CHAPTER I

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study “Reduce Carbon Footprint” a giant step towards climate change. It is also a global campaign encouraging each individual to wisely make use of earth’s resources and practice the 3R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in the consumption of these resources available on Earth. Production of highlighter cartridge already requires fossil fuels and energy consumption. Thus, in this research the said campaign and practice are observed such as to reduce production of highlighter cartridge and reuse empty highlighter cartridge through refilling the product. According to Bayhon, et.al (2001), they concluded that the use of indigenous dye as a substitute for commercial ink is feasible because the experimental ink was able to meet the basic standards of transparency and minimal smearing. A highlighter is a type of pen used to draw attention to sections of text by marking them with a vivid, translucent color. A highlighter is made up of clearglowing ink that is put in a felt-tip pen. The ink contains an acid buffer, colorant and a liquid vehicle. The amount of each of the component that is used varies with the transparency and color desired. Many highlighters come in bright, often fluorescent colors. Being fluorescent, highlighter ink glows under black light. The most common color for highlighters is yellow, but they are also found in pink, blue, green, orange and purple varieties. Yellow

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is the preferred color to use when making a photocopy as it will not produce a shadow on the copy. Today, however, the highlighter reigns supreme, and the available kinds are myriad. “I use yellow for key passages or thoughts in a larger section; green is for cases; blue is for statutory law, orange is for secondary sources and purple is for EU material”, said by an unknown law student that uses highlighter. There is a discipline to highlighting: One is only the key words, phrases, or, in special circumstances, a whole sentence is highlighted. And to is that enumerates a series of ideas or points, circle only the initial marker of each item (“first,” “second,” “finally”) and maybe a word or two in each. A highlighter is a pen used to outline texts with a glowing color. It is used by many students to outline their notes so that they can easily understand their discussions and their lessons. Highlighter pen or in any other pens plays an important part in the defining the reading experience and comprehension as well as the visual impact of the written message, to the person reading. This study aims to find an alternative source of ink that can be use as a highlighter and at the same time, making it affordable to students, office workers and other highlighter user. In line with the environmental concerns, it aims to lessen the production of plastic casing used together with the energy consumed during the process of production and packaging of highlighter pen. Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa) locally known in Baguio as Alas Kwatro or Fouro’clock flower is a flower with different varieties of colors which have an edible crimson dye that is sometimes used as food coloring for cakes and jellies. It is this dye that

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interests the researchers to pursue the possibility of transforming it into an alternative source of highlighter ink. Also, one of the reason why researchers pick this study because of its abundance, it is an indigenous material meaning it is readily found in here in Baguio City. B. Objective of the Study The study generally aims to determine the effectiveness of the extract of Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa) flower as an effective alternative ink refill for highlighter pen. Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. Is the extract of Mirabilis jalapa an effective alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen compared to the commercialized highlighter pen in terms of: a. Color effectiveness b. Absorption capability on Paper c. and Odor produced. 2. Is the extract of Mirabilis jalapa more durable in terms of the length of ink use compared to the commercial highlighter?

C. Statement of Hypotheses 1. There is no significant difference on a. the color effectiveness of the extract of Mirabilis jalapa as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen compared to the commercialized highlighter pen. b.the absorption capability of the extract of Mirabilis jalapa as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen compared to the commercialized highlighter pen.

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c. the odor produced of the extract of Mirabilis jalapa as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen compared to the commercialized highlighter pen. 2. There is no significant difference on the durability of the extract of Mirabilis jalapa as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen compared to the commercialized highlighter pen. D. Significance of the Study Highlighters are usually water and alcohol based, but contains chemicals that can leach into the environment after they are in a landfill. Some contain volatile organic compounds and xylene. These are often considered toxic because they cause health effect like irritation on skin and eyes. Their plastic casing is also virtually non-recyclable. So while highlighters are only a small environmental problem, they still pose a problem. Environmentally speaking it is to lessen the production of plastic casing used together with the energy consumption during the process of production and packaging of highlighter pen. The two of the 3R’s were also observed in the said study namely reduce and reuse. To reduce consumption of commercialized highlighter pen and reuse, to use again the casing of the highlighter pen.Since the demand of the product in the market is high, especially the consumption of the student, this research could be useful for it will produce an affordable and non-toxic product with the same quality of those commercial brands. This project is helpful to the students and office workers because the alternative ink refill for highlighter pen is readily available in the community and it is easily prepared by any individual. Its economic benefit is also to be considered because of the materials availability in the environment. At the same time it could also be used as a source of

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income to whoever plans to produce more to make it available in the market. It is also important to all of the citizens because it helps reduce the toxics and plastics. The masses will benefit definitely because it is less expensive and eco-friendlycompared to the commercial ones.

E. Scope and Limitation Globally, water and soil pollution are the increasing problem resulting to global warming and climate change. This is caused by the improper disposal of the chemicals used in manufacturing different products. One contributing factor are products that uses chemicals such as manufacture of inks, ballpens, highlighters and different writing materials. Waste disposal areas dwindle because of the increasing number of companies that manufacture the said product. The Marvel of Peru flower (Mirabilis jalapa) is abundantly available in the Philippines.In Baguio, it is usually found on parks and mostly in barangays like City Camp, Camp Allen, Military Cut-Off, Pinsao and Irisan and etc. where we gathered our materials used in the study. The availability of the resources provides us an innovative idea creating an ink refill for highlighter pen. This study will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the Marvel of Peru flower (Mirabilis jalapa) as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen. It is limited to identify its effectiveness in terms of the color effectiveness, absorption capability and odor produced and durability of use. This study is only limited to the production of nontoxic and environmentally friendly ink refill for highlighter pen.

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The study was conducted at DOST Laboratory 1 of Pines City National High SchoolMain, Palma Street, Baguio City during the first quarter of the school year 2013 - 2014. A questionnaire will be used in the survey to determine the effectiveness and durability of the ink refill produced from Mirabilis jalapa. Respondents were composed of students and teachers that were selected randomly.

F. Review of Related Literature Before the rise of the highlighter, says Dennis Baron, attentive readers relied on “a combination of underlining and marginal notes.” Sidney Rosenthal in 1952 was the first to invent felt-tip pen and the device he used was squat glass bottle filled with ink and wool felt wick and tip. Thus, the "magic marker" was born, so named for its ability to mark up any surface. In 1962, the modern fiber-tipped pen that used water-based ink was invented by a Japanese inventor Yukio Horie. Highlighters are used to take notes in textbooks. The following year, in 1963, the Massachusetts print-media giant Carter’s Ink developed a similar water-based marker that emitted an eye-catching translucent ink. They called it the Hi-Liter. As with Horie’s invention, capillary action pulled ink through a filter to the paper’s surface when a writer pressed the highlighter to paper The highlighter’s appeal has flourished in the digital age. Most word-processing and e-reader software products have a highlighter function. And the hand-held highlighter continues to evolve, too.

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Highlighter ink compositions can be prepared which provide improved abilities to reduce smear during highlighting. Highlighter ink compositions can include an acid buffer having a pKa from about 2 to about 6, a highlighter colorant, and a liquid vehicle. Mirabilis Jalapa commonly known as the Four o'clock flower or Marvel of Peru is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colors. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a not uncommon place name in Central and North America. Mirabilis Jalapa is said to have been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540 to make the Mirabilis Jalapa grow in numbers. A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers of different colors can be found simultaneously on the same plant. The flowers are used in food coloring. An edible crimson dye is obtained from the flowers to color cakes and jellies.Powdered, the seed of some varieties is used as a cosmetic and a dye. The seeds are considered poisonous. Flower petals have been used as a dye for centuries. Ink can also be made from flower petals with a few key ingredients that are available in most hardware stores. The ink can be used to draw with, or it can be used as a pigment for painting on canvas or wood. A lot of researchers were focused on making ink from flower. Commonly boiling and adding a lot of additives. Another way is by drying, they collect flower of the same color and kind and let them dry for weeks when it is dry they grind the dried flowers using mortar and pestle until they are fine powder and after that they mixed it with water and there is ink.

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Several studies were already conducted about ink from various plant sources. However, on the production of highlighter ink refill was not considered. Indigenous materials are resources available in the locality. The use of indigenous materials are very helpful because instead of expending money, it can help lessen our expenses. Rulona (2008) used Gumamela flower to produce ink. The study revealed that the ink produced met the desired objective. The color of the highlighter ink produced is dark red due to the dye use and it dries quickly. Also, another study from Iligan City, Gonzaga and Mendoza (2011), used Achiote (Bixa orellana) to produce ink and trial, error was done to arrive at an acceptable product.The study is to find if there is any significant differences among the sample produced in terms of color, odor, texture and general acceptability. It was found out that Achiote powder is a potential source for highlighter ink based on the gathered result and that there is no significant difference among the samples in terms of color. The ink is light orange in color. It has a pleasant odor and smooth texture. Bayhon et. al (2001), discovered that Gumamela which is abundant also in the locality of Baguio as discovered that Gumamela extract is insoluble with water, the use of this dye was thus continued. The San Francisco leaves showed the desired characteristics of an ideal ink.It concluded that the experimental ink was able to achieve the other characteristics of highlighter inks, such as clarity, minimal smearing, and transparency and the most efficient process of extracting dye from plants is through boiling, steam bathing and oven drying. Hot- water bath or steam bath was used in the study because water is the most suitable solvent since this does not have any effect on the smearing property of highlighter ink.

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CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY

A. Research Design This study used experimental method of research because it uses a scientific approach of research in the conduct of the study. It is considered an applied research because it involves seeking new application of scientific knowledge and practical use of the study. In the conduct of the study the researcher manipulates variables and control to reveal the effectiveness of Mirabilis Jalapa extract that was applied on paper. It is a two-group design of environmental research designed to compare the experimental and control groups. Thus, the t-test is the statistical tool used to analyze and interpret the data., it is to acess the significant difference of the effectiveness and durability of the Mirabilis jalapa extract to that of the commercialized highlighter pen.

B. Materials To determine the effect of the flower pigment of the Mirabilis jalapa to be used as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen, the materials that will be used are as follows, 75 grams of Mirabilis jalapa flower, 50 mL of solvent (water), 1 teaspoon of acetic acid (vinegar), 1 teaspoon of sodium chloride (salt), cheesecloth, scissors and paper plates. Laboratory apparatuses were also used in the conduct of the experiment such as alcohol lamp, denatured alcohol, tripod, wire gauze, beaker, graduated cylinder, vials, stirring rod and syringe.

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C. Procedure To determine the effectiveness of the Mirabilis Jalapa pigment as an alternative source of ink refill for highlighter, the researchers prepared the materials needed in the conduct of the study. The researchers gathered the Mirabilis jalapa flowers and prepared sodium chloride (salt), acetic acid (vinegar), solvent (water), cheese cloth, scissors, paper plates and other laboratory apparatuses mentioned above. In the extraction of the pigment the researchers cut the Mirabilis jalapa into small pieces to prepare 25 grams of it. A weighing scale was used to measure accuracy of the material to be used. Second, the researchers prepared a boiling set-up, 50 mL of tap solvent (water) was measured using a 250 mL of beaker and were put into boiling. Third, the 75 grams of prepared Mirabilis jalapa was added in the 50 mL of solvent (water) and was put into boiling for 15 minutes. Fourth, the mixture was removed on fire, letting it cool and was filtered using a cheese cloth to separate the solute and the solvent. The filtrate was squeezed manually to extract the remaining liquid and was placed into a beaker. Fifth, the solution was again put into boiling adding 1 teaspoon of sodium chloride (salt) and 1 teaspoon of acetic acid (vinegar) with an aid of a measuring spoon. The sodium chloride (salt) was added to preserve the solution and the acetic acid (vinegar) was also added to retain the color of the solution. Sixth, continuous stirring in the solution during the boiling was performed until it produced a viscous appearance. Lastly, allow the solution to cool off, and transfer in a graduated cylinder for final reading, volume of the solution was recorded. In the testing of the effectiveness of the ink refill for highlighter pen the following procedures was carry out. First, a newly bought commercialized refillable highlighter product was put into test regarding the color produced and absorption capability of the

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commercialized highlighter pen on a book paper. A book paper was used as a testing tool considering the availability of the material and the number of the similar books to be used for comparison. Second, the highlighter pen was allowed to be used until it runs out of ink. Third, the highlighter was closed with its cap for 15 minutes and was again used to highlight the next pages of the book until it runs out of ink. Fourth, the highlighter was again closed with its cap for 15 minutes and was used to highlight the next pages of the book until it runs out of ink. Fifth, the highlighter was refilled with the produced ink refill from Mirabilis jalapa measuring 3.4 mL. A syringe was used to aid in the transfer of the solution in the refillable commercialized highlighter pen and was tested on the same kind of book following the same process conducted above in the use of commercialized refillable highlighter pen. To determine if the extract of Mirabilis jalapa would last longer to be used compared to the commercialized highlighter pen, first, we highlighted all the words on the book. Second, the number pages of the book highlighted was used to determine the durability of the extract of Mirabilis jalapa as an ink refill and commercialized highlighter pen. The results provided an answer on the problem would the experimental highlighter last longer than the commercialized highlighter. In the evaluation process of the results, a survey questionnaire form was used to evaluate the outcome of the use of the commercialized ink highlighter pen and the ink refill extract of Mirabilis jalapa. Fifteen respondents were randomly selected to answer the survey questionnaire. The responses were tallied and treated statistically.

D. Statistical Treatment

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T-test is used in the statistical treatment of data to determine the significant differences on the color effectiveness, absorption capability, and odor produced of the Mirabilis jalapa extract as an ink refill compared to a commercialized highlighter pen. Two-group design sample was used for the statistical treatment of the first used of ink and the run out of ink use, absorption capability and odor. The durability in terms of the length of use of the Mirabilis jalapa extract as an ink refill compared to a commercialized highlighter pen was compared based on the number of pages highlighted by both variables used. Average number of pages highlighted were simply compared in value and simply treated and interpreted as there is no significant difference if the numerical values is not of great value in terms of its difference in the number of pages highlighted.

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CHAPTER III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A. Color Effectiveness RATING SCALE

EXPERIMENTAL

COMMERCIAL

NUMERICAL

DISCRIPTIVE

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

5

EXCELLENT

5

4

10

1

4

VERY GOOD

9

4

3

6

3

GOOD

1

5

2

5

2

SATISFACTORY

0

1

0

2

1

POOR

0

2

0

1

The table above shows the responses of the respondents in their evaluation on the color effectiveness of the two highlighters, comparing the experimental highlighter using the pigment of Mirabilis jalapa to that of the commercial one. 10 among the 15 respondents rated the commercial excellent on the first use, while before the ink runs out 5 among the 15 respondents rated the experimental excellent. B. Absorption Capability RATING SCALE

EXPERIMENTAL

COMMERCIAL

NUMERICAL

DISCRIPTIVE

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

5

VERY MUCH ABSORBENT

2

1

5

3

4

VERY ABSORBENT

3

2

9

4

13

3

MODERATELY ABSORBENT

7

2

1

2

2

SLIGHTLY ABSORBENT

3

4

0

1

1

NOT ABSORBENT

0

6

0

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This table shows how the paper absorbs the ink of the highlighter comparing the commercial one to the ink extracted from the pigment of Mirabilis jalapa. C. Odor Acceptability RATING SCALE

EXPERIMENTAL

COMMERCIAL

NUMERICAL

DISCRIPTIVE

5

VERY PLEASANT

2

5

4

PLEASANT

4

4

3

NEITHER PLEASANT

4

4

2

UNPLEASANT

4

0

1

VERY UNPLEASANT

1

2

This table shows the odor of the ink of the Mirabilis jalapa compared to the commercialized highlighter pen, it also shows who among the two highlighter ink has a pleasant odor and an unpleasant odor.

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Statistical analysis and interpretation of data I.

The extract of Mirabilis jalapa as an effective alternative source of ink refill for highlighter pen compared to the commercialized highlighter pen A. Color Effectiveness of Experimental and Commercial Highlighters 1. Before t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Experimental Commercial Mean 4.266667 4.533333 Variance 0.352381 0.552381 Observations 15 15 Pooled Variance 0.452381 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 28 t Stat -1.08579 P(T