After a long period of research with the guidance of lecturers, a group of five students from the VN-UK Institute for Research and Executive Education under the University of Da Nang has transformed their idea into inks and paints used for drawing and writing from vegetable and fruit scraps, contributing to environmental protection.

The group of Da Nang’s students conducting into a research to turn vegetable and fruit scraps into inks and paints.

In June 2023, the group began to conduct research with the determination to find ways to effectively repurpose leftover fruits and veggies from households and businesses. Students went to households, catering businesses, traditional markets, supermarkets, and food processing facilities in the city to conduct field surveys for their Botanical Inks project.

Through their observation, they estimated that the volume of fruits and vegetables discarded every day can be up to many tons. This terrible number motivated them to take action with the goal of making inks and paints by recycling this food waste source.

Deputy Director of the VN-UK Institute for Research and Executive Education Associate Professor Dr. Giang Thi Kim Lien, who directly guides the Botanical Inks Project highly appreciated the creative ideas of the student group due to the applicability and development potential of their project. The group has succeeded in terms of technology, products as well as significance in terms of raising public awareness about green consumption practices, and environmental protection.

Accordingly, their project has solved two problems at the same time as it turns food waste into organic inks that is safe for users.

Group leader Tran Nhan Kiet said the idea of turning leftover fruits and veggies into inks and paints that was developed a year ago by the group through realizing environmental pollution caused by local food waste. A large volume of damaged and overripe fruits and vegetables that are discarded by traditional markets, supermarkets and food processing facilities is an alarming problem for the city. This contributes filling the city’s landfills and increasing environmental pollution.

After conducting experimental research in this project for many times, the group successfully created the first bottles of organic inks named "Botanical Inks" in a burst of happiness.

Tran Tuan Kiet added that organic pigments dry six times faster than inorganic ones while organic pigments has high colour fastness, and it is safe for the user while they are not harmful to the environment. The aesthetics and sustainability of Botanical Inks will set it apart from traditional inks.

However, to succeed in creating their desired inks and paints, the student group faced many challenges, especially in optimizing the extraction process and stabilizing the colours of the paints.

The group's project beat hundreds of entries nationwide to name among the top 50 entries at the national Student Start-up competition 2024 which was organized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Along with that, the group has tested their Botanical Inks at some art schools, and creative centers, along with painting and drawing facilities across the city. Lecturers and professional painters highly appreciate the quality, colour fastness and safety of "Botanical Inks".

Painter Ba Huong, who used the group's paints to create his works, said that he was very impressed by the product's bright, fresh colours and ability to create soft lines in his artwork, thereby making his works “brighter" and attracting viewers' attention.

Meanwhile, according to lecturer Huynh Thanh Hoang, using organic inks that do not contain synthetic chemicals and ensuring user's safety is a very important criterion as using products of organic origins is a new trend not only in the present but also in the future, contributing to the formation of "green" artworks.

Pham Nhu Uyen Nhi, a member of the group, said that the group currently plans to conduct research into textile dyeing to make natural dyes.

"My group believes that it can make a difference to textile dyeing industry when finding ways to make organic dyes for fabric in order to create new natural dyes to be able to win a market with lots of similar products. Hopefully, my group's ideas will make a meaningful contribution to reducing food waste, as well as protecting the ecosystem and public health," Uyen Nhi remarked.

Nguyen Hoang Thanh Tram, another member of the group added that the group is currently working with businesses and educational institutions with hundreds of students to ask them to use their organic inks in a bid to create the premise for expansion of their project.

Reporting by HUONG DUONG – Translating by H.L