lastly, soy polymers are added to
replace acrylic resins in the acrylic vehicle and later, had
properties compared.
To measure the optical density, the reflection density could
be measured with a densitometer. Therefore, a numerical
value is assigned to the ink density. The higher the value,
the denser it is. An anilox handproofer (Fig. 3) is to provide
a provisional view of the printed results before printing on
the press, allowing a chance for any changes to be made
before a finalised print is done. Pigment Dispersion is used
to provide colour. Acrylic Varnish is used to hold pigments
on substrate. Wax is used to provide elasticity. Defoamer is
used to control foaming issues, and ammonia is used for pH
adjustments.
To make the soy vehicle, ProSoy 7475 powder, which can
be obtained from ARRO company, is to be used for the
experiment. The physical and chemical properties of
ProSoy 7475 are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: ProSoy 7475 Physical/Chemical Properties
[18]
Dry Appearance Off White to Tan Granular
Powder
Solution Colour Opaque Light Brown
Bulk Density 𝑘𝑔
672
𝑚3
Moisture 15%
Max Solution Solids 20+%
Particle Size <5% (-325 Mesh)
To prepare the ProSoy solution, four variables are to be
taken into consideration. These are temperature, pH, shear,
and time. Any increase of rate of the variables could affect Table 3: Chemical/Physical Properties of Pigment
Dispersion
the rate or degree of solubilization. A good starting point
would be a solid level of 20% for the ProSoy. Solid Appearance Blue Liquid
limitations will be reached due to increased solution pH 8-10
viscosity with higher solids.
Solubility in Water Miscible
Specific Gravity (g/cm3) 1.11

Viscosity (cP) 15-25

The acrylic ink formulation (table 4) is then made with the
use of acrylic vehicle AC0073. pH should be at 9.1 and
viscosity measured at efflux time of 25 seconds.
Temperature controlled at 76 degrees C. To achieve the
lowest amount of variations, pH and viscosity would need
to be maintained with the soy vehicle.
Figure 3: Anilox Handproofer Table 4: Acrylic Ink Formulation Vehicle
To begin with to process, water is to be heated at around Material Weight (grams)
140F to 170F (60°C to 76.67°C). Amine is to be added Pigment Dispersion 43.5
under good agitation. A typical pH range of the final H2O 7.0
solution should be 9.0 to 10.5. ProSoy is then added under Acrylic Varnish 48.1
good agitation, causing the powder to immediately be
WAX 01.0
submerged under the surface and wet out. Failure of good
Defoamer 0.4
agitation or adding the ProSoy powder too fast, may result
in the powder sitting on the surface of the water, causing a Total weight 100
formation of lumps with the dry powder in the centre of the
lumps, making the solubilization process lengthier in time.
Agitation is then maintained with a vortex mixer for 40
minutes while remaining at the desired temperature. A
pigment dispersion is then added. For the case of the results
and discussions accuracy of this paper, a blue pigment (PB-
15-44) (table 3) from the American Inks and Technology is
considered. Other formulation ingredients are then added
under agitation to the solution, while the temperature
sensitivity of the formulation ingredients are kept under
consideration. If temperature sensitive ingredients were to
be added, the solution would need to be cooled to a suitable
temperature first, and then having the ingredients added.
Suitable biocide is to be added to prevent the growth of
bacteria. Table 2 shows the soy vehicle formulation.

Figure 4: Spectro-densitometer X-Rite [25]

Table 2: Soy Vehicle Formulation
Lastly, for comparison between acrylic resin based inks and
Parts soy inks, soy vehicle made from ProSoy7475 would be
Water 80 added to the acrylic ink, replacing the acrylic resin till up
ProSoy 7475 15 to 100%, making it a fully 100% soy ink. This is to regard
the effect of such incrementation editions on the
Amine (for pH 0.4 to 1.0 performance of the ink at each stage.
adjustment)
Isopropyl Alcohol 4 All inks should be made in different variations to get
Biocide As needed optimum desired pH, viscosity and stability. Inks are then
Antifoam As needed put through a rheology process. A suitable rheometer could
be equipped such as the AR 2000 rheometer (fig. 5) that is
equipped with conical concentric cylinder geometry. Inks
are then printed using a gravure proofing press, with tone

4
steps 5-100% to be used, having the plate
electromechanically engraved with a 45° compression
angle and 150 LPI resolution.

Upon completion of printing the inks, tests could be done

on them to conclude optic density and colour
measurements, colour difference, rub resistance, water
drop test, tape adhesion test, and vehicle foam test results.
The tests could be conducted as follows:
Table 5: Tests and Directions on experimented inks

Test Directions

Optical Measured with a densitometer (Fig.

density 4). Therefore, a numerical value is
assigned to the ink density. The higher
the value, the denser it is. In basic Figure 5: AR 2000 Rheometer [26]
terms, the light is blocked or absorbed,
the higher the density.
CIE L*a*b* A mapping system that combines
measurement tristimulus values to reproduce any
colour a human eye can see. L*
represents lightness, while a* and b*
represent colour-opponent dimensions
of red-green and yellow-blue.
Colour The difference between two colours in
difference a CIE L*a*b* colour space.

Rub Simulation of abrasion damage,

resistance mirroring typical damage on the field.
A suitable rub tester is used. (Fig. 6)
Water drop Dropping ink into water with time
durations ranged from 10 seconds to
120 seconds.
Tape 3M tape used and applied over printed
adhesion surface, then pulling it from the ink
surface. Failure of the test means that
the ink was stuck onto the tape when
being pulled.
Vehicle foam Acrylic and soy vehicles to be
separately formulated with addition of
DI water along with a defoamer. Figure 6: Sutherland Ink Rub Tester [27]
Samples are then shaken for 10
seconds. Samples were then left to
settle and had times of settling
measured.

5
 IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Table 7: Viscosity Over Time

An experiment was done on soy inks and acrylic based inks Soy Eflux Eflux Eflux Eflux
with comparisons and replacement between the two by added time (s) time (s) time (s) time (s)
Rahul Ramchandra Pingale from Western Michigan (%)
University [20]. The following are the results obtained (Day 1) (Day 10) (Day 25) (Day 60)
from the following papers, ‘Soy-Based Flexographic Ink 0 25 26 25 27
for Linerboard Printing’ [20], ‘Soy Protein Fluid Inks for
Packaging’ [21], and ‘Water Based Soy Inks for 20 26 25 26 27
Packaging’ [22]. The results are of the tests that were
mentioned previously in the methodology section. The first 40 27 27 27 27
observation made from the experiment was of all the
increments of inks pH and viscosity levels over time. As 60 27 27 28 27
previously mentioned, the soy vehicle would be added to
the commercial acrylic based ink, replacing the acrylic 80 28 27 28 27
resins in increments of 0-20-40-60-80-100 percent.
100 27 27 28 28
Therefore, each of the increments would have different
levels of pH and viscosity. The levels are shown in figures
7 and 8 with an observation time up to 60 days.
Table 7 shows that the acrylic ink had a constant range of
Table 6: pH Over Time 25 to 27 MPa. The soy ink increments however, had ranged
from 26 to 28 MPa. There was an apparent increase of
Soy pH pH pH pH
viscosity as more of the soy vehicle was added and time
added
(Day 1) (Day 10) (Day 25) (Day 60) passed.
(%)
The next test result was for the optical density that was
0 9.1 9 9.1 8.9
conducted using an X-Rite 530 spectrodenistometer.
According to the experiment, the optical density of the
20 9.1 9.2 9.2 9.2
acrylic ink was ranged from 1.26 to 1.29, while the optical
40 8.9 9.1 9.1 9.1 density of the soy vehicle increments ranged from 1.24 to
1.27, meaning that the difference was minimal with no
60 8.8 9 9 8.9 significant difference at 100% tone range, as shown in
figure 7.
80 8.7 9 8.9 8.8

100 9.1 9 9.1 8.9

The pH observation showed that the traditional acrylic

based ink with no soy vehicle added, had a stable range of
pH along the 60 days, ranging between 9.1 and 8.9.
However, when the soy vehicle is added in increments,
each increment had different but similar pH results. The
addition of 20% soy resulted in the pH starting at 9.1, then
remaining constant at 9.2. The addition of 40% soy had a
starting pH of 8.9 on day 1, but stayed constant at 9.1 up
until day 60. The addition of 60% soy had a pH range of Figure 7: Optical Density Comparison
8.8 and 9. The addition of 80% soy had a pH measurement
Next, a comparison of acrylic ink CIE LAB and soy vehicle
of 8.7 on day 1, which later on ranged between 8.8 and 9.
CIE LAB at 100% cyan tone step was conducted (fig. 8).
Finally, the 100% soy ink had a pH range of 8.9 and 9.1.

The decrease and changing of pH over time, results in a

change of viscosity. Table 7 shows the viscosity change
over time.

6
 indicating that a higher soy concentration results in a drop
of performance.

Table 9: Water Drop Test Grade (0-5)

Time 100% Soy 100% Acrylic

(Seconds) Ink Grade Ink Grade

10 5 5

20 5 5
Figure 8: CIE LAB Comparison 30 5 5

Figure 8 shows that there was no significant difference 40 5 5

apparent in the comparison. As for the colour difference, a
50 5 5
𝛥𝐸 difference of 0.98 between acrylic and 100% soy ink
was recorded, the difference could not be observed by the 60 4 5
human eye [23].
120 3 5
The rub resistance test was conducted with a Sutherland rub
tester (fig. 6) with a load of 4 lb and 60 cycles, as previously
mentioned in the methodology.
For the tape adhesion test results, similar to the water drop
Table 8: Rub Resistance Grade (0-5) and rub resistance tests, a grading system on a scale of 0-5
with 5 being excellent was implemented (table 9). After the
Soy vehicle % Rub Resistance Grade 3M tape was pulled from the ink surface, the following
results were concluded. 100% acrylic ink, along with 20%
0 5
and 40% added soy vehicle, had a grade of 5, while the
20 3 remaining increments of 60, 80 and 100% soy vehicles
received a grade of 4, indicating that a higher soy
40 4 concentration results in a decline of performance.
60 4 Table 10: Tape Adhesion Test Grade (0-5)
80 5 Soy vehicle % 3M Tape Test Grade
100 5 0 5

20 5
As shown in table 8, the grading system was conducted on 40 5
a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 being excellent. 100% acrylic ink
had a rating of 5 along with 80% and 100% soy ink. Soy 60 4
vehicle addition 20%, 40% and 60% had a lower rating. A
potential possibility of why this had happened is that the 80 4
lower additions of soy vehicle, did not have a strong 100 4
enough bond to the acrylic vehicle.

The water drop test was conducted to observe the water

interaction with both the 100% acrylic ink and 100% soy
ink, with a grading scale of 0-5 with 5 being excellent
(shown in table 9). The results were obtained after a time
duration of the test being 10 seconds to 120 seconds.
Results showed that both the acrylic and soy inks were
rated as excellent for each of the tests of 10 to 50 seconds,
however for the results at 60 and 120 seconds, acrylic inks
remained rated as excellent while soy ink kept decreasing,
The final result is from the vehicle foam test, where both
soy and acrylic vehicles had their formulation ingredients
cut down with 50% addition of DI water along with a
0.001% Defoamer and shaken then left to settle.
As seen in figure 9, the soy vehicle only took 20 seconds to
settle while the acrylic vehicle settled in 80 seconds,
concluding that the soy vehicle settles faster, (foams less)
than its acrylic counterpart.

7
 5P/Air_pollution_remains_low_as_Europeans_st
ay_at_home

[2] Johnston J, Lim E, Roh H. Impact of upstream oil

extraction and environmental public health: A
review of the evidence. Science of The Total
Environment. 2019;657:187-199.

[3] New Water-based Flexographic Inks for

Improved Food Packaging [Internet]. Packaging
Europe. 2017 [cited 29 April 2020]. Available
from: https://packagingeurope.com/new-water-
based-flexographic-inks-improved-food-
packaging/

[4] It is not safe to wrap food in newspaper, warns

Figure 9: Vehicle Foam Test government! [Internet]. The Times of India. 2019
[cited 21 April 2020]. Available from:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-
style/food-news/wrapping-food-items-in-
newspaper-can-cause-cancer-warns-
V. CONCLUSION government/photostory/69338915.cms

While the use of commercial water-based inks has had its [5] Ambient (outdoor) air pollution [Internet].
benefits, uses and reliability, they still contain acrylic resins Who.int. 2018 [cited 23 April 2020]. Available
that are hugely in demand from other industries. This from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-
brings the problem of supply and demand, where prices sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-
would become higher therefore making the resins harder to health
obtain. Apart from the expenses that would be needed to
acquire such acrylics, the uses of them in water-based inks [6] Gohd C. Air pollution over northern India drops
has a big disadvantage of not being biodegradable. This amid coronavirus lockdown [Internet].
poses a problem as companies around the world are Space.com. 2020 [cited 22 April 2020]. Available
applying a ‘green’ policy, and when recyclability becomes from: https://www.space.com/india-air-pollution-
a problem because of the acrylic resins, the ‘green’ policy drops-coronavirus-lockdowns.html
becomes questionable. This paper concluded by the [7] Pires M, da Cunha D, de Matos Carlos S, Costa
provided extensive research that there are suitable M. Nitrogen-Use Efficiency, Nitrous Oxide
replacements for acrylic resins in water-based inks, such as Emissions, and Cereal Production in Brazil:
soy protein, that can be used in flexography. Throughout Current Trends and Forecasts. PLOS ONE.
all results obtained from research, the results pointed to the 2015;10(8):e0135234.
soy ink as a very good potential replacement for the acrylic
ink. Performances of the soy ink compared similarly to [8] Air Quality Expert Group. Nitrogen Dioxide in
those of the acrylic ink in all aspects. Colour differences the United Kingdom Summary [Internet]. Uk-
can also be negligible, given that the human eye could not air.defra.gov.uk. 2004 [cited 22 April 2020].
identify any abnormality of the colours because of the Available from: https://uk-
minimal difference (𝛥𝐸 < 1). The reduction of VOC’s is a air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/aqeg/n
responsibility that falls on any residing human on Earth, as d-summary.pdf
recent events have shown that a big change can be done in
[9] Shima M, Adachi M. Effect of outdoor and indoor
a short amount of time. Further research could be done to
nitrogen dioxide on respiratory symptoms in
improve water drop results to compare better with acrylic
schoolchildren. International Journal of
inks.
Epidemiology. 2000;29(5):862-870.
REFERENCES
[10] Coca-Cola Expands Access to PlantBottle IP -
[1] Air pollution remains low as Europeans stay at News & Articles [Internet]. Coca-
home [Internet]. Esa.int. 2020 [cited 21 April colacompany.com. 2019 [cited 23 April 2020].
2020]. Available from: Available from: https://www.coca-
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_ colacompany.com/news/coca-cola-expands-
Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel- access-to-plantbottle-ip

8
 [11] Montero-Montoya R, López-Vargas R, Arellano-
Aguilar O. Volatile Organic Compounds in Air:
Sources, Distribution, Exposure and Associated
Illnesses in Children. Annals of Global Health.
2018;84(2):225-238.
[24] U.S. Soybean Measurements - United Soybean
[12] Demirbas A, Bamufleh H. Optimization of crude
oil refining products to valuable fuel blends.
Petroleum Science and Technology.
2017;35(4):406-412.
[23] Lindsey D, Wee A. Perceptibility and
acceptability of CIELAB color differences in
computer-simulated teeth. Journal of Dentistry.
2007;35(7):593-599.
Board [Internet]. United Soybean Board.
Available from:
https://www.unitedsoybean.org/topics/on-your-
farm/u-s-soybean-measurements/

[13] Rentzhog M, Fogden A. Print quality and
resistance for water-based flexography on
polymer-coated boards: Dependence on ink
formulation and substrate pretreatment. Progress
in Organic Coatings. 2006;57(3):183-194.
[14] Lichtenberger M. Inks - Water Based. [Internet].
2004 [cited 24 April 2020];. Available from:
http://davidlu.net/Matt.pdf
[15] Laden P. Chemistry and Technology of Water
Based Inks. 1st ed. London: Blackie Academic
and Proffesional; 1997.
[16] Soy-Based Ink: Environmentally Friendly |
American Soybean Association [Internet].
American Soybean Association. [cited 24 April
2020]. Available from:
https://soygrowers.com/soy-ink-seal/
[25] 500 Series Spectrodensitometers Family | X-Rite
[Internet]. X-Rite. 2020. Available from:
https://www.xrite.com/categories/portable-
spectrophotometers/500-series
[26] TA INSTRUMENTS. Rheometers [Internet].
Available from:
http://www.tainstruments.com/pdf/literature/ar20
00
[27] SUTHERLAND® 2000 Rub Tester | Rub Test |
Danilee Co. [Internet]. Sutherland Rub Tester.
Available from: https://www.rubtester.com/

[17] Zhang Q, Tu Z, Wang H, Huang X, Fan L, Bao Z

et al. Functional properties and structure changes
of soybean protein isolate after subcritical water
treatment. Journal of Food Science and
Technology. 2014;.

[18] Rosenthal A, Pyle D, Niranjan K. Simultaneous

Aqueous Extraction of Oil and Protein from
Soybean: Mechanisms for Process Design. Food
and Bioproducts Processing. 1998;76(4):224-230.

[19] ARRO Protein. ProSoy 7475 Soy Protein Vehicle

For Water Based Inks Datasheet. ARRO; 2017 p.
1-2.

[20] Pingale, Rahul Ramchandra, "Soy- Based

Flexographic Ink for Linerboard Printing"
(2018).Master's Theses.
3798.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/
3798

[21] Pekarovicova A, Sonar D, Pingale R, Altay B,

Husovska V, Fleming P. Soy Protein Fluid Inks
for Packaging. Western Michigan University;
2019.

[22] Pingale R, Husovska V, Pekarovicova A, Fleming

III P. Water Based Soy Inks for Packaging.
Western Michigan University; 2019.

View publication stats