Soy-based Styrofoam replacement could bring big impact
Indiana farmers produced more than 330 million bushels of soybeans last year, but the inventors of a soybean-based product say if their StyroSoy makes it to market, it could expand soybean production exponentially. The team was one of 12 from Purdue University that competed in the Student Soybean Innovation Competition, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance. The team developed a biodegradable and compostable, soy-based foam called StyroSoy, which serves as an alternative to polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam.
During an interview on the Agbioscience Podcast, presented by AgriNovus Indiana, team member Louis Edwards Caceres-Martinez said their product could replace 1.4 million tons of polystyrene used each year in the packaging and construction industries.
“And that would represent around $1.2 billion per year for the soybean industry,” said Caceres-Martinez, a PhD student from Colombia in the Purdue School of Engineering Technology. “Another way to say this, StyroSoy could potentially represent $25 million to the soybean industry per each 1% of the polystyrene market replaced with our product.”
The competition, which is sponsored by the ISA, showcases Purdue students developing novel applications for soybeans that satisfy a market need. The trade group says StyroSoy can be used to make density packing materials, cushions, foam and other products, particularly used in shipping applications.
Caceres-Martinez says the idea came about when he was helping to move laboratory equipment on Purdue’s campus, and it required Styrofoam packaging.
“It was at that moment that I noticed that making a compostable, non-toxic, organic form based on soybeans was a great idea with an incredible economic potential to transform the packaging industry from petroleum-based products to green alternatives,” said Caceres-Martinez.
The team says the process included constant discovery, constant innovation, and a lot of trial-and-error to create the winning product.
“We had hundreds of prototypes to get to the very last that you saw. And even when we got to that one, we wanted to make it better. So we try incorporating more ingredients to make your to make it tougher,” said Valeria Tellez Gallego, a PhD student from Colombia studying industrial and physical pharmacy.
During the podcast, the team also talks about the sustainability aspect of StyroSoy, its ability to serve multiple facets of the packaging industry and what’s ahead for their team.
“We have tons of ideas to actually give different perspective for the product. So I would say we’re excited for the future,” said Gallego.
The team of students won the $20,000 grand prize in this year’s competition. It also won the $500 People’s Choice Award as voted on by the attendees of the competition.
In addition to Caceres-Martinez and Gallego, the winning team is comprised of Alyssa Choi, a sophomore from Illinois studying biological engineering and Amy Tang, a sophomore from Brazil biological engineering and pharmaceutical sciences.
Click here to access the full Agbioscience podcast hosted by AgriNovus Indiana.