Paper pen, bioasphalt, water activated bio shampoo, lignin self-healing elastomer, bio crop coating, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of July 10th

#2 Engineering students finding international success with paper-pen startup

In Southern India, two entrepreneurs have established a startup to produce paper-based pens, some of which include tree seeds that germinate as the pen biodegrades.

Prem Shanker Pandey and MD Ahmad Raza founded Likhan in Bhubabaneswar after several years of R&D. The two engineering graduates from Centurion University turned down job offers to pursue their startup.

The environmentally friendly pens are patented and have already been sold in Germany and Australia. Production capacity has reached 150­‑200 pens an hour, thanks to a cheap paper-producing pen machine the two students designed. “Our next aim is to do away with the plastic refill as well to make it a true environment-friendly pen,” Prem tells Odisha Bytes.
More on the story, here.