Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies & Management 15(4): 443 – 449, 2022

ISSN:1998-0507 doi: https://ejesm.org/doi/v15i4.3

Submitted: April 25, 2022 Accepted: July 27, 2022

NATURAL INK SYNTHESIS FROM FLOWERS OF FLAME OF FOREST

(Butea monosperma), COMMON LANTANA (Lantana camara),
AND BERRIES OF MALABAR SPINACH (Basella alba)

NAGRALE, P.M., *KAMBLE, R.K. AND PATIL, P.V.

Institute of Higher Learning, Research and Specialized Studies in Environmental Science,
Sardar Patel College, Ganj Ward, Chandrapur 442 402, India
*Corresponding author: rahulkk41279@yahoo.com

Abstract
The art of writing and printing requires ink which can be of natural or synthetic origin.
Synthetic inks owing to their merits have an edge over natural inks. However, Volatile
Organic Compounds and the non-degradable nature of synthetic ink pose a threat to the
individual engaged with it and the environment. Thus to overcome these issues this study
was carried out with the objective to synthesize natural inks from the flowers of Flame of
forest (Butea monosperma, Papilonaceae), Common lantana (Lantana camara,
Verbenaceae), and berries of Malabar spinach (Basella alba, Basellaceae). The natural ink
was synthesized by using water as a solvent, with vinegar as an additive. The synthesized
natural inks’ physical properties revealed free-flowing, non-clogging nature and drying time
in the range of 5-7 sec. to 2-4 sec. for cardboard and paper respectively. The exposure of
these inks to solar radiation for two weeks revealed no colour change in Flame of forest
and, Common lantana however faint colour change in Malabar spinach. No ink residue
falling off on the sticky transparent tape indicates good adhesion by these inks and no ink
residue falling off at all either after various rubbing times indicates the inks does not worn
off. The results obtained in this study indicate that the flowers and berries of these plants
have the properties of the ink and the ink synthesized from them can be used for commercial
purposes. The synthesized inks are eco-friendly, devoid of chemicals, and degradable. The
inks synthesized from the Flame of forest, and Common lantana perhaps may be reported
for the first time.

Key Words: Ink, Natural ink, Flame of forest, Common lantana, Malabar spinach

Introduction being a pioneer of the ecosystem and sets

The art of writing developed in him apart from this world among the
growing civilization with reformation. It is animal kingdom. Writing is an advanced
a skill by which a person expresses his mode to make the imagination come true
thoughts, idea, feelings, and emotions. that one would arise, preserved, secure,
The writing ability makes the human and stable documentation. To achieve this
This work is licensed to the publisher under the Creative Commons Attributions License 4.0

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 Natural Ink Synthesis from Flowers…………Nagrale et al.

target magnetic, electric, and electronic was estimated at 0.36 million tons for
inks are arising which will provide 2019-2020 (Printing Ink). The colour
certainly a step toward a conservative changes, press cleaning, and poor ink
society Sharma et al., 2014). management practices generate waste ink.
The art of using natural colour is very The spent inks have the potential to cause
old and in China dated 2600 BC which serious water pollution to drinking water
was the first country to use natural dyes supplies if illegally disposed of in a septic
(Singh and Sharma, 2017). The history of system or can if discharged to surface
writing ink is more than five thousand water, reduce the dissolved oxygen
years old in India. In those days carbon resulting in mortality of fish and other
inks were in use for writing on palm leaves aquatic life (Davis, 2001). The hazardous
before the invention of papers (Daumas, health effects of synthetic ink on human
1969). Natural ink is still used in some beings include headaches, skin irritation
parts of India, however on a small scale, and nervous system, etc. These harmful
due to the easy availability of synthetic effects can be caused by solvents, and
dyes, long-lasting colour, and low cost. pigment/dye which help to create the
Organic ink is a natural product prepared colour of ink (Noah et al., 2014).
from a natural colourant. It is very useful According to the American Lungs
for printing and writing material and Association breathing Volatile Organic
writing work. Organic inks are considered Compounds (VOCs) can irritate the eyes,
eco-friendly because they are derived nose, and throat, can cause difficulty in
from natural resources like plant leaves, breathing, damage the central nervous
roots, flowers, fruits, and minerals system as well as other organs, and nausea
sources. There are more than 500 dye- whereas some VOCs can cause cancer. In
yielding plants in nature giving different 1996 Germany was the first country which
shades of colour. Natural ink overcomes a bans azo dye (synthetic dye) from the
few of the problems lead by synthetic ink printing industry which causes harmful
via a less expensive and not tedious effects on the environment with emission
process, non-toxic and safe. The natural of the VOCs (Ghosh and Malik, 2019).
pigments, although they have been used Synthetic inks owing to their
for centuries, have been replaced by disadvantages cause a great boost to the
synthetic dyes from the oil industry at the natural inks research work. Literature
end of the 19th century. Indeed, they have review revealed the paucity of studies on
the advantages of reproducibility of the the natural inks synthesized from the
properties, unlike natural pigments. flowers of Flame of forest, Common
However, they do have mired adverse lantana, and berries of Malabar spinach.
effects on the environment and workers Thus, this is the identified gap in the
engage with them (Singh and Sharma, subject domain. To fill this knowledge gap
2017). this study was carried out with the
The printing ink consumption by objective of synthesis of natural ink from
volume is expected to increase by 9% these plant materials and testing them for
from 3.3 million tonnes in 2013 to 3.6 discolouration, best penetration time, and
million tonnes in 2023 (Future of Global ink residue falling off.
Ink Markets, 2023). In the case of India, it

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Materials and Method on a flame. After boiling the solution was

For the synthesis of natural ink in this cooled for 5 minutes. This solution was
study three plants viz. Flame of forest again boiled at 70oC for 5 to 10 minutes and
(Butea monosperma, Papilonaceae), 2-3 drops of vinegar was added. This
Common lantana (Lantana camara, synthesized ink was flittered with the help
Verbenaceae), and Malabar spinach of Whatman filter paper (No. 1).
(Basella alba, Basellaceae) were selected. Ink from Malabar spinach (Basella alba,
These plants are native to the region and Basellaceae)
are easily available. The collected plants The wet Malabar spinach berries (200 g)
were identified by a taxonomist and the were crushed with the help of a mortar and
specimen of these plants is preserved in the pestle. The half quantity (100 g) of these
Department of Environmental Science, crushed berries was taken in a conical flask
Sardar Patel College, Chandrapur, India. and 100 mL of ethyl alcohol (95%) was
The flowers and berries of these plants added and this solution was boiled at 70oC
were collected and shade dried and used for for 10-12 minutes in a water bath. After
the synthesis of ink. The solvent extraction boiling, this solution was cooled for 5-10
methodology was adopted for the synthesis minutes and again boiled at 70oC for 8-10
of the inks from these plant products. The minutes and 2-3 drops of vinegar was
synthesized inks were tested for added. This synthesized ink was filtered
discolouration by exposure to solar with the help of Whatman filter paper (No.
radiation, drying time for paper and 1).
cardboard, adhesion test by using standard
sticky transparent tape number 600 (ASTM Results and Discussion
D3359) and worn off test by using a The physical properties of the natural
rubbing tester (ASTM D5264-98). inks synthesized from the Flame of forest,
Ink from Flame of forest (Butea Common lantana, and Malabar spinach are
monosperma, Papilonaceae) presented in Table 1. The synthesized inks
The dried flowers of Flame of forest were free-flowing, non-clogging, and
(200 g) were taken in a beaker and 100 mL bright. The permanency of colour and
of double distilled water was added and stability was stable. The ink colour was
boiled at 70oC for 15-20 minutes on a yellow, green, and maroon for Flame of
flame. After boiling the solution was forest, Common lantana, and Malabar
cooled for 5 minutes. This solution was spinach respectively. The drying time on
again boiled at 70oC for 10 to 15 minutes paper and cardboard was in the order of
and after cooling 2-3 drops of vinegar was Flame of forest > Common lantana >
added. The synthesized ink was filtered Malabar spinach. The drying time of all the
with the help of Whatman filter paper (No. synthesized inks was comparable with
1). synthetic ink. Common lantana and Flame
Ink from Common lantana (Lantana of forest were never used previously for ink
camara, Verbenaceae) preparation and the prepared inks have the
The dried flower petals of Common prerequisite characteristics of the ink. The
lantana (200 g) were taken in a beaker and drying time of the ink was noted to be 2-4
100 mL of double distilled water was and 5-7 seconds for paper and cardboard
added and boiled at 70oC for 15-20 minutes respectively which is within the range of

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standard synthetic ink. The synthesized the properties of ink. The physical
inks do not erase easily. This may be properties of the synthesized ink indicate
because the flowers and berries may have that the inks have good quality.

Table 1: Physical properties of natural inks synthesized from plant origin

Property Flame of forest Common lantana Malabar spinach
Flow-ability Free-flowing Free-flowing Free-flowing
Clogging nature Non-clogging Non-clogging Non-clogging
Colour Yellow Greenish Maroon
Brightness Dark Dark Dark
Permanency of colour Stable Stable Stable
Stability Stable Stable Stable
Drying time (on paper) 3-4 seconds 2-3 seconds 2-3 seconds
Drying time (on cardboard) 6-7 seconds 5-6 seconds 5-6 seconds

The comparison between synthetic ink whereas, titanium dioxide, and calcium
and synthesized natural inks was attempted carbonate are in synthetic ink. The additive
(Table 2) for various components. In added in synthetic ink was dibutyl
synthetic ink preparation, the solvent used phthalate monoethanolamine; whereas,
includes toluene, acetone, and methanol; vinegar in a synthesized in natural ink.
whereas, in the case of synthesized natural From thetable, it can be arrived at
inks water was used. The pigment used in synthesized natural inks contain fewer
natural ink synthesis is of plant origin; chemicals as compared to synthetic ink.

Table 2: Comparison between synthetic ink and synthesized natural inks

Component Synthetic ink Synthesized natural inks from
Flame of forest Common lantana Malabar spinach
Solvent Toluene, acetone, Water Water Alcohol
methanol
Pigment Titanium dioxide, Pigment from Pigment from Pigment from
calcium carbonate flowers flowers berries
Additive Dibutyl phthalate Vinegar Vinegar Vinegar
monoethanolamine

The natural inks synthesized from these temp., 35.5oC max. temp., Cloud amount:
plant products from the aforementioned February 1.5 min., 1.9 max., March 1.7
procedure were filled in an ink pen and min., 2.3 max., Humidity: February 27-
tested for discolouration after writing on 57%, March 21- 44%, Wind: February 11
paper. After writing, these written papers m/s min., 15 m/s max., March 9 m/s min.,
were exposed to solar radiation for two 14 m/s max.). The exposure time of these
weeks in February and March to test for papers was from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily
discolouration. The climatic conditions for two weeks. The results obtained for
during the exposure period were discolouration after exposure to the solar
Temperature: February 20.8oC min. temp., radiation for 1st and 2nd week are presented
31.5oC max. temp., March 26.0oC min. in Tables 3 and 4 respectively. From Table

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3, it was observed that the first week of Malabar spinach. The synthesized natural
exposure of pages to the solar radiation inks gave the good colour strength of
resulted in no colour change. In the second yellow, greenish, and maroon for Flame of
week of exposure of written pages to the forest, Common lantana, and Malabar
solar radiation (Table 4) revealed no colour spinach respectively after writing on a
change in Flame of forest, and Common paper.
lantana; however, a slight colour change in

Table 3: Synthesized natural ink exposed to the solar radiation (First week)
Exposure to solar radiation Flame of forest Common lantana Malabar spinach
1st day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change
2nd day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change
3rd day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change
4th day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change
5th day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change
6th day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change
7th day of exposure No colour change No colour change No colour change

Table 4: Synthesized natural ink exposed to the solar radiation (Second week)
Exposure to solar radiation Flame of forest Common lantana Malabar spinach
8th day of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change
9th day of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change
10th day of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change
11th day of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change
12th day of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change
13thday of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change
14th day of exposure No colour change No colour change Slight colour change

It was observed that 40% ink Singh and Sharma (2017) prepared a
concentration in all the inks prepared in natural ink from black current (Syzygium
this study has optimal with best penetration cumini). It gave good colour strength of
time of 2-4 seconds and 5-7 seconds for purple colour when printed on a paper, eco-
paper and cardboard respectively. These friendly and easy to decompose. These
values compare favourably with the results corroborate the findings of the
penetration time of 1.50±0.42 sec and study. Basri et al., (2021) reported low
5.70±0.71 sec for the commercial ink on amount of glycerol used was found to
writing paper and cardboard respectively. increase the value of colour lightness of
As per the ASTM D3359 standard sticky mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)
transparent tape number 600 revealed no leaves-based marker ink. A decrease in
ink residue falling off on the tape at all. carboxymethyl cellulose amount resulted
Moreover, as per ASTM D5264-98 in the low viscosity of marker ink. The
standard, rubbing times were 50, and 100 additive vinegar addition in natural ink
revealed there was no ink residue falling synthesized in this study preserves the ink,
off at all either. and enhances its stability and permanence
on paper once it has dried.

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 Natural Ink Synthesis from Flowers…………Nagrale et al.

Brown ink was synthesized from fruit was discovered that these plant materials
extract of the candahar tree (Gmelina have the prerequisite properties which can
arborea). The 40% concentration level of be used for the synthesis of natural inks.
the prepared ink has the best penetration The physical properties of the synthesized
time of 5.29±0.43 sec and 1.55±0.46 sec inks are in agreement with synthetic ink.
for cardboard and writing paper The inks produced in this study were found
respectively (Noah et al., 2014). These to be very effective on writing a paper.
results are in agreement with the results These inks have a higher penetration time
reported in this study. The extract of the for cardboard as compared with paper. The
flowers of the butterfly pea (Clitoria ink’s colour does discolour even after
ternatea) can serve as a natural blue exposure to solar radiation for a sufficient
colourant, tend to be convenient to use and period of time indicates the discolouration
possesses a longer shelf life than was unable to notice with necked eyes. The
comparable plant-based colourants (Siti rubbing test revealed no ink residue falling
Azima et al., 2017). off at all which indicates these inks were
Printing ink prepared from corn flour resistant to rubbings and does not worn off.
and coffee powder showed that the ink As pointed out by the test results, there was
owned exceptional adhesion properties no part of the inks falling off on the
well resistance to rubbings, and the delta-E transparent tape indicates the inks have
value variation was less than 1.0 which exceptionally adhered to the printing
indicated that the colour change was not material and has good adhesion properties.
visible to naked eyes. There was no ink The use of water as a solvent and
residue falling off on the tape and no ink vinegar as an additive makes these inks
residue falling off at all either after using a environment-friendly and bio-degradable.
rubbing tester (Chotithammaporn, 2017). As a result of these characteristics, the
These results corroborate with the findings limitation of the synthetic ink regarding
of the study. Nwafulugo et al., (2019) the presence of VOCs, solvents, pigments,
produced a marker ink from the berry seed and dyes is overcome which will have
extract of huckleberry (Gaylussacia comparatively minimum impact on the
baccata). The ink was of high quality with workers engaged in the printing industry
alkaline pH (9.3), drying time of 2.3 and the environment in the larger context.
seconds and viscosity of 9.5x 10-4 N s/m2. These inks can be stored properly in cool
These findings corroborate the results and dark places to use for prolonged
reported in this study. period. Furthermore, these inks can be a
suitable alternative to synthetic ink, and
Conclusion further studies are required for their
In this study, natural inks of yellow, standardization. The inks prepared in this
green, and maroon colour were study perhaps may be feasible for printing
successfully synthesized by solvent on paper and may be used in printers with
extraction method from the flowers of suitable modifications. The commercial
Flame of forest, Common lantana, and application of these synthesized inks
berries of Malabar spinach respectively. needs to be explored. Different variations
The yield of synthesized inks was of ink shades can be produced by
satisfactory. From the study conducted, it combining these inks with different

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 Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Volume 15 No.4, 2022

proportions. Future investigation needs to Daumas, M. (1969). A History of

be attempted on using these inks in the Technology & Invention. Progress
printer, marker pens, and other such Through The Ages. Crown
devices which are used in printing and Publishers Inc., New York. pp. 630.
writing thus reducing the pressure on ISBN-13: 978-05175220376.
synthetic ink production. Furthermore, Noah, A.S., Usman, S., Alao, O.,
other plants/natural-based products should Omiskin, O. and Olawale, A.
be identified for future ink preparation so (2014). Preliminary investigation on
to pave the way for sustainable printing production of brown ink from
industry and a sustainable environment. Gmelina arborea (ROXB) fruit
extract. International Journal of
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