The study was jointly funded by the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board and the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board.

• oy ink helps minimize environmental burdens associated with printing.
• Soybean agriculture - growing, harvesting and processing - accounts for less than one percent of the total energy used to produce soy ink.
• Tall oil rosins are used to make both soy ink and traditional inks. These rosins are the primary contributors to soy ink's ozone depletion potential. The rosins could be replaced by a modified soy oil.
• The majority of air emissions released during soy ink's life cycle result from fossil fuel combustion. The extraction and processing of raw materials for other printing ingredients share the burden for the release of these emissions.

"This will be a benchmark for all future comparisons of other inks," Tolle said. With the assistance of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation and others in the industry, researchers were able to develop a representative formula for soy-based black ink, which is the predominant ink color used. Five printers from different parts of the country, using SoySeal-certified soy ink, participated in the study. The study was the first to be approved under the International Organization of Standardization 14042 guidelines for life-cycle analysis.

For more information, contact Duane Tolle, Battelle, at 614.424.7591; fax 614.424.3404; email tolled@battelle.org.

Battelle serves industry and government by developing, commercializing and managing technology. With a wide range of scientific and technical capabilities, Battelle puts technology to work for clients in 30 countries.