AIR-INK – Anirudh Sharma

Kaalink carbon capture device mounted on a car in Bangalore — Early Kaalink prototype mounted on a Tata Indica in Bangalore, capturing soot particles directly from the tailpipe exhaust. The sheet-metal funnel directs exhaust gases through the filterless capture medium housed in the cylindrical unit on the roof rack. This was the first road test of the vehicular carbon capture system.

Problem

According to the WHO, 5–6 million people die every year from exposure to air pollution. A significant fraction of this comes from fossil fuel combustion, which produces carbon-rich particulate matter (PM2.5) – particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. The global warming potential of black carbon is 460 times higher than CO2. Meanwhile, the printing industry burns approximately 200 litres of fossil fuel to produce 20 kg of conventional carbon-black pigment – creating new pollution to make ink.

PM2.5 particle size comparison — Comparative particle-size diagram showing PM2.5 (≤2.5 μm) relative to coarser fractions. Conventional carbon-black production burns fossil fuel to create pigment; AIR-INK sequesters equivalent particles directly from combustion exhaust.

Capture Technology

The core innovation is Kaalink – a filterless capture device that intercepts PM2.5 soot particles from combustion exhaust before they enter the atmosphere. Unlike conventional filters that clog and require replacement, the Kaalink uses a proprietary capture medium that accumulates carbon without restricting airflow or increasing backpressure on the engine. The device mounts directly onto exhaust stacks of diesel generators, vehicles, pyrolysis plants, and brewery chimneys.

Kaalink capture unit on diesel generator — Kaalink capture unit integrated atop a diesel generator set. The filterless emission-capture module interfaces directly with the exhaust stack to intercept PM2.5 particulate matter.

Kaalink laboratory prototype — Kaalink research prototype v2 for vehicular tailpipe mounting. The machined stainless-steel housing contains the filterless carbon-capture medium; laboratory glassware with solvent for post-capture extraction is visible.

From Carbon to Ink

Captured soot is not ink. The raw particulate contains heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds that must be removed before the carbon can be used safely. The treatment process strips these contaminants through a series of chemical washes and thermal steps, leaving purified carbon particles that are then milled to a controlled particle-size distribution and dispersed into water-based or solvent-based ink vehicles. The result is a pigment that is chemically indistinguishable from conventional carbon black – but made from waste instead of new fossil fuel.

AIR-INK end-to-end production pipeline — End-to-end AIR-INK production pipeline: PM2.5 capture via Kaalink, harvesting from unregulated emission sources, treatment and purification, formulation into pigment, and replacement of fossil-derived carbon black.

Captured carbon samples — Left: accumulated carbonaceous deposits inside a Kaalink cartridge. Right: classified particulate samples from multiple vehicle types, showing variation in carbon morphology across diesel and petrol sources.

Bulk carbon feedstock — Bulk sequestered carbon stored at an industrial harvesting facility – raw feedstock awaiting treatment and refinement into AIR-INK pigment.

Production batch of AIR-INK bottled pigment. Each bottle contains carbon-based ink derived from captured PM2.5 particulate matter.

Collaborations

Carbon Craft Design

Carbon Craft Design (Tejas Sidnal, Giriprasad K.) utilized one tonne of black carbon particles removed from the atmosphere in 2020 to produce handcrafted cement tiles. Local artisans use a traditional technique instead of energy-intensive vitrified tile manufacturing – the carbon serves as both pigment and aggregate, producing geometric patterns in varying tonal densities from light grey to near-black.

Artisan making carbon tiles — Artisan hand-packing a carbon-pigmented cement mixture into a tile mold. The carbon-black aggregate is derived from sequestered atmospheric particulate supplied by AIR-INK.

Carbon Craft tile samples — Finished tile samples with geometric patterns achieved through varying concentrations of AIR-INK-derived carbon pigment in the cement matrix.

Carbon Tile product line: tiles of varying dimensions alongside raw carbon pigment and white cement base, demonstrating the chromatic range achievable with emission-derived carbon as the sole colorant. Image credit: Carbon Craft Design.

Diageo / Johnnie Walker

An industrial pilot with Diageo International validated AIR-INK for high-throughput flexographic and surface printing. The Johnnie Walker Black Label limited edition was printed entirely with ink derived from captured air pollution and deployed across six international markets. The process demonstrated compatibility of emission-derived pigment with commercial printing equipment at production line speeds.

Johnnie Walker x AIR-INK billboard — Large-format billboard for the Johnnie Walker Black Label x AIR-INK limited edition, featuring the Warsaw-inspired bottle designed by Alek Morawski. Label graphics printed entirely with captured air pollution.

Diageo bottle printing line — Industrial bottle-printing line at a Diageo manufacturing facility, transferring AIR-INK graphics onto Johnnie Walker bottles via automated surface-printing rollers.

Johnnie Walker AIR-INK label detail — Label detail showing the "Printed with AIR-INK" designation and QR code for provenance tracking.

DELL Packaging

A packaging pilot with DELL demonstrated the feasibility of substituting fossil-derived carbon black with emission-captured particulate in commercial corrugated packaging print runs.

Dell AIR-INK packaging — Dell packaging printed with AIR-INK carbon pigment, bearing the "Printed with AIR-INK" certification mark.

AIR-INK application roadmap — Application roadmap: Phase 1 targets pigmentation (packaging, apparel); Phase 2 extends into polymer/composite applications (construction materials, consumer plastics).

Impact

AIR-INK went through joint-development pilots with Kering Group, DELL, PANGAIA, Mastercard, and Diageo Group. Featured as a case study at the World Economic Forum and UN Environment. Used by over 10,000 artists and printmakers worldwide. Part of the Harvard Art Museums' Forbes Pigment Collection – the first pigment in the collection derived from sequestered atmospheric carbon.

Awards: MIT SOLVE 2020, TIME Best Inventions, Cannes Gold Lion, Shell Make The Future Grant, General Motors Circular Economy Grant 2020, Masschallenge Finalist 2019.

AIR-INK flexographic ink — AIR-INK Water-Based Flexographic Ink for commercial print runs across corrugated, label, and textile applications.

Naomi Campbell wearing PANGAIA x AIR-INK — Naomi Campbell wearing PANGAIA apparel dyed with AIR-INK-derived carbon pigment.

AIR-INK in Forbes Pigment Collection — AIR-INK in the Harvard Art Museums' Forbes Pigment Collection – one of the world's largest archives of historical and contemporary pigments.

Artist using AIR-INK — Artist creating a large-scale mural with AIR-INK markers, derived from captured vehicular and industrial carbon emissions.