Biotoners represent a new class of electrostatic imaging powders that include a significant percentage of biobased materials. These include bioresins derived from crops, such as: corn, soy beans, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, or other renewable resources. In addition to a sustainable resin supply, biotoners offer other benefits, including the compostability1 of certain bioresins and their decomposition in the presence of water at elevated temperatures. This latter property is an important aid to the deinking of office waste papers. Bioresin sources and the status of market development are provided in this commentary.
V. R. Sankaran, A. S. Diamond, "Biotoners: Technology, Ecology and Markets" in Proc. IS&T Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies and Digital Fabrication (NIP27), 2011, pp 422 - 424, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2011.27.1.art00002_2