Erasable Ink Production for White Board Marker Using Locally Sourced Dye

This research was aimed at producing erasable ink from locally sourced dye that can compete favourably with available commercial brands. The ink was produced by mixing gum Arabic, ethanol, dye, deionised water and phenolphthalein thoroughly and heating the mixture to 60oC. The ink was then cooled and strained using a filter cloth. Three different ink formulations A, B and C were produced and subjected to physiochemical analysis to ensure that it conformed to standard. The results obtained were pH (6.6, 2.2, and 4.3), viscosity (0.001329 Ns/m2, 0.003013 Ns/m2and 0.009237 Ns/m2) and drying time (6.76 seconds, 9.04 seconds and 15.46 seconds) respectively for samples A, B and C. Samples A and B had the best properties regarding drying time, viscosity, eligibility and erasability. The XRF analysis for the samples proved that the concentrations of the various elements present in the ink is comparable with that of the standard ink available in the market.