Beijing Institute of Printing successfully developed "zero pollution" ink

"Zero-pollution" pure water-based ink has recently been successfully developed and will be put into production by the end of 2014. By then, the pollution caused by the ink on the packaging of milk, cigarette paper, and medicines will be greatly reduced.

Ink is the basic material for printing, and it is also the key to implementing green printing. Wei Xianfu, dean of School of Printing and Packaging Engineering at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, recently told reporters that most of the printed matter in China is printed with “gravure printing”. Solvent-based printing inks contain volatile organic solvents (VOCs) and heavy metals. Foods, medicines, children's toys and other packaging products cause pollution and endanger the health of users.

However, the "pure water" ink successfully developed by Beijing Institute of Printing solves this problem. Wei Xianfu said that "pure water" ink does not contain any volatile organic solvents, that is, VOC content is zero, the proportion of heavy metals is also greatly reduced, and basically achieved "zero pollution." The technology is expected to be put into production by the end of 2014. After reaching its capacity in 2015, the annual output value is expected to reach 150 million yuan.

The application of low-pollution or even "zero-pollution" inks is a key step in China's implementation of green printing. Green printing refers to the use of environmentally friendly materials and processes, printing process pollution, low energy consumption, easy recycling of waste products, a small impact on the ecological environment of the printing method.

Professor Wang Yiming of the Institute of Electromechanical Engineering of Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, introduced that "green textbooks" is one of the most direct applications of green printing. Last year, a total of 200 million primary and middle school fall textbooks in the country were printed in green, accounting for 29% of the total printed textbooks. This guarantees at least one person a "green textbook"; the proportion of green textbooks in Beijing is even higher, at about 42.55%.

The “2012 Green Printing Achievement Report” published by the government department shows that since the implementation of green printing in China in 2010, the annual emission reduction of VOCs was about 1.5%, and the comprehensive cost of energy consumption and material loss was reduced by about RMB 500 million per year. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection have jointly issued notices: By 2015, all primary and secondary school textbooks will be implemented in green printing and will be stamped with “10 ring” seals representing green identity.

At present, more than 300 companies across the country have obtained green printing certification. Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication is currently constructing the nation's only green quality inspection center for printed publications. All printed materials and papers can be tested here to see if they are up to standard. It is expected that it will be put into use by the end of this year.