Team:Lethbridge HS/Applied Design



Green Technology

SynthetInk's advantage in the global marketplace is its sustainability. Our method of pigment production will have little to no byproducts which will allow us to appeal to the environmentally friendly consumer base. The only byproducts of our pigment production will be Carbon Dioxide from the bacteria growing, and the cellular debris from the filtration of the pigments. Our product will have the advantage over carbon black in that we do not require the burning of petroleum for the production of the colorant.


Shift towards renewable energy

In recent times the world has been shifting away from practices that are harmful to the environment, this is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.Graph of investment in alternative energy since 2006


Methods of Ink Production

Method Summary Positive Aspects Negative Aspects
SynthetINK Production of biological pigments using synthetic biology.
    -After the DNA is in the cells, we only need to pay for the media
    -Little to no by-products
    -More applicable in a world heading towards a green alternatives
    -High initial investment
    -Hard to compete with existing industry giants
Chemical Synthesis The combining of many industrial chemicals to result in a colorant. Evolution of the industry has resulted in cheap production.
    -Harmful byproducts
    -Dangerous chemicals
Plant Extraction Growing pigmented plants for harvest and extraction of pigments. Provides oxygen from plants.
    -requires large areas of land
    -Time consuming
Carbon-black production Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Industry evolution has allowed it to be cheap.
    --Numerous and harmful byproducts (including greenhouse gasses)