BANANA BRANCH EXTRACT AND DYE AS PERMANENT MARKER OR

HIGHLIGHTER INK

___________________________________

A Research Project

Presented to the Faculty of

Western Cagayan School of Arts and Trades

Lasam, Cagayan

_________________________________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Subject

Research 2

_______________________________________

By:

Clark Ivanne Balbuena

Nicholle Magulod

Racyanne Cabus

S.Y. 2022-2023
 Abstract

The researchers, with the desire to contribute on a more environmentally friendly

solution to dispose of banana trees, looked into the possibility of using its branches as a
component for producing ink of permanent markers. Permanent marker ink is commonly
produced by combining chemical solvent and petroleum which are hazardous. The researchers
have chosen to use the banana sap as an ink vehicle and dye as the colorant.
 Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Rationale/Significance

A permanent marker is a type of marker pen that is used to create permanent or semi-
permanent writing on an abject. It is capable of writing on a variety of surfaces from paper to
metal to stone. In addition, markers play a role in your daily life in different ways. It is made
with different colors and pigments. It is use in writing and somehow in different artwork. These
markers are made with such chemical composition.

Marker serves the purpose of writing device and is used to write content a bolder way,
whereas highlighter is used to illuminate the written text for being emphasized due to its
importance.

Ink has a lot of uses such as calligraphy, writing, printing and drawing, and because of its
wide range of uses, people usually do not notice that they are going to run out of ink until it
actually happens in these cases, the marker user’s will have to go out of their houses to go to the
local store or to the nearest bookstore to purchase a new marker. To avoid health hazards and
these inconveniences, the researchers thought up of something that can be substitute for the ink
that can be usually found on a garden or backyard and has a less toxicity compared to the
standard inks.

Banana plant is one of the most common tropical fruit trees grown in home gardens in the
Philippines. Most of the common products derived from banana are chips and jams. After the
tree had beer fruits, the tree is cut down and is disposed anywhere.

Using banana branches as ink is a fascinating and eco-friendly approach to explore

sustainable alternatives in the world of writing and art. Bananas are not only a popular tropical
fruit but also a source of various materials, including their branches. This research seeks to
investigate the viability of extracting ink from banana branches and its potential as a sustainable
and environmentally friendly writing and artistic medium.

Traditionally, ink is derived from various sources, such as plants, minerals, or synthetic
chemicals. These sources often come with environmental concerns, such as deforestation,
chemical pollution, and resource depletion. In this context, turning to banana branches offers an
innovative solution, utilizing a readily available, renewable, and biodegradable resource.

The preliminary stages of this research will involve the collection and processing of
banana branches to extract the ink. The properties of this ink, such as its color, consistency, and
longevity, will be examined, and its compatibility with different writing and artistic surfaces will
be evaluated.

This research aims to contribute to the ongoing efforts to reduce the environmental
footprint of art and writing materials. If successful, using banana branch ink could provide a
sustainable alternative that not only preserves the environment but also supports local
communities involved in banana cultivation.

Objectives of the Study

This research study aimed to produce an alternative ink from banana extract and

dye. Specifically, to obtain the necessary knowledge and information, the study seeks to

determine the:

 Resistance of the product to chemical influences

a. Water
b. Alcohol
 Are there any significant difference between the standard ink and the alternative ink in
terms of the following factor:
a. Cost
b. Drying time
c. Shelf life

Scientific Basis/Theoretical Framework/Mathematical Theory Involved

The mathematical theory involved in this research includes the analysis to determine the
relationship of the banana branch extracts as an alternative permanent marker/highlighter ink and
dye as a colorant. This analysis will help determine the effectivity of the product and further help
the environment to dispose banana trees.

Hence, testing of the product will be used to predict the effectiveness of the banana
branch extract as alternative marker/highlighter ink. Overall, this research involves experiments,
statistical analysis, and chemical analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of banana sap as
alternative marker ink.

Significance of the study

This study is conducted to benefits the following:

Environment with the desire to contribute on a more environmentally friendly solution to

dispose of banana trees, the researchers looked into the possibility of using its branches as a
component for producing ink.

Students this study will help the students to used an environment friendly marker as this
product is less toxic and hazardous compare to the common marker or standard marker.

Future researchers this study will contribute to the next researchers and have a farther
understanding about this product.

Scope and Delimitation

The study will be focusing on the feasibility and efficiency of using banana branch
extract and dye as an alternative marker ink. This paper will discuss the properties and
production of banana branch extract and dye. the study mainly focuses on finding the difference
between the standard ink and the alternative ink in terms of the different factors such as: shelf
life and drying time. the ink that the study will produce can be used on marker or highlighter.

The process of making the alternative ink starts from extracting the banana branch extract
and mixed to dye dissolved in water. And eventually injected to an empty marker pen. The
temperature can also affect the shelf life of the alternative ink. The types of paper in which the
pen will be used can also affect the dying time.
Definition of terms

Banana branch- part of banana that holds the banana fruit.

Dye- is a coloring substance that is used to color or stain fabrics, hairs and fibers.

Standard ink- in this study, standard ink defined as the ink that people can usually see in stores
and other places.

Marker pen- an object used in writing

Highlighter- used to highlight important information

 Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE (RRL)
This chapter will show the reports and information that the researchers have found. This
present related literature and studies which significantly contributed to further deepen the
understanding of the study.

Plants/Banana used as Dye

The polyphenol oxidase enzyme isolated from banana peel extracted with buffer pH 6.5
showed highest decolorization of Methylene blue and Basic fuchsin while the polyphenol
oxidase enzyme isolated from banana peel extracted with buffer pH 7.5 had the greatest
decolorization. It can be concluded that banana peel can be utilized as an effective
bioremediation agent due to its high adsorption capacity on selected textile dyes. According to
Nisaporn Muhamad, Piyasiri Soontornnon Sinchai, Ubol Tansom (2023) Banana peel as
bioremediation agent in textile dyes decolorization for wastewater management

The extraction of natural dye using an aqueous method is a concept of green chemistry to
avoid environmental pollution and toxicity. The present study was performed to improve the
color strength and fastness properties of the fabrics by using natural dye and banana pseudo stem
sap as a natural mordant. The natural dye was extracted from marigold flowers (Tagetes erecta)
and optimized for dyeing of cotton and silk fabrics. The extraction of the dye was done in an
aqueous solution without using any solvents. The optimum results were obtained when the fabric
was dyed at 80°C for 60 min by keeping the mass to liquid ratio 1:40 at pH-7 (1.19). The color
strength and CIELab (L*, a*, and b*) color parameters were also investigated. The effect of
banana pseudo stem saps as a natural mordant on the color strength and fastness properties of the
cotton and silk fabrics were evaluated and compared. The cotton fabrics were further
characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess the
physical and chemical changes after dyeing and mordanting. As stated by Meghna Diarsa,
Akshaya Gupte (2020) Optimization and Extraction of Natural Dye from Tagetes Erecta and
Dyeing of Cotton and Silk Fabric Using Banana (Musa Spp .) Pseudo Stem Sap

The color fastness to light, washing, and rubbing of dyed silk fabrics was investigated.
Fastness values of light and rubbing showed fair-to-good fastness level, whereas the color
fastness to washing was found to be good to very good. The antibacterial activity of the banana
sap mordanted and simultaneously dyed silk fabrics was evaluated. The dyed silk fabric
exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. By
Shyam Barahapurkar, roli Purwar, Rajt Kumar Baldua (2020) Banana Pseudostem Sap as
a Biomordant for Dyeing of Silk with Celosia Flower
 One part of the plant that can be used as a natural hair dye is the bananas of the heart
petal (Musa balbisiana Colla.) which produces brown pigments. Traditionally this banana heart
petal is used as a cooking ingredient. The bananas of the stone contain alkaloids,
steroids/triterpenoid compounds, tannins, flavonoids glycosity. The purpose of this study is to
know that the bananas of the heart of the pisang stone in the form of ethanol extract can be
formulated in dye hair dye preparations which in particular concentration can change the color of
gray hair to black and does not irritate the skin. Claimed by Sudewi (2018) the use of ethanol
extract of banana heart petal (musa balbisiana colla.) as hair dye with others.

From about the 4th century BCE to about the 6th century CE. This period is
characterized by a great variety of inks – carbon, plant, iron-gall, and mixed inks – being used at
the same time and in the same geographic locations. Using their distinct optical properties, we
can easily differentiate between carbon, plant and iron-gall inks. On the authority of Ira Rabin,
Grzegorz Nehring (2023) Identification of Tannins in Historical Inks

Banana and cassava plants are the most growing plants in the world. The use of both
plant's peel is usually for animal feed. This research is intended to utilize banana and cassava
peel as a raw material of whiteboard ink markers by varying concentration of the carbons to see
its effect on the characteristics of the ink. Stated by Siti Fatimah, Nimas Mustika, Suci Pratiwi
(2020) Carbon Ink Characterization from Banana and Cassava Peels by Carbonization
Method

The fibers produced from the banana plants provided from Antalya region were treated
with a variety of mordants, and then the fibers were dyed with the natural dye extracted from
turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) via ultrasonic and conventional method. Finally, the dye uptake
and fastness properties of samples were investigated. The recent studies have demonstrated that
the synthetic dyes can be non-biodegradable, allergenic, cytotoxic and partially carcinogenic.
Recently demand for eco-friendly, non-carcinogenic and non-toxic products have been gradually
increased. Compared to the synthetic dyes, the natural dyes are advantageous in the way of been
biodegradable and non-toxic and not causing health problems, produced under temperate
conditions. These properties of natural dyes lately result in increasing their usage. Today
utilization of many plant extracts as natural dyes has been investigated such as turmeric plant.
According to Seyda Canpolat, Nigar Merdan (2015) Investigation of The Dyeability Behavior
of Banana Fibers with Natural Dye Extract Obtained from Turmeric Plants

Natural dyes are gaining importance in recent years due to their advantages in terms of
ecology, but the need of heavy metal salt (mordant) usage is an important limitation for their use.
For this reason, it is very important to find alternative methods for textile dyeing with industrial
dye plants. Based on Riza, Atav, Burhan Bugdayci, Ismaail Yakin (2021) Laccase-catalyzed
simultaneous dye synthesis and cotton dyeing by using plant extracts as dye precursor
 To evaluate the effects of banana (Musa ) peel and guava ( Psidium guajava ) leaves
extract as mordants on jute–cotton union fabrics dyed with onion skin extract as a natural dye.
The dye was extracted from the outer skin of onions by boiling in water and later concentrated.
The bio-mordants were prepared by maceration using methanol and ethanol. The fabrics were
pre-mordanted, simultaneously mordanted and post-mordanted with various concentrations
according to the weight of the fabric. The dyed and mordanted fabrics were later subjected to
measurement of color coordinates, color strength and colorfastness to the washing test.
Furthermore, the dyed samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, and different
chemical bonds were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Findings
Significant improvement was obtained in colorfastness and color strength values in various
instances using banana peel and guava leaves as bio mordants. Post-mordanted with banana peel
provided the best results for wash fastness. Better color strength was achieved by fabric post-
mordanted with guava leave extracts. Sustainable dyeing methods of natural dyes using banana
peel and guava leaves as bio mordants were explored on jute–cotton union fabrics. Stated by
Md Raiju Islam, Ayub Nabi Khan, Rois Uddin Mahmud, Shahin Mohammad Nasimul Haque
(2022) Sustainable dyeing of jute-cotton union fabrics with onion skin (allium CEPA) dye
using banana peel (Musa) and guava leaves ( Psidium guajava ) extract as bio mordants

Banana (Musa spp.) is grown worldwide mainly as a fruit crop. Peels form about 18-33%
of the whole fruit and are discarded as waste. Banana peel is enriched with many bioactive
compounds along with color pigments such as carotenoids. The study concludes that Ambul
banana peel is a highly potential source for the extraction of natural industrial yellow colorant.
Also, this can be identified as a sound method of managing banana peel waste. According to
Sewwandi Weerasinghe, Rushanthi Chandimala (2022) Extraction of Yellow Colorant from
The Peel of Banana (Musa Spp.) And Determinantion of Carotenoids
 Chapter III
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
The following materials were needed to conduct the study; banana branches, powdered
organic dye, water, empty marker bottle, strainer, paper, container
Experimental Procedures

Gathering of materials
Fresh banana branches, Knife or scissors, Mortar and Pestle, Water, Fine strainer or
cheesecloth, small containers or jars, small paintbrush or quill pen, Paper for testing, 10g
powdered dye or colorant dissolved in 17.5 ml for marker and 5g powdered dye for highlighter.

Preparational of Materials
 Gather Banana Branches: Collect fresh banana branches. Choose branches that are young
and flexible, as they are more likely to contain suitable fibers for ink production.
 Preparation: Trim the branches to remove leaves and any other unwanted parts. Cut the
branches into small pieces for easier processing.
 Extracting Fiber: Using a mortar and pestle, start crushing the banana branches to extract
fibers. Add a small amount of water to aid in this process. Continue grinding until the
fibers break down and a pulpy mixture form.
 Straining: Pour the pulpy mixture through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to separate the
liquid portion from the solids. Squeeze the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.
 Settling: Allow the liquid to settle in a container for a few hours. The ink will separate
from the water and sediment.
 Collect the Ink: Carefully pour off the liquid portion, leaving any settled sediment
behind. You now have your banana branch ink.
 And lastly add some dye or colorant to the ink and inject to the empty marker pen and
now ready for writing.

Testing the product

 Color Fastness Test:
 Apply a stroke of banana branch ink on a piece of paper.
 Expose it to natural light for an extended period, such as a week.
 Assess the ink's resistance to fading or color change.
 Water Resistance Test:
  Apply a stroke of ink on a piece of paper.
 Wet a brush and gently brush over the ink stroke.
 Evaluate how well the ink resists water and whether it smudges or runs.
 Drying Time Test:
 Measure the time it takes for a freshly written line of banana ink to dry
completely on paper.
 Compare this drying time to conventional inks.
 Adhesion Test:
 Write or draw using banana ink on different types of paper, including smooth
and rough surfaces.
 Evaluate how well the ink adheres to various paper types.
 Longevity Test:
 Prepare multiple samples of banana branch ink on paper.
 Store the samples in different conditions, such as exposure to direct sunlight,
moisture, or extreme temperatures.
 Periodically assess the ink's condition over several weeks or months.
 Paper Compatibility Test:
 Test the banana ink on various types of paper, including printer paper,
handmade paper, and parchment.
 Evaluate the ink's performance, appearance, and absorption on each paper type.
 Writing Instrument Compatibility Test:
 Experiment with different writing instruments, such as quill pens, brushes, and
calligraphy pens, using banana ink.
 Assess the ease of use and performance with each instrument.
 Smudging Test:
 Write a passage with banana ink, then immediately rub a finger or eraser over it
to check for smudging.
 Compare the results with traditional inks.
 Resistance to Aging Test:
 Store a piece of paper with banana ink in a cool, dark place for several months.
 Examine the ink for signs of aging, such as color change, cracking, or fading.
  Artistic and Creative Test:
 Create an artwork using banana ink on paper or canvas.
 Evaluate the ink's performance for artistic expression, shading, and layering.
 User Feedback:
 Collect feedback from potential users, artists, or writers who have tested the
banana branch ink for their subjective opinions on its performance, usability,
and appeal.

Selection of respondents and evaluation of the product

A group of 15 respondents have been asked to test the product and evaluate the
differences between the standard marker pen and the alternative one.

Statistical treatment
The choice of statistical tests may include tests, ANOVA, regression analysis, and more,
depending on the data and research objectives. These analyses will help to a draw conclusion
about the quality, performance, and potential of banana sap ink compared to other inks and its
suitability for various applications.