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The Landscapes and Skylines of Howl’s Moving Castle ハウルの動く城 

More art, less pollution

Week in Brief (27 November – 1 December)

Credit: Christine Daniloff/MIT

Artists can now paint with ink made from polluted air. Start-up company Graviky Labs has developed a device that attaches to the exhaust systems of diesel generator chimneys, catching emissions, which are then converted into inks, called Air-Ink.

The devices ­– known as KAALINK devices ­– are currently being trialled across India. So far more than 200 gallons of Air-Ink have been produced from collected emissions. KAALINK relies on static electricity, whereby energised materials attract particles. Inside the device are cartridges filled with high-energy plasma, which is triggered by a voltage to attract emission particles.

The disposable cartridges, which need to be emptied after 15–20 days, are then sent to Graviky Labs collection units. From these, they are sent to the start-up’s lab for treatment, where heavy metals and toxins are removed.  

Graviky Lab’s Anirudh Sharma, an Interdisciplinary researcher at MIT Media Lab, commented, ‘Other processes convert air pollution into water pollution, and essentially generate more waste. We minimise the process and create a recycling stream from particulate matter waste that would have otherwise gone into our lungs.’

Credit: Graviky Labs

To find out more visit, bit.ly/2hXCRgX

In other news:

– Co-op and Iceland have backed a potential bottle deposit scheme 

– A mission testing methods to clean-up space junk is preparing for launch 

– Siemens, Rolls-Royce and Airbus are to collaborate on the development a of hybrid-electric aircraft 

To find out more on materials science, packaging and engineering news, visit our website IOM3 at or follow us on Twitter @MaterialsWorld for regular news updates. 

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Taken By SusanK31

Your blog is super cool! I have a few questions. How do you get your equipment and chemicals to carry out your experiments? I was just wondering as I'd like to start doing experiments at home. What would be a good experiment to start with also? Sorry if you have already answered these questions

Hey, thanks for the kind words! This is going to be a long answer! Let’s start with equipment:

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