Design Life-Cycle
assess.design.(don't)consume
Nelsy Perez
Mahika Nagarkar-Jain, Rachel Murphy, Nelsy Perez
DES 40A
Professor Cogdell
An Expo-sé on its materials
The Expo Dry Erase Marker, the holy grail for teachers. How do they work? Why do they dry out so fast? How many do teachers go through every year? What are they made of? Expo markers being mostly plastic typically end in landfills, creating a lot of plastic waste with very little ink to be used. Let's dive into what goes into the material aspect of an Expo marker. What really goes into making this simple stationary? How is the plastic and ink obtained, processed and disposed of during the small pens lifetime and how is it affecting our Earth's environment?”
Everyone knows the infamous Expo marker, used for white boards, as a way to “upgrade from the chalkboards that were previously used in the past. Expo Markers are generally Dry Erase Markers that are able to erase easily with a dry cloth, a paper towel, or an expo eraser from surfaces like whiteboards, glass, and plastic. They are mostly used in classrooms, by teachers as a way to display and have a way for students to be active in lectures.
Making of the dry erase ink, How Products are made revealed on how the ink mixture came to life. The ratios were of 1-10% water by weight content, with the rest of the weight being carried by a solvent like alkyl or alkylene carbonate. Then having 2 conventional additives for example nonylphenol polyglycol ether, alkylpoly-glycol ether, fatty acid polyglycol ester, or fatty alcohol ethoxylates, with preservatives, like as ortho-phenylphenol and its sodium salt, ortho-hydroxydiphenyl, or 6-acetoxy-2,4-dimethyl-m-dioxane. Polymers or resin are typically added into the ink to help it spread evenly and not have it bead up. They also help the ink stay continuously cohesive and stick to itself rather than the board surface. Once this is done the pigments are added, for example, carbon black, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, and permanent red 4R. Erasable ink compositions says, however, a resin-processed pigment is usually preferred in the invention. The resin-processed pigment is a pigment coated with a resin, and is readily dispersible in an organic solvent, as is known.
Madehow.com reveals that the tip of the marker is made from a powder which is mixed with water, molded, and baked into its pointed or flat form. Another way that the tip of the marker can be formed is by being made of porous, pressed fibers (felt), shaped into the tip. There is a huge lack of specific instructions found on the longer process of the making of the tip of the marker.
The outside parts of an Expo marker include the “body,” and the cap is what protects the market from not only drying out, but from getting dirty, etc. Injection molding involves heating the plastic resin substance into a molten state and injecting it into a mold of the desired shape, then allowing it to cool off and harden. Plastic resin is injected into a cap and marker body mold to create the body and cap pieces. Marker caps and plugs are formed in the same manner as the barrel or the “body”.
Ink reservoir is the holder of the ink that is placed in the body and connected to the tip, in order to create the writing ability of the pen. A soft polyester material is then molded into a cylinder to then become the ink reservoir. It is able to have an absorbent core, and it is filled up with as much ink as it can hold. Using one machine for all the following functions, an assembler then places a polyester cylinder inside the marker barrel to form a reservoir for the ink, fills the reservoir with a measured quantity of ink, and inserts the nib at the bottom and the cap at the top. It is now ready to be packaged for shipping.
The final raw materials to go over is that for packaging, Expo markers can be packaged by being placed upwards in cardboard boxes. This is typically done when bought in bulk, or larger amounts. Another way is by laying the markers against a piece of cardboard, which is the background of the packaging, and placing a thin piece of plastic. That plastic will be heated and suctioned from air, to create a tight seal against the markers. Then, it will be shipped to manufacturers, who purchased them.
In conclusion, the expo marker is such a mass used product that is used universally throughout schools and offices. Approximately 400,000,000 expo markers get thrown out every year, causing a huge amount of waste to something that isn't recyclable or very sustainable. Doing this research, it is very clear that there aren't many resources that fully explain the materials and what goes into making something so simple as a Expo marker. Something this used throughout the world should have more information out there, but there simply isn't. Raw materials of general objects should be known.
Bibliography
“Marker” How Products are made, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Marker.html
Walker, Laura, and Carroll, Leilani. “How are Markers Made? Facts You Have to Know!” Intermediart, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.intermediaarts.org/how-are-markers-made/
“Erasable Ink Compositions - Sakura Color Products Corporation.”
Erasable Ink Compositions, Free Patents Online, 24 Aug. 1988, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/4954174.html.
“How Are Crayola Markers Made?” Crayola.com, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.crayola.com/faq/your-business/how-are-crayola-markers-made/
“Ingredient Information” Expomarkers.com, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.expomarkers.com/support?cfid=ingredient-information
What are expo markers?, Pensandpencils.net, November 14, 2019, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.pensandpencils.net/blogs/news/what-are-expo-markers
Enne, Vee, “Chemicals in Dry-Erase Markers” Sciencing.com, 9 Jan 2018, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://sciencing.com/list-6040398-chemicals-dry-erase-markers.html
“What Are the Ingredients of Dry-Erase Markers?” Reference.com, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.reference.com/science-technology/ingredients-dry-erase-markers-bca76d260ce79048
“Learn the Manufacturing Process of Felt-Tip Pens.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.britannica.com/video/179505/Overview-pens
Rogers, Tony. “Everything You Need to Know about ABS Plastic.” Everything You Need to Know About ABS Plastic, 13 July 2015, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-abs-plastic
Carroll, Clifford C. and Valenti, Michael A.“Dry erase ink composition”, 3 Dec 1997, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6031023A/en
History of Marker Pens, Web.archive.org, (Accessed 3/15/2023)
Rachel Murphy
Mahika Nagarkar-Jain and Nelsy Perez
Des 40A
Professor Cogdell
Embodied Energy of EXPO Markers
EXPO markers are name brand dry erase markers produced by Newell Brands. The main components of an EXPO marker are the plastic body and cap, the ink, and the polyester ink reservoir and the pen nib. Dry erase markers are manufactured in essentially the same way as ordinary markers, save for an extra ingredient in the ink that makes these markers delible. The manufacturing and distribution of the EXPO marker consumes massive amounts of energy, making them harmful to the environment, especially in relation to the plastic components of the marker.
Processing crude oil, the base of all plastics in the EXPO marker, into something workable requires vast amounts of thermal energy at every step of the process and further chemical energy to refine it. First, the oil is heated in large furnaces that exceed 1,000 degrees where the components of the oil separate and form fractions, or layers, based on boiling points (“Refining Crude Oil”). Naphtha, one of the petroleum fractions, is the most common base for plastics (“Plastics are Made from Oil”). Next, the fractions are processed in a step called cracking, where the heavy hydrocarbon molecules, the things that makes petroleum so flammable, are broken into lighter ones; cracking is both a thermal and chemical process as it involves a network of furnaces, the presence of a catalyst, and pressurized environments to further distill the fractions into a refined base that can go on to be used in the manufacturing process of an EXPO marker (“How is Crude Oil Processed?”).
Most markers are made from polypropylene (“Learn the Manufacturing Process of Felt-Tip Pens”), which is a thermoplastic, meaning it can be melted and shaped while hot then cooled into a solid, and is derived from processed fossil fuels. Thermoplastic is ideal for injection molding: this is the process of melting plastic to be poured into a mold, then, once cool, ejecting the now-solid plastic from the mold. I couldn’t find any information on where Newell Brands sources their plastic, but here is a more indepth look at the process. The first step of injection molding is heating the plastic granules to a melting point and maintaining a consistent heat; polypropylene needs to be at around 260 degrees fahrenheit to reach a melting point (“Everything You Need to Know about Polypropylene (PP) Plastic”). The melted plastic is then poured into a mold, usually made of steel, to set the shape. A label is then printed on the body of the marker using silk screen techniques: the polypropylene must be heated or the print won’t set (“Learn the Manufacturing Process of Felt-Tip Pens”). This entire process requires massive amounts of thermal energy, not to mention electrical energy for powering the machines. It’s hard to calculate how much energy is consumed to heat the polypropylene, but let’s look at it this way: a standard oven consumes about 2,000 to 5,000 watts per hour (“How Much Energy Is Your Electric Oven Using & What's the Cost?”), and this industrial heater is constantly trying to reach and maintain roughly the same temperature. Electricity, mind you, is a secondary energy source that is, at its core, powered by the thermal and chemical energy produced by burning coal (Cogdell).
Moving on, the ink has a surprisingly small ingredient list, but even it is composed of fossil fuels. One of the ingredients used as solvent is 1-butoxy-2-propanol, AKA propylene glycol, which is a petroleum product (”Kicking the Oil Habit”). Another solvent, PPG-2 methyl ether, AKA, methoxy propanol,is another petroleum product (“What is Methoxy Propanol (PM)?“). As established earlier, petroleum is subjected to an extensive process of heat to be made into a workable substance. Thermal energy is a source of energy in and of itself, but it also requires energy from coal to produce the heat if the factory is powered by electricity. As with the plastic, there is no information available on where Newell Brands sources their ingredients, nor could I find a detailed description on how the ink is made.
Furthermore, the ink reservoir that forms the core of an EXPO and the nibs that crown them are made from polyester, yet another petroleum-based product that requires massive amounts of heat and electricity to produce. To make polyester, the main components needed are monomers derived from crude oil called ethylene and p-xylene, which must be further treated with heating, cooling, and pressure to create something called ethylene glycol. Several acids are then added to the ethylene glycol to create PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is the same type of plastic used in plastic soda bottles. As a liquid, PET is stretched, cooled, and chopped into small pellets; these pellets are then melted and extruded through tiny holes to make long fibers. For every 1 kilogram of polyester, 7.1 kilograms of CO2 is released and 125 MJ of energy is consumed (“Polyester”). I couldn’t find any information on if the polyester cores and nibs were made in-house or if they were shipped in from somewhere, but once they arrive on the assembly line they are injected with ink and set into the polypropylene body.
Speaking of shipping, there’s the distribution, which relies heavily on polluting diesel fuels, which require kinetic and chemical energy to power the vehicles. EXPO markers are claimed to be made in the Newell Brand headquarters in Atlanta, GA, so for the purpose of this essay, it is assumed that all materials are shipped to and from this location. EXPO markers can be found all across the USA, but I couldn’t find much evidence to show they expanded to foreign markets outside of online shops like Amazon. I also couldn’t find any concrete information on how materials are transported before and after production, but most domestic goods are shipped to retailers via truck, so it makes sense for these markers to be transported in the same way. Hypothetically, if I wanted to get EXPO Markers, and I bought them at my local Walmart in Dixon, California, the truck that delivered the shipment of EXPOs would have traveled a little under 2,500 miles, according to Google Maps. Most 18 wheelers use diesel, which powers the truck through a combination of chemical and kinetic energy. In an internal combustion engine, oxygen-rich air is flooded into a chamber, then compressed by a piston, causing the temperature to rise above diesel’s self ignition value. Once diesel comes into contact with the highly-pressurized air, a spontaneous explosion occurs, forcing the piston down, and converting that chemical energy into mechanical energy. Once the piston has been lowered, the exhaust valve opens and inertia raises the piston again, expelling the waste from the chamber in the process (Lesics). Consuming diesel at an estimated rate of 6.5 gallons per mile (Jorgensen), the semi truck would have used 16,179 gallons of diesel, not factoring in traffic or stops, to deliver these markers to the Walmart in Dixon. This delivery alone will have released 164,702,220 grams of CO2 into the atmosphere: that’s 363,057 pounds of CO2 (Smoot).
Once in the hands of the consumer, the EXPO marker requires only human effort to move it. It does not need heat or any additional forms of energy to operate, save for the chemical energy that fuels humans.
Once the EXPO has run out of ink, there are two options: throw the marker away or recycle it, and these aren’t mutually exclusive. The polypropylene parts can be recycled and retooled into different products (Chasan). However, the polyester parts aren't recyclable in most places, so they end up going to landfills. Both of these options require transportation, which will almost always be fueled by some kind of petroleum, and the recycling option includes expending more energy to reshape the plastic.
There are a number of things I didn’t factor in because they are hard to calculate and because there simply isn’t a way to know for sure: I don’t know Newell Brand’s manufacturing process, so things like the exact wattage that would be required to heat and manufacture the parts are unknown to me. But, even still, it’s clear to see the process of making an EXPO marker requires untapped access to fossil fuels and massive amounts of energy, most in the form of thermal, chemical, and electrical.
Works Cited
Chasan, Emily. “Polypropylene Plastic Can Finally Be Recycled.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 25 Sept. 2019, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-09-25/polypropylene-plastic-can-finally-be-recycled#xj4y7vzkg.
Cogdell, Christina. “Lecture 14: Electricity and Renewable Energy.” Cruess Hall, Davis, California.
“Everything You Need to Know about Polypropylene (PP) Plastic.” Creative Mechanisms, 4 May 2016, https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/all-about-polypropylene-pp-plastic.
“How Is Crude Oil Processed? .” UWA, The University of Western Australia, Feb. 2015, https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/-/media/Faculties/Science/Docs/How-is-crude-oil-processed.pdf.
“How Much Energy Is Your Electric Oven Using & What's the Cost?” Perch Energy, https://www.perchenergy.com/energy-calculators/electric-oven-energy-use-cost.
Imagawa, Kiyotaka. Erasable Ink Compositions - United States Patent 4954174. 24 Aug. 1988.
“Ingredient Information.” Expomarkers.com, https://www.expomarkers.com/support?cfid=ingredient-information.
Jorgensen, Webster. “How to Calculate the Fuel Cost Per Mile of Your Trucks.” RTS, 21 Oct. 2019, https://www.rtsinc.com/articles/how-calculate-fuel-cost-mile-your-trucks.
“Kicking the Oil Habit: Making Propylene Glycol from Plants.” Energy.gov, Office of Technology Transitions, https://www.energy.gov/technologytransitions/kicking-oil-habit-making-propylene-glycol-plants.
Koo, Lih Zhang, et al. “Community Waste Plastic Recycling System Through Plastic Injection Molding.” ProQuest, 2021, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2484271164/fulltextPDF/19C3C68BE4FF4CDAPQ/1?accountid=14505.
“Learn the Manufacturing Process of Felt-Tip Pens.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/video/179505/Overview-pens.
Lesics. “Diesel Engine, How It Works ?” YouTube, YouTube, 1 July 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZt5xU44IfQ.
“Plastics Are Made from Oil.” Polyplastics, https://www.polyplastics.com/en/pavilion/beginners/01-05.html.
“Polyester.” CFDA, https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/polyester.
“Refining Crude Oil.” U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/refining-crude-oil-the-refining-process.php.
Smoot, Grace. “What Is the Carbon Footprint of Diesel Fuel? A Life-Cycle Assessment.” Impactful Ninja, https://impactful.ninja/the-carbon-footprint-of-diesel-fuel/.
“What Is Methoxy Propanol (PM)?” Solventis, https://www.solventis.net/products/propylene-glycol-ethers/methoxy-propanol-pm/.
WASTE AND EMISSION OF AN EXPO MARKER
When an expo marker is used up where does the waste go? The plastic, the ink and the felt, such a common item we use on a day to day basis for school, work and multiple other uses. However after the ink is dried how and where is it disposed and how does this affect the environment. Exploring how companies use factories to dispose of such simple products is important to learn about how we as humans are harming nature and the environment around us.
The plastic in expo markers is called silicone oil. This plastic is what makes up the outside portion of a marker that protects our skin from directly touching the ink inside the marker. This specific kind of plastic used to make the marker is quite hard to recycle and usually requires a specialized private facility to dispose of it in a healthy way. Most of the time this is not a realistic option for consumers as the plastic is attached to other disposable items that require separate recycling methods. Silicon oil is most commonly dumped in aquatic bodies or landfills. When disposed of near marine life it can be incredibly deadly and dangerous to the surrounding environment. When silicone oil is disposed of in the ocean the marine life it is dumped near suffers indefinitely, with how long this plastic takes to break down it litters the sea floor or mold into coral where marine life are at risk of consuming it and becoming sick, which usually results in their death. Silicone oil is not biodegradable meaning it will stay in the same state it was thrown away as unless another force breaks it apart. Silicone oil when dumped in landfills do not change much from the original form they were thrown away as. As mentioned before silicone oil can not be broken down so it stays in the same format causing build up in landfills. Silicone oil when brought to a special facility are often depolymerized when recycled meaning, silicon oil is chemically deconstructed and broken down to safely be disposed of. This is the healthiest way to handle the recycling of silicone oil as it does not sacrifice the environment. The plastic that is recycled in special factories is broken down using coal and other fossil fuels, this impacts the atmosphere around the area and causes cloud pollution and smog.
Recycling the ink out of an expo marker is much more difficult than the plastic process, there are many ingredients that make up the ink in an expo marker. A lot of expo markers brands use many chemicals that can not be recycled in one disposal, the ink must be washed out and separated before disposal. The main way ink when directly disposed of in the environment is harming soil and plants. The ink affects the soil because it releases toxins underground which plants and trees absorb in their roots. This is less of an issue for larger trees but directly results in the killing of smaller shrubs and greenery. When directly disposed of in the water, the ink dispurses and saturates the water source it is left in. When this water source has coral, kelp or other underwater shrubbery they are often also killed because of the toxic waste in the marker ink. Fish that consume this ink infested water through their gills often end up with diseases and different forms of infection hindering their life expectancy. Animals are also affected negatively by the disposal of ink but on a much smaller scale. To properly dispose of the ink one must first run the ink tip under water that way the felt tip itself can be thrown away and recycled however this results in the same issue where the inked water ends up in the water ways we use for daily life or with marine life.
Felt out of all the materials listed above is the easiest to recycle as it has a very clear way of being broken down and reused. The problem again occurs when the felt is contaminated with the ink of the entire marker. Felt can however be cleaned and reused easily and many times for many different purposes. Most felt can be recycled when removed from the tip of the marker. Felt does include plastic so it has a special way of being recycled in a factory for its own recycling category. Felt has two different kinds of groups: pure wool and synthetic felt. The felt used in expo markers is mainly synthetic wool meaning it has plastic fibers in it making it more of a challenge to break down and reuse. Overall this material is the best for recycling and the easiest out of what was listed to reuse. Felt is the best out of the materials above to be recycled and reused. Felt synthetically is broken down in factories that unspin the plastic fibers in it before disposing of it. The factories use fossil fuels which impact the environment in a negative way, polluting the surrounding atmosphere and causing harm to the ozone layer, which is already damaged.
Overall the usage and creation of expo markers is one that benefits us humans greatly, such a simple product can be used for so many different things in such a versatile manner. This still comes with a cost however, a cost that continuously strains our environments due to the complex disposal process we must take to make recycling expo markers sustainable. Factory usage though an option is still a reason for the environment's depreciating health. Having to use fossil fuels and many other harmful chemicals to break down the different parts of an expo marker does much more harm than good. Due to how much expo markers are molded together, all their parts being combined it becomes increasingly difficult to individually take apart and recycle each piece. When the plastic and felt are contaminated with ink the recycling process becomes much more lucrative and difficult. The overall sustainability of expo markers is more or less the same as other writing utensils with the biggest issue being the different parts of the pen all having separate recycling methods. This complicated disposal method could be changed and refined if product producers used a more environmentally friendly plastic or materials and built markers to be disposed of in one place.
The biggest impact that an Expo Marker has on the environment is the fossil fuels that impact the environment when it is broken down in multiple different factories because of its different materials and builds. From the felt tip, to the barrel to the ink each part of the marker requires some sort of fossil fuel to reuse it or reduce its impact to the environment if it is thrown away. On top of this markers are quite hard to reuse due to differences in builds and ink pigments. Much of the problems arise when one realizes that the materials that are used to make one marker require multiple different areas and stages to break down safely. The emissions of a marker harm not only animal, plant and human life but also an already suffering environment. Factories that emit countless amounts of fossil fuels destroying and damaging our ozone layer is a continuous problem when making such a simple tool.
WORKS CITED:
“Is Felt Biodegradable (and How to Be Eco Friendly with Your Felt Products).” Thinking Sustainably, 20 Dec. 2021, https://www.thinkingsustainably.com/is-felt-biodegradable/.
“Curbside Recycling.” Curbside Recycling | City of Framingham, MA Official Website, https://www.framinghamma.gov/201/Curbside-Recycling#!rc-cpage=341893.
Cheng, Andrew. “Silicone Oil Recycling.” Silicone Recycling, 15 Feb. 2019, http://www.siliconerecycling.com/silicone-oil-recycling/#:~:text=Silicone%20oils%20have%20a%20low,a%20specialized%20private%20recycling%20facility.
M;, Nendza. “Hazard Assessment of Silicone Oils (Polydimethylsiloxanes, PDMS) Used in Antifouling-/Foul-Release-Products in the Marine Environment.” Marine Pollution Bulletin, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17553530/.