The Effectiveness of Using Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and Charcoal

(Physiculus nematopus) as a substitute for Marker Ink Pigments

Joanna Yasmin P. Escarcha, Joy P. Penaredondo and Adrian V. Santos

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to produce an alternative and harmless product of Marker Ink by means

of Oregano and Charcoal extract. The leaves of the Oregano were boiled for 15 minutes and filtered

using a clean cloth. The Charcoal was pound using a hammer to be crushed. A cup of hot water

was added to the powdered charcoal. 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon were added to the

heated extracts of egg yolk. Researchers determined the effectiveness of the ink in terms of:

Absorption, Color and Odor. Absorption testing was conducted using a timer, the Commercialized

ink has a better absorption time. However, color testing was conducted in three trials. In trials 1-

3, the Commercialized and product Ink had a large gap. The commercialized ink has a better and

darker color of ink. Lastly, researchers conducted the testing of the Odor of two inks. To determine

what ink has a better smell/odor, a survey was done. Three respondents were chosen to smell the

cotton balls with droplets of two different inks. All of them checked the Oregano-Charcoal Ink.

INTRODUCTION

In this modern world of teaching, visual aids are not limited to modern technology such as

the projector and other devices. School supplies like marker ink and other writing materials may

also be used, and are very essential not only to teachers. Aside from education, markers nowadays

can also be useful in Art and enterprising sector.

According to Chemical Engineering News, today's inks are divided into two classes:
printing inks and writing inks. The earliest black writing inks, developed before 2500BC, were
suspensions of carbon, usually lampblack, in water steadied with a natural gum or materials like
egg albumen. The history of permanent markers dates back to 1910. At that time, Lee W.
Newman patented the first marking pen. The first modern marker was created by Sidney
Rosenthal in 1953. He came upon this invention by placing a felt tip on the end of a small bottle
of permanent ink. He dubbed it the Magic Marker and it became widely popularized [1] Schwartz,
C. (2015, May 21). “History of Markers”. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/site/thechemistryofmarkers/home/history-of-markers

Natural resources such as carbonated charcoal are abundant in the country. Carbon black,

a pigment derived from charcoal, is an essential part of marker ink pigment. Charcoal (Physiculus

nematopus) is a soft, brittle and lightweight and has been used since earliest times for large range

of purposes including art. On the other hand, Oregano (Origanum vulgare), commonly known as

Oregano, is a regular herbal medicine ingredient. It is a kind of herb with a robust scent; grown in

pots where it can spill over an edge of a pot or low wall. Oregano has a color deep brown or black.

The major components of Oregano were carvacrol, β-fenchyl alcohol, thymol, and γ-terpinene. All

these extracts were commonly used to flavor food or brew tea. Therefore, in this case, Oregano’s

color is good as a substitute for computer ink pigments.

A commercial ink pigment contains toxic substances such as xylene and toluol. According
to a study, xylene is primarily a synthetic chemicals produced from petroleum and coal tar. It is
used as solvents in the printing, rubber and leather industries. The longer the exposure to xylene,
the greater chance of getting harmful health effects like depression of the central nervous system,
with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. On the other hand, toluol
according to a study is an aromatic hydrocarbon is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the
smell associated with paint thinners [2] Engineering ToolBox, (2018). “Toluene - Thermophysical
Properties” Retrieved from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/toluene-thermal-properties-
d_1763.html.Furthermore, toluol is predominantly used as industrial feedstock and a solvent. It
can possibly harm the liver, kidneys, and lungs and weakened immune function. These chemical
properties are hazardous especially to the health of the users and to the environment as well.
 Oregano as a herbal plant can found in the backyards and vacant lots while charcoal has its

own natural resources. These materials will be used as an alternative to Marker ink in order to save

the cost and risk buying of commercial marker inks that is made of chemicals and expensive

ingredients.

METHODOLOGY

This study also focused on how the Oregano and Charcoal extract is capable of being

applied as an alternative ingredient for the permanent marker ink. Moreover, the Oregano and

crushed Charcoal extract was tested to determine its effectiveness and through experiments,

observations were gathered and utilized as a collective in making conclusions.

I. Preparation of Extract

A. Materials:

 Fork

 Strainer

 Clean Container

 “8x8” inches of clean cloth

 Zip lock

 Hammer

 Casserole

 Syringe

 Empty Marker Case

 30 pcs. of Oregano leaves

 100 grams of Crushed Charcoal

  2 cups of water

 1 cup of hot water

 1 teaspoon of egg yolk

 1 tablespoon of vinegar

B. Procedures:

Thirty leaves of oregano were boiled in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes. The leaves were

squeezed using fork. After boiling, the extract of oregano was separated from the leaves using a

strainer and was put into clean container. A “8x8” inches of cloth was used to filter the extract

from the leaves and to give a darker color.

Fig. 2 ApplicationofofOregano
Fig. leaves being squeezed
Fig.1 1Presentation
Presentation of Oreganoleaves boiled
using aoffork
leaves boiledinintwo
twocups
cups ofwater
water
 Fig.Fig.
3 Presentation
4 Applicationofofseparating
filtering the
oregano
extract A hammer was used to pound the charcoal

extract
of oregano
using using
strainer
cloth into its smallest pieces. A cup of hot water was

added to 100 grams of powdered charcoal. It was

filtered using another “8x8” clean cloth. The

extracted oregano leaves and powdered charcoal were heated in the casserole for 5-10 minutes.

The heated oregano-charcoal extract was set aside in a bowl to cool down for a few minutes.

Fig.
Fig.
6 Application
5 Presentation
of adding
of pounding
a cup the
of

hot water
charcoal
to the powdered
using hammer
charcoal

Fig. 7 Presentation of filtering the extract Fig. 8 Application of heating the

of powdered charcoal Oregano and Charcoal Extract

After drying the extract, 1 teaspoon of

egg yolk were added to improve the inks consistency and another 1 tablespoon of vinegar were
added to improve the ink’s performance. After mixing, the syringe was used in refilling the

marker’s empty case with oregano extract and powdered charcoal.

Fig. 9 Application of adding egg yolk to the Fig. 10 Presentation of refilling the

extract empty case of marker

II. Data Gathering

The testing procedures were done to determine the difference of the Oregano

Charcoal Ink (product ink) and the Lioncity brand Ink (commercial ink) to the

following characteristics: Absorption, Color, and Odor. The representation was

shown below:
 Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and Charcoal
(Physiculus nematopus) as a substitute for
Marker Ink Pigments

Oregano Commercial
Charcoal Marker Ink
Marker Ink

Effectiveness:

 Absorption
 Color
 Odor

Fig. 11 The presentation of Gathering a data of two inks

 A. Materials

 4 pcs. of short bond paper

 9 pcs. Cotton balls

 Timer

 Dropper

B. Procedures

To determine the effectiveness of the Oregano-Charcoal ink according to its absorption,

small drops of Oregano Charcoal Marker ink and Commercial Marker ink were placed on a cotton

balls at the same time. A timer was used to determine the time it took for the two inks to dry after

letting it flow in the cotton ball. After knowing the ink’s absorption rate, the color of the Oregano

Charcoal ink was the next to be tested. To know the effectiveness of the two inks when it comes

to Color, sample of product ink and Commercial ink were tested in three trials. On the other hand,

in testing the effectiveness of the two different ink when it comes to odor, two cotton balls placed

on a bond paper were given to another three respondents. One cotton ball for Commercial ink

droplet and one cotton ball for Oregano Charcoal Ink droplet. The respondents should answer

which of the two has a better smell.

Fig. 12 Application of the drying time of Commercial ink and Oregano Charcoal ink

Fig. 13 Application of the Color Effectiveness of Two inks

Fig. 14 Application of Answered Survey Forms
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

INGEREDIENTS USED

Oregano
7% Charcoal
10%
water
15% 49%
vinegar
19% eggyolk

Fig. 15: The Amount of Ingredients Used

The chart above shows that the largest amount of ingredient used was covered by Oregano (blue

in legend). It is followed by Charcoal, water, vinegar and the smallest amount is for the egg yolk.

In this research, the researcher used 30 pieces of Oregano to the ink’s consistency and egg yolk on

the other hand, has an estimated 1 teaspoon of it. .

ABSORPTION TIME OF OREGANO CHARCOAL INK

100
90
80
70
Drying Percentage

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0:00 0:03 0:06 0:09 0:12 0:15 0:18 0:21 0:24 0:27
Number of Minutes

Fig. 16: The Absorption Time of Oregano Charcoal Ink

 The Chart shows the time it took for the Oregano Charcoal Ink to cool down with an estimated

drying percentage. As shown, two minutes have past but the ink was not dry yet and has a 60%

percentage only.

ABSORPTION TIME OF COMMERCIALIZED INK

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0:00 0:03 0:06 0:09 0:12 0:15 0:18 0:21 0:24 0:27

Fig. 17: The Absorption Time of Commercialized Ink

The Chart above shows the time it took for the Commercialized Ink to cool down with an estimated

drying percentage. As shown, within just 27 seconds, the ink has already reached the highest drying

percentage which is estimated 92 %. The line graph shows that the Commercialized Ink has a

better absorption time.

 COLOR EFFECTIVENESS
6

4.9 5
5 4.8

4 3.5

3 2.5
2
2

0
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Oregano Charcoal Ink Commercial Ink Column1

Fig. 18: The Color Effectiveness of the Two Inks

The Bar Graph shows the color effectiveness of Oregano Charcoal and Commercial Ink that

undergoes in three trials. In first trial, A large gap can be seen between the strength of the two inks,

the Commercial ink has an estimated 4.8 light black category while the Oregano Charcoal has an

estimated 2. In second trial, also there was a large gap between the two inks. Moreover, in trial 3,

the commercialized ink reached the dark black color strength.

ODOR EFFECTIVESS
Sample:
“Respondent A” “Respondent B” “Respondent C”

  
Oregano Charcoal
Ink

Commercialized Ink

Table 1: The Odor Effectiveness of the Two Inks

The table above shows the answers of the respondents on “which of the two inks has a better

smell/odor”. Column 1 for “respondent A”, column 2 for Respondent B and the last column for

“Respondent C”. All of them agrees to Oregano Charcoal Ink.

RESULTS OF
CONDUCTED SURVEY
No. of Respondents No. of Respondents agreed
it has a better odor
Oregano Charcoal Ink 3 3
Commercialized Ink 3 0
Table 2: The Results of Conducted Survey

The table above shows the results of the conducted survey, in the first column, the number of

respondents and second column the number of respondents agreed that the given ink has a better

smell/odor. As shown, all the respondents agreed to the Oregano Charcoal Ink.

CONCLUSION

From the various studies, the following conclusions were made; the ink produced is a safe, no

harmful odor, but has a pale and light black color and the commercial ink has a better absorption

time. Naturally source materials such as Oregano and Charcoal are economically viable for

production of cheaper and safe kind of Marker Ink. Additionally, the charcoal can be an alternative

substitute for the chemicals that can harm the users because of its hazardous smell. However, ink

produced cannot compete favorably with commercial ink brands presently available in the market

because it has a watery content. These facts were based on the comparison made on the Absorption

time, Color and Odor of the two different inks.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Conroy, Jane. (18 May 2015) "What Chemicals Make a Sharpie
Permanent?" Retrieved from
https://www.ehow.com/info_10055820_chemicals-make-sharpie-permanent.html

[2] Palm, Kristin. (2015)"Marker." Retrieved from

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Marker.html

[3] Caballero, Carol. (2016). “Plants Extract as an Alternative Ink for Markers”.
Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/22466483/Plants_Extract_as_an_Alternative_Ink_for_
Markers?fbclid=IwAR3bKQgA-
5JJ5ivg4i10hM3YhhE_DuajprtkPapGszYbMkT1HC4yX458P1Q

[4] Kunjappu, Joy. (2001). “Ink Chemistry”. Retrieved from

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/ink-
chemistry/3002158.article?fbclid=IwAR340H_X8-_k1lBkOY4nWtrF-
DTA03MWPgcASP-KTSvJnhJ6KONJkMaUmiM

[5] Schwartz, C. (2015, May 21). “History of Markers”. Retrieved from

https://sites.google.com/site/thechemistryofmarkers/home/history-of-markers

[5] Engineering ToolBox, (2018). “Toluene - Thermophysical Properties”

Retrieved from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/toluene-thermal-properties-
d_1763.html
 APPENDIX A

PREPARATION OF INK

APPENDIX B

DATA GATHERING