Carbon Ink

Soot. Black Carbon. Lamp Black. Particulate Matter. These are all names for the same amorphous carbon formed during incomplete combustion of certain fuels. Industry smoke stacks, vehicle exhaust pipes, forest fires, house chimneys, and oil lamps all release this form of carbon

Co2 is the more common form of carbon linked to climate change. This greenhouse gas absorbs heat and can radiate that heat back toward earth thus warming the planet. Black carbon on the other hand is not a gas but rather a particulate matter and often associated with air pollution and linked to respiratory issues and cancer, and also contributes to global warming. It absorbs heat and can therefore increase air temperature and radiate that heat back toward earth. It can also settle on earth’s surfaces. This is particularly troublesome if it settles on ice and snow. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “as black carbon deposits in the Arctic, the particles cover the snow and ice, decreasing the Earth’s ability to reflect the warming rays of the sun, while absorbing heat and hastening melt.”

Photo courtesy of Graviky Labs: Ink Captured by Graviky labs

In nature, Co2 is pulled from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis then converted to soil carbon so it can nourish plants in this new form. In a way Graviky Labs mirrors this natural carbon cycle. They capture one type of carbon (particulate matter) and convert that into an ink that nourishes art and industry.

Kaushik says Air-Ink was of immediate interest to visual artists who appreciate the idea of making art from a material that reduces air pollution. He notes that Graviky Labs is also in conversation with members of the fashion industry who want to develop sustainable dyes. Graviky Labs works with numerous companies who want to use Air-Ink in their packaging design. Currently Air-Ink is featured on a special series of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky bottles that showcase artists’ rendering of 5 cities.

© 2013 Robert S. Donovan Licensable under the Creative Commons license.

It is clear that black carbon causes problems for both health and the environment, yet one small startup, Graviky Labs, has found a positive use for black carbon: making ink. This ink, known as “Air-Ink,” is made by replacing the typical black pigment in certain inks with a black pigment made from particulate matter collected from pollutant producers like vehicles and industry smokestacks. In other words, Graviky Labs makes ink out of pollution.

Typically, black ink pigment is produced through burning some type of fuel, yet co-founders of Graviky Labs, Nikhil Kaushik and Anirudh Sharma wondered if they could develop a product that skipped the need to burn material since carbon-based particulate matter is a byproduct in so many processes. “The core of our work, is to take something that is amorphous, a carbon pigment that has a lot of impurities and use that as a replacement for black ink pigment.” says Nikhil Kaushik CEO of Graviky. When Air-Ink is produced it decreases the need for fuel burning and makes use of particulate matter already being sequestered for environmental compliance reasons.