Ink made out of banana peel

Banana or Musa paradaisica is a herbaceous plant which belongs to the family Musaceae. It is one of the most widely grown fruit- bearing plants in the Philippines which constitute a significant portion in the country’s export revenue. Significant tract of land are devoted to banana production in the regions of Southern Mindanao, Southern Tagalog and Western Visayas.

At present, there’s a lot of industries producing banana- based products such as chips, puree/pulp, powder, jams, juice, bar, biscuits, wine etc., which generates a significant quantities of banana peels as a waste product. These peels are not being used for any other purposes and are mostly dumped as solid waste at large expense. Thus, we used to see big piles of banana peels along the highway. The researchers, with great desire to help in the possibility of minimizing the waste disposal of these banana peels, looked into the capability of using these organic wastes as component for producing ink. Typically, the inks used in most markers are made from synthetic materials like the petroleum and chemical solvents. These kinds of materials are hazardous especially to the health of the users and to the environment as well. It also contains Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) which contributes significantly to photochemical smog production and health problems.

Inks derived from banana peels would be favorable to the market as it provides less cost to the user and would be offered in a lower price. Hence, this product is beneficial to the environment as well. Certainly, production of ink from banana peels reduces the health impacts due to hazardous components and focuses on product recyclability to minimize solid waste without sacrificing the quality of the product.