Page 66 - Plastics News January 2023

TECHNOLOGY

Indian researchers develop edible ink for packaging applications
NDTV.com. Currently used solvents and chemical
Developed as a substitute for synthet- in synthetic ink may cause skin irrita-
ic ink, the environmentally friendly tion and dermatitis upon skin contact.
and non-toxic ink can be used in sev- In India, the consumption of packag-
eral packaging and printing applica- ing is estimated to be around 373.6
tions. billion units last year.
Researchers Kirtitaj Gaikwad and In a statement, quoted by CA-
Lokam Hakim have worked togeth- REERS360, Gaikwad said: “This is a
er to develop the new edible ink to novel idea of edible ink to print di-
esearchers from the Indian Insti- serve as an environmentally friendly rectly on food substrate; it not only
Rtute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee substitute for food printing. uses plant materials but also alleviates
have developed a water-based edible The newly developed ink is suitable the pressure on the environment and
ink from plants for printing and pack- for printing on fruits and vegetables as food safety.”
aging applications. an alternative to stickers. Recently, IIT Roorkee developed low-
Using plant-based material called The surface branding method and cost perovskite solar cells, which are
catechu, the edible ink has been pro- printing on foods are expected to re- claimed to have the highest reported
duced at the Department of Paper duce toxicity, as well as unexpected stabilised power conversion efficiency
Technology, IIT Roorkee, reported health concerns. at 17.05%.

Will we soon be using new-gen fuels made from recycled plastic waste?

as for recycling waste that is particu-
larly polluting for the environment in
a useful manner. Under Select Fuels'
process, at least 75% of plastic waste
could be converted into multiple bio-
energy products.
A first real-life use case is in the works
with car manufacturing partner Ber-
tone, on the occasion of the presen-
tation of its brand new hypercar, the
GB110. This car is set to be able to
run on fuel made from recycled plas-
tic waste. And Select Fuel is not stop-
ping there, as the startup aims to de-
velop solutions for all types of internal
combustion engines, i.e., passenger
cars, aircraft and trucks.
mong the many alternatives to seriously explored by many players A wide range of other potential sourc-
Afossil fuels being developed and is that of renewable fuels for internal es of renewable fuels are also being
tested, is an innovative solution for combustion engine vehicles. Ameri- studied; these include various raw
converting plastic waste into fuel that can startup Select Fuel's approach materials such as biomass (including
comes from an American startup. focuses on the development of tech- waste cooking oil), agriculture, vari-
A first demonstration is expected in nologies that enable plastic waste to ous types of food waste, agricultural
partnership with the car manufactur- be recycled into fuel. This solution residue, mowed grass and even paper
er Bertone. could be a game-changer as it ad- pulp.

As we move to reduce the amount dresses two challenges: the demand
of CO2 emissions, one avenue being for clean and sustainable fuels, as well

66 PLASTICS NEWS January 2023