Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Niigata U and Oki Collaborate in Developing Biodegradable Toner

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/16/08
Niigata University in Niigata, Japan and Oki Printing Solutions announced an agreement to jointly develop and manufacture environmentally conscious toner that uses biodegradable complex fine particles, originated from biomass resources. A toner prototype will be ready by 2009 and Oki Printing Solutions plans to market the product by 2010 globally.

Currently, the main element for toner in printers and copiers is plastic made from oil and fossil fuel. When burnt during recycling, they emit global warming gases such as CO and CO₂. In addition, de-inking printed paper during recycling consumes energy, and bleaching paper itself has also become a concern for the environment.

The main ingredient for the biodegradable toner to be developed by the university and Oki will be hydrophobic protein. The toner particles will include colorant and a charge control agent.

"Responding to the environment is a key principle for all of us. When this biomass originated toner becomes available in the market, CO₂ that was emitted when disposed or recycled will become virtually zero," said Masato Tanaka from the department of chemistry and chemical engineering. "In addition, toner will be made of biodegradable polymers, so by utilizing secession effect of the toner, energy consumption will be significantly reduced when turning them into recycled paper."

Under this agreement, Oki will evaluate physical characteristics to be used as fluid powder particles on toner and the printed output. Niigata will develop fluid on toner to be used for electro photographic printing system.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • man viewing holographic display of data and code

    Why Cross-Skilling Is the Smartest Investment a Campus IT Team Can Make

    Higher education IT teams are being asked to keep pace with AI, cloud, and cybersecurity on flat budgets, and hiring a specialist for every new need can no longer keep up. Building adjacent skills across the people already on staff creates more agile, resilient teams that move faster and retain talent without adding headcount. Pluralsight makes the strategy work through skill assessments, tailored learning paths, hands-on labs and sandboxes, and microlearning that fits into the flow of work.

  • CIS Sandbox Tutor Eli Blouin at Bentley University imagines a future technology learning partner that supports curiosity, critical thinking, feedback, and personalized learning.

    Student Voices: Technology as a Future Learning Partner

    A data analytics and marketing major at Bentley University and a distinguished lecturer at the university explore the future of "technology learning partners" — technologies that participate in the learning process by asking questions and giving feedback, not just information search results.

  • A digital shield composed of glowing particles

    Microsoft Combines Sentinel and Defender Products for Agentic Security Operations

    Microsoft is combining its security information and event management and threat protection capabilities within Microsoft Defender, creating what the company calls an Integrated Security Operations Center built for an era of AI-driven attacks.

  • Glowing digital padlock breaking into tiny cubic fragments over complex circuit board background

    Report: Basic Security Failures Continue to Fuel Enterprise Breaches

    Despite years of investment in cybersecurity technologies, many enterprise breaches still begin with familiar weaknesses, according to a new report from SonicWall.