Soy Wonder: Funding for Sustainable Composites
Exhibitor Profile: United Soybean Board
The United Soybean Board experienced record traffic at its Composites 2010 booth last year, but getting attendees to stop by wasn’t always easy. “It used to be that a few years ago, people would walk by and mumble underneath their breath, ‘Soybeans, that’s what you eat,’” says Dwight Rust, the USB’s representative. “Last year, we found that people walked by, stopped and talked to us. There’s been a change in attitude about the use of renewable products in composites.”
Rust represents the New Uses Committee of the USB, which funds research that explores the increase of soybeans in industrial products, including coatings, adhesives and thermoset plastics. “When a farmer sells his soybeans, one half of one percent of his dollar sales goes to the USB,” Rust says. “Half of that goes to about 33 states in proportion to the amount of soybeans they produce. The other half goes to a national board.” That board comprises farmers who determine on what project the money will be spent.
The USB has funded research by resin companies and other material suppliers, private individuals and universities, and end users. “We like to see whether it’s a large use of soybeans or not. We spend on development projects, so we look at whether we believe that it will be commercially viable at some point in time,” says Rust. “If we fund a university, we try to find a commercial partner that’s interested in the project who’s willing to put more money into it to make it a commercial reality.”
The United Soybean Board will exhibit at Booth #649
COMPOSITES 2010: Discover the Future of Composites Today. February 9-11. Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.www.acmashow.org
