Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4.5. Soy-based Plastics
The Soy Works Corporation in Illinois holds a number of patents for soy-protein-based
products and has developed a soy-protein-based plastic known as SoyPlusTM. Resins are
made of soy protein and other unidentified ingredients, yielding a moldable resin that is being
developed for a variety of applications, including garden supplies, food-service items,
industrial packaging, mulch, toys, golf tees, and building materials (http://soy
workscorporation.com/).
Another soybean product, based from oil rather than protein, was developed by the
University of Delaware and is a primary ingredient in molded fiberglass-reinforced farm
equipment parts being tested by the John Deere Company (http://www.unitedsoybean.org/
feedstocks/fsv2i6b.html). This work has continued and resulted in the founding of Cara
Plastics (http://www.caraplastics.com). Cara Plastics is pursuing market opportunities in
structural composites, primarily with polyesters and vinyl esters where Cara's resins would be
used as the matrix of a fiber-reinforced material. Markets are estimated to be 2 billion pounds
worldwide compared to 500 million pounds for biodegradable plastics. Cara hopes to
ultimately capture at least 10 percent of these markets, or 250 million pounds annually with a
target of 75 million pounds annually within 5 years.
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