Farmer-funded projects drive innovations in soy chemistry, keep industrial demand on rise
What does foam that keeps floors from squeaking have in common with NASCAR racing tires? Both contain soybean oil. Both are on the list of 33 new products commercialized in 2014 with soy checkoff support. And both are driving demand for U.S. soybeans.
All together, more than 800 soy-based products have been developed with checkoff support since 1990. United Soybean Board (USB) Director Dale Profit, a soybean farmer from Van Wert, Ohio, has seen many advancements firsthand and anticipates even more soy-based product development in the future.
“Some new uses, like biodiesel, are high-volume,” Profit explains. “Other products, like carpet backing, paint and concrete-release forms, may use smaller amounts of soy, but have higher value. The market for ingredients like soy polyols keeps increasing in industries ranging from automotive to furniture manufacturers, which increases the demand for U.S. soy at home and abroad.”
Checkoff-funded research continues to pay dividends as manufacturers look for ways to displace industry standards like petroleum, latex, mineral oil and other possibly carcinogenic materials in their products. Raw materials from sustainable soy provide environmental benefits and have been proven to perform as well as the ingredients they replace in a wide range of products, at a comparable cost. In fact, some perform even better.
Browse USB’s Soy Products Guide, an online catalog of the thousands of currently available soy-based products, ingredients and manufacturers.
New soy-based products and ingredients introduced in 2014 as a result of checkoff support include:
PLASTICS
Eco Ultimate Silencer™ – Foam underlayment and carpet cushion by Foam Products Corp.
Eco Silencer HD FOF™ – A high-density-foam underlayment for floors by Foam Products Corp.
BETAFOAM™ Renue – Sound-deadening foam by Dow Chemical that is used in cars
Automotive seating for GM cars – Foam made with soy polyols by Lear Corporation
TSE EcoWIND™ – A polyurethane resin with soy oil for filament winding by TSE Industries, Inc.
RUBBER
NASCAR Racing Tires – Soybean oil used in rubber compounds by Goodyear Tire & Rubber
COATINGS /PRINTING INKS
Avicor® 384 and Avicor® 385 – Low-VOC architectural latex paints by Celanese
Beckosol AQ® 400 – Traffic line paint by Reichhold
ADHESIVES
Liquamelt® – A new adhesive system for wood by H.B. Fuller
CedarSafe® – 4’x8’ flakeboard panels used to make cedar closets made with Soyad® soy-based adhesive by Giles & Kendall, Inc.
Hardwood plywood panels – Made with Soyad® soy-based adhesive by States Industries, LLC, and available in home-improvement stores
Pangua PureGlue™ – Plywood with Soyad® soy-based adhesive made by Panguaneta S.P.A.
NU GREEN® – Particleboard and thermofused laminates by Uniboard Canada that replace formaldehyde with Soyad® soy-based adhesive
PAPER
AW-130SB™, AW-140SB™, AW-150SB™ – Soy wax emulsions for paper and packaging applications by A&W Products
PSA50MA™ and A5060™ – Binders for paper and paperboard made by Applied Protein Systems
SOLVENTS
Elevance Clean™ 1200 – Zero-VOC metal degreaser made by Elevance Renewable Sciences
ECO-300™ and MFS-Green™ – Oil-storage-tank cleaners made by FloTek industries
LUBRICANTS
GEOlube SCO™ – Oil-well-drilling lubricants by GEO Specialty Chemicals
Concert™ GC-350 – A grease-processing aid made by Elevance Renewable Sciences
EMERGING INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITIES
StimOil® FBA M, StimOil® FBA Plus, StimOil® EC, and StimOil® EN – Downhole crude oil recovery aides by FloTek industries
Azelaic acid – A soy-derived product by Emery Oleochemicals that is used in Nylon 6.9 and greases
Pelargonic acid – A soy-derived product used in paints, inks and greases by Emery Oleochemicals
WAX
Soy-based candles – Bennington Candle Company
Soy-based candles – Coyer Candle Company
Soy-based candles – Prize Candle Company
The 70 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy’s customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.