Medicinal & Analytical Chemistry International Journal Erasable Ink Production for White Board Marker Using Locally Sourced Dye Med & Analy Chem Int J Erasable Ink Production for White Board Marker Using Locally Sourced Dye Nwosibe PO*, Nwafulugo FU and Iliyasu N Department of Chemical Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic, Nigeria *Corresponding author: Nwosibe PO, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, Nigeria, Phone: +2348037710269; Email: patnwosibe@gmail.com Abstract 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. Keywords: Ink; Whiteboard; Pigment; Chalk; Schools; Polymer; Dye; Soot; Marker; Erasability; Market Introduction Ink can also be defined as a colloidal system of fine pigment particles dispersed in a solvent [1]. White board markers use erasable ink (also known as dry erase ink) to write on the non-porous and glossy whiteboards. Erasable ink can be cleaned or erased after drying without leaving visible colour residue (also known as streaking) or ghosting so that the surface can be written on again. White board markers have certain advantages over chalk. Thus they are unaffected by water, they can be used on a board by applying less pressure, they erase more easily than chalk, they are cleaner to use than chalk due to the absence of chalk dust, white board markers are healthier to the user than chalk because chalk dust can be hazardous when inhaled [2]. Dry erase ink is similar to permanent marker ink. The major difference between the two is that permanent ink uses an acrylic polymer which helps the colourant stick to surfaces while dry erase ink uses an oily silicon polymer that makes the ink slippery and prevents the colourant from coming in direct contact with the surface [3]. So many institutions are making the switch from chalkboards to whiteboards, therefore the demand for dry erase markers have increased. However, most of the brands used presently are imported from other countries, mainly China. Akande & Nwosibe [4] clearly stated that producing the ink locally but using synthetic materials that are imported is expensive, hence a need has arisen to replace the materials used in production with locally sourced ones and thus reduce the overall cost of production. Also, some imported whiteboard markers contain xylene and toluene which Research Article Volume 2 Issue 2 Received Date: July 07, 2018 Published Date: July 23, 2018