Ink made of air pollution | Anirudh Sharma

Translator: Maricene Crus Reviewer: Cihan Ekmekçi

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Every year, more than four to five million people die

每年，全世界有超過四、五百萬人

due to exposure to outdoor air pollution

是因為暴露在戶外空氣污染下而死。

around the world.

This petri dish that you are looking at

你們現在看到的這個培養皿，

contains approximately 20 minutes' worth of pollution

收集大約二十分鐘的空氣污染

captured off a pyrolysis plant.

來自熱裂解工廠。 （以廢輪胎和塑料產生再生能源）

This is PM 2.5.

這是細懸浮微粒（PM 2.5）。

These particles -- you can see it right now,

這些粒子──你們現在看得到，

but when they're out there in the air, you won't see them.

但當你們在外面在空氣中時 是無法看到它們的。

These are so tiny that our lungs --

它們非常微小， 我們的肺、我們的身體無法濾掉。

our bodies cannot filter them, and they end up in our bodies --

它們最後會留在我們的身體中，

give us asthma and lung cancer if not treated in the right time.

造成氣喘或肺癌， 如果沒有即時治療的話。

On a trip back to India, when I was a student in 2012,

2012 年，我還是學生時，回到印度，

I took this picture.

拍下了這張照片。

This picture stuck in my head.

這影像在我腦中揮之不去。

On one side, you see this exhaust of a diesel generator,

一邊是柴油發電機的廢氣，

the same generator which is a sign of human progress,

設計發電機的目的 是為了人類的進步，

which is a sign of rapid industrialization

它象徵著快速工業化，

and what we have become as a society in the last 100 years,

以及在過去一百年間我們 這個社會變成了什麼樣子，

generating energy.

以產生能源。

But on the other side,

但在另一邊，你們可以看到 這個有趣的黑色三角形區塊，

you see this very interesting triangular, black-colored swatch,

that is produced by the same residual particulate waste

是發電機排放氣體中的

created by the emissions of the generator.

殘留廢粒子造成的。

Now, this picture gave me an idea

這張照片讓我靈機一動，

and got me thinking about rethinking both pollution and inks,

或許應該要重新思考污染及墨水，

because it was making that black-colored mark.

因為它製造出了那塊黑色的記號。

Now, the reality is that most of the black ink that we use conventionally

現實是，我們一般使用的黑墨水

is traditionally produced

傳統的做法是在工廠中 燃燒化石燃料來製造。

by conventionally burning fossil fuels in factories.

There are factories around the world that are burning fossil fuels

全世界都有工廠 專門在燃燒化石燃料，

to produce carbon black,

來生成炭黑，製造我們 每天使用的黑墨水。

to make black inks that we use on an everyday basis.

But given that millions of liters of fossil fuels

但既然已經有 數百萬公升的化石燃料

are already being burned out there

在外頭被我們的汽車、

by our cars, our engines and our exhaust out there,

我們的引擎給燃燒掉， 有那麼多廢氣在外頭，

what if you could capture that pollution

如果我們能收集那些污染，

and use it to recycle and make those inks?

將它們回收來做墨水呢？

I decided to give this experiment a shot.

我決定實驗看看。

I went back to my lab back in Boston and conducted a small experiment.

我回到我在波士頓的實驗室， 進行了一項小實驗。

In Boston, I couldn't find much pollution to play with,

在波士頓沒有多少污染可以用，

so I resorted to using a candle.

所以我改為用蠟燭。

This was an experiment.

這就是我的實驗。

I burnt a candle,

我燃燒蠟燭，

built this contraption that would suck in that candle soot,

建造了這個新玩意兒， 它會吸入蠟燭的煤煙，

mixed it with some vegetable oil and vodka,

和某種植物油和伏特加混合，

because to a DIY hacker, these were really easily available.

因為對 DIY 駭客而言， 這些東西都很容易取得。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）在把它們混合之後，

And after mixing them,

you could churn out a very rudimentary form of ink

就能大量產出非常初階的墨水，

that would go into a cartridge,

放到墨水匣中，

and now you could print with it.

就可以用來列印了。

This was my "Hello, World!" of experimenting

這是我的「哈囉，世界！」，

with printing with pollution.

用實驗墨水列印出來的。

This is the same pollution that I showed you in the petri dish,

這和各位剛才在培養皿中 看到的是同一種污染，

which is the result of any fossil fuel that is being burned out there.

外頭燃燒的任何一種化石燃料 都會產生這種污染。

In 2015, I decided to take this experimentation forward

2015 年，我決定進一步實驗，

and set up a lab in India

在印度設立了一間實驗室，

to work on the capture and recycling of air pollution.

致力於收集和回收空氣污染。

In the good times, the lab used to look something like this.

在好日子，實驗室看起來這樣。

But experimentations were not always controlled,

但，實驗不見得都能受到控制，

and disasters happened.

災難會發生。

And while experimentation would happen,

雖然實驗是進行了，

the lab would end up looking something like this.

但實驗室最後會變成像這個樣子。

Well, we knew where we wanted to go,

嗯，我們知道我們的目標，

but we were not sure how exactly to reach there.

但我們還不知道要如何到達那裡。

The passersby who used to go by that lab through that building

以前，這棟大樓裡 經過這間實驗室的路人

used to, at times, think, "These guys are making bombs in there,"

有時會心想： 「這些人是在做炸彈吧！」

because there was too much fire, wires and smoke in the same vicinity.

因為在同一塊區域中 有太多火、電線，和煙了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

We decided, let's move to a garage and take experiments forward.

我們決定搬到車庫進一步實驗。

We took a garage, and during the early stages,

我們找了一間車庫，在初期，

we were driving around Bangalore with contraptions like these.

我們會開車載著這些新玩意兒 在班加羅爾各地跑。

This is an early-stage prototype.

這是早期的原型。

Imagine the looks people gave us,

想像大家看我們的表情： 「這些車跑來跑去是在幹嘛？」

"What are these cars driving around doing?"

這個早期的原型

This is an early-stage prototype of our system that would capture pollution

是我們用來收集污染的系統，

that is being released from a conventional diesel-based car.

收集從一般柴油車排放的污染。

This is an early stage of the technology.

這是這項技術的早期。

We advanced the technology and created this into this version

我們進一步發展，創造出這個版本，

that would capture pollution from static sources of pollution,

它能夠收集來自靜態污染源的污染， 像是柴油發電機。

like a diesel generator.

If you see, all the fumes disappear as soon as you turn this machine on.

可以看到，一啟動這台機器， 所有的煙都不見了。

Without affecting the performance of the engine,

在不會影響引擎效能的前提下，

we are able to capture 95 percent worth of pollution

95% 柴油發電機所產生的污染 能被我們收集起來。

released from the diesel generator.

This is the particulate matter that we are talking about that we capture,

這就是我們收集到的懸浮微粒，

in this case, within three to four hours of operation of a generator.

在這個例子中，發電機運轉 三到四小時就能收集這些。

And while our experiments and our research was advancing,

在我們的實驗和研究進展當中，

a very big company, a very big brand, approached us and said,

一間很大的公司， 很大的品牌來找我們，說：

"We want to take this idea further with you guys,

「我們想和你們合作， 把這個點子再進一步發揮，

and take this further in a very big celebrated form."

而且要玩很大。」

They said, "Let's do a global art campaign

他們說：「讓我們辦一場 全球的藝術活動，

with the inks that you are making off this pollution."

使用你們從污染物製出的墨水。」

I'll show you what the ink looks like.

各位看看這墨水是什麼樣子。

So, this pen is made by recycling 40 to 50 minutes of that car pollution

這支筆是用回收四、五十分鐘的 汽車污染所製成的，

that we are talking about,

我們剛談過的，

the same pollution that is in the petri dish.

和培養皿中的污染相同。

它是種非常鮮明的黑色， 可以用來寫字。

And it's a very sharp black that you can write with.

So I'm going to write ...

所以我要寫……

PM 2.5, that's incorrect.

「PM 2.5」是不妥的。

So this is a very sharp black that is generated by the same pollution.

這鮮明的黑色 是用同樣的污染做出來的。

After much work on the lab-level research,

在實驗室裡的很多研究努力之後，

we got an offer from a big corporation to do a very big trial of this idea.

有一間大企業提議和我們合作， 為這個點子做一場大型試驗。

And it happened to be a brand, and we didn't think twice.

恰好是我們完全不假思索的品牌，

We said, "Let's go ahead."

我們說：「就做吧。」

Inventing in the lab is one thing

在實驗室中發明是一回事，

and taking ideas and deploying them in the real world is completely another.

把點子部署到現實世界中 完全是另一回事。

During early stages,

在初期，

we had to resort to using our own houses and own kitchens

我們得要用我們自己的房子和廚房

as our ink-making factories,

來當作墨水製造工廠，

and our own bedrooms and living rooms

我們的臥室和客廳

as the first assembly line for making these inks.

則是最初製作這些墨水的裝配線。

This is my cofounder Nikhil's own bedroom,

這是我的共同創辦人 尼基爾自己的臥室，

that is being used to supply inks to artists all around the world,

我們用這間臥室來供應墨水 給全世界願意用 AIR-INK

who would paint with AIR-INK.

來畫畫的藝術家。

And that's him, delivering AIR-INKs to the ports

那是他把 AIR-INK 遞送到港口，

so that the artists around the world can use it.

讓全世界的藝術家能夠使用它。

Soon, we started seeing

我們很快就看到

that thousands of artists around the world started using AIR-INK,

全世界數千名藝術家 開始使用 AIR-INK，

and artworks started emerging like this.

像這樣的藝術作品也開始出現。

Soon, thousands of black-and-white, pollution-made artworks

很快的，數千件 用污染繪製的黑白作品

started emerging on a global scale.

開始在全球出現。

And believe me, for a group of scientists and engineers and inventors,

相信我，對一群科學家、 工程師，和投資者來說，

there was nothing more satisfying than that the product of their work

最讓人滿足的就是 他們努力做出的產品

is now being used by some of the finest artists around the world.

現在正在被全世界 一些最棒的藝術家使用。

This is the cover of "Contagious" magazine last year,

這是《Contagious》雜誌去年的封面，

that was done by using the same ink that we made back in our labs.

它所使用的墨水就是 我們實驗室生產的墨水。

This is a famous painting by the British artist, Christian Furr,

這是英國藝術家 克里斯汀 · 佛爾的知名畫作，

who painted it for the song "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones.

為滾石樂團的歌曲 《Paint It Black》所畫。

Now, there's more to this pen and this ink

這支筆和這種墨水不只是

than just the popular and pop-culture artworks.

用來創作流行文化藝術作品而已。

And now our goal is to create a company

現在，我們的目標 是要創立一間公司，

that can actually make some black money -- I mean, just money --

能夠真的賺一些黑錢—— 我是說，賺一些錢——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

and high-quality printing processes and inks

製造高品質的印刷流程和墨水，

that can replace the conventional black inks

來取代全世界過去數千年來

that have been produced for the last thousands of years around the world.

用慣行法製造的黑墨水。

Soon after our growing popularity and artworks around the world,

在我們的知名度打開， 藝術作品紅起來之後，

we started facing a very different kind of a problem.

我們開始面臨不同類的問題。

We started getting spammed by polluters,

我們開始收到污染者的垃圾郵件，

who would send us bags full of pollution to our office address,

他們會寄一袋一袋滿滿的污染物 到我們的辦公室地址。

asking us, "What can we do with this pollution?"

問我們：「要如何處理這些污染？」

Our lab back in Bombay right now has pollution samples

我們在孟買的實驗室 現在已經有各地的樣本，

that have come from London, from India, from China, you name it.

來自倫敦、印度、中國， 任何你能想到的地方。

And this is just the beginning.

且這只是開端。

This polluter sent us this specific image, asking us

這位污染者寄來明確的影像，問──

that these are all bags filled with PM 2.5,

這些袋子都裝滿細懸浮微粒──

and can we recycle it for him if we paid him some money.

問我們能不能回收，且付錢給他。

Well, what would he have done if we did not take that pollution?

如果我們不收下這些污染， 他會怎麼處理？

He would probably find a nearby river or a landfill and dump it over there.

他很可能會直接丟棄在 鄰近的河流或垃圾場裡。

But now, because we had the economics of AIR-INK figured out on the other side,

但現在因為 AIR-INK 另一端的經濟問題已經有解，

we could incentivize him to give us this pollution and make inks from it,

我們能鼓勵他把污染交給我們，

用來製造墨水，

and turn it into even more valuable products.

甚至將之轉變成更有價值的產品。

Now, pollution, as we all know, is a global killer.

我們都知道污染是全球性的殺手。

We can't claim that our ink will solve the world's pollution problem.

我們無法宣稱我們的墨水 能夠解決全世界的污染問題。

But it does show what can be done

但它確實顯示

if you look at this problem slightly differently.

若用稍微不同的角度看這個問題， 我們能夠做什麼。

Look at this T-shirt I'm holding right now.

看看我手上的這件 T 恤。

This is made from the same AIR-INK I'm talking about.

它同樣也是用我說的 AIR-INK 印製的，

It's made from the same pollution that is inside this petri dish.

和這培養皿中的同樣的污染，

And the same pollution we are all breathing in when we are walking outdoors.

也是當我們在戶外散步時 吸入的那種污染。

And we are on our way to do better than this.

我們正努力做得更好。

Thank you very much.

非常謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）