Purdue students show how to innovate with soybeans

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A group of Purdue University students who created a soy-based, renewable and recyclable filament for 3D printing won the top prize in the annual Student Soybean Product Innovation Contest.

The awards were announced at a reception Wednesday night (March 26) in Indianapolis. A record 15 teams completed projects in the competition, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

"For 20 years, Indiana soybean farmers have supported this competition in the College of Agriculture as a way to elevate our organization, Purdue and Indiana as the center of food and ag innovation," said Jane Ade Stevens, CEO of the Indiana Soybean Alliance, sponsor of the competition. "We are excited to see 15 student teams complete the competition this year and hope that their experience leads them to consider food and agricultural sciences as their future career."

The S3D Innovations team developed Filasoy, a next generation 3D printing material. Filasoy replaces harmful petroleum-based plastic with a low-energy, low-temperature, renewable and recyclable filament. It retains similar properties found in a bioplastic with an added "green" twist:  It allows printing without waste.

The team will receive a $20,000 prize. Members are Carmen Valverde-Paniagua of Chihuahua, Mexico, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering; Nicole Raley Devlin of Rockville, Md., a doctoral student in chemical engineering; and Yanssen Tandy of Jarkarta, Indonesia, a senior student in chemical engineering.The runner-up team, Soots, produced a 100 percent organic leather boot conditioner and polish by the same name. The product comes in two forms: One, made from soybean oil and beeswax, is a thick, more solid polish for genuine leather such as boots and reins and also serves as a waterproofing agent. The product is safe for the environment and not harmful to animals. The second product is a much lighter conditioner, in the form of a spray, that can be used on faux leather items. It is used more for cleaning and improving appearance than waterproofing.

The team will receive a $10,000 prize. Members are Sean Anderson of Churubusco, Ind., a junior in forestry;  his brother, Evan, a  sophomore in agricultural engineering; and Sara Richert of Oak Park, Ill., a sophomore in agricultural engineering.

Source: Purdue University