From a lab bench at MIT to the streets of smog-filled cities, Air‑Ink is rewriting the story of pollution, one brushstroke at a time. Developed by Graviky Labs, this groundbreaking ink is created by capturing and purifying soot from vehicles and factories, turning what once harmed the atmosphere into a tool for creative expression. Now used by artists worldwide, Air‑Ink transforms carbon emissions into pigment, offering a new medium and a new message: that even the dirtiest parts of our environment can fuel beauty, awareness, and change.
How Air-Ink Was Born and Who Made It
The idea for Air-Ink came to life when Anirudh Sharma, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, noticed thick soot clinging to walls and surfaces during a trip back to India. Struck by how visible and invasive air pollution was in everyday life, he began to wonder if this black residue could be turned into something meaningful. What started as a curious thought turned into a full-fledged innovation. Along with his team, Sharma developed a device, later named KAALINK, that could attach to vehicle exhausts and collect harmful carbon particles directly from the air.
This early experiment eventually evolved into Graviky Labs, a company dedicated to refining and scaling the technology. After capturing the carbon, the team purified it to remove toxins and transformed it into rich, safe-to-use ink. The concept gained global attention when it was tested in a public art initiative in Hong Kong, supported by Tiger Beer.
The Roadblocks Air-Ink Faces and How They Navigate Them
One of the biggest technical challenges for Graviky Labs has been designing a carbon-capturing device that works efficiently without disrupting engine function. When retrofitting machines like vehicle exhausts or diesel generators, there’s always a risk that filters might interfere with airflow or cause performance issues. To overcome this, the team developed KAALINK with an internal system that traps soot using static charge while allowing gases and water vapour to pass through freely. This means harmful particulate matter is captured, but the exhaust system remains unaffected. Regular maintenance alerts also ensure the device performs smoothly over time.
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Scaling the impact beyond a handful of filters has also proven difficult. While KAALINK can trap pollution from individual sources, broader environmental change demands widespread adoption. Graviky Labs is addressing this by collaborating with fleet operators and industrial facilities that produce high emissions. Once the soot is collected, it undergoes an intensive cleaning process to remove toxins and heavy metals, ensuring the final pigment is safe for use. By repurposing pollution into a cleaner alternative to traditional ink, Air-Ink sparks artistic expression and also reduces dependence on petroleum-based pigments, turning environmental harm into creative potential.
What Air‑Ink Offers
Air‑Ink has developed a specialised range of products that merge environmental responsibility with creative utility, maybe even create the best kind of environmental day poster. Using carbon particles collected from polluted air, the brand produces high-quality inks suitable for various artistic and industrial applications. These products are the result of a careful process that cleans and refines harmful soot, turning it into safe, richly pigmented ink.
Their collection includes precision markers in multiple tip sizes, ideal for sketching, calligraphy, and mural work, as well as aerosol sprays made from captured diesel emissions, designed for use on outdoor surfaces and large-scale artworks. Additionally, Air‑Ink offers oil-based paints and screen-printing inks that cater to more commercial needs, such as textile and packaging design. Every product reflects the brand’s mission: to turn pollution into purpose, and art into an act of environmental change.
Looking Ahead
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Air‑Ink represents a bold fusion of creativity and climate action to address types of pollution. By converting air pollution into a medium for artistic expression, it challenges the way we Google how to reduce pollution in buildings and redefines what innovation can look like in the fight against environmental harm. What was once harmful residue is now a tool for storytelling, awareness, and transformation.
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