The treatment or recovery of waste ink constitutes a significant process for the
printing and packaging industries, particularly in the flexographic printing of
packaging materials. This poses a substantial challenge in the field of waste
management science. The application of waste ink recovery, ensuring a safe
environment and human health, along with the recovery and sustainability of
Earth's resources, has garnered significant global attention. The present
research is solely devoted to creating innovative trends without technological
barriers for synthesizing a tri-copolymer to be applied as an effective sorption
system for waste ink. The Polyethyleneimine-Poly Glycidyl methacrylatepolyethylene
glycol diacrylate tri-polymer (PEI-PGMA-PEGDA tri-polymer)
was synthesized and thoroughly investigated using FTIR, TGA, and DSC to
confirm its chemical structure, thermal stability, and the shift in melting point
affected by radiation dose, respectively. SEM analysis showed significant morphological
differences in PEI-PGMA-PEGDA tri-polymer samples before and
after treatment with flexographic printing ink waste, offering effective strategies
for adsorbing waste printing inks from organic solvents. These findings
contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the investigated materials and
their potential applications. Additionally, the kinetic study of the sorption
efficiency of flexographic ink by two sets of tri-copolymers with doses of
20 and 40 kGy indicated that 40 kGy has a more efficient capacity. The highest
sorption capacity, approximately 97.6%, was observed for a sample of GMA
15% irradiated by 40 kGy with a sorption amount of 2.5 g L
1. This suggests
that the current new treatment strategy can be categorized as highly effective
waste ink management and should be advocated for in such domains to ensure
a safe environment and preserve Earth's resources. The treatment of printing
ink for packaging materials is a crucial step towards achieving green printing
technology, which must be supported and advanced through research and
industrial application.