Industrial Markets For Soy
1 October 2007 “More and more, industry is going to start using soy in its processes. As it is an abundant, biodegradable raw material and a source of renewable energy, especially in chaff and vegetable oil, new and important industrial uses will arise,” Panizzi said in an article on the Arab-Brazil News Agency (ANBA).
This forecast has gained strength after the international seminar, Soy resources for non-food industrial processes, which Embrapa Soy promoted in Rio de Janeiro in April. Carpet bases, cleaning products, plastics, foam, adhesives, paint, lubricants, solvents, and removers are some of the products where soy has been competing effectively with petrochemicals in several markets. “The versatility of soy has been well known since 1900, when Henry Ford and Washington Carver presented several uses of the grain. However, at the time, the entry of low-cost oil derivatives practically inhibited its expansion. Nowadays, with high oil prices and the growth of concerns with global warming, soy has returned to being an option for industry,” said Panizzi.
New applications for soy chaff should also gain market in coming years. Plywood, sink cabinets, and wood glue are already being produced out of chaff. Soy has also been a raw material for the lubricant industry. The US uses soy in several kinds of hydraulic fuels, such as fluid for elevators, for stationary pumps, and for tractors. There are also products used in metallurgy and for lubrication of molds used in metal foundry, lubrication of forms for concrete, and lubrication of asphaltic paste.
“This technology already exists,” Pazzini said. “We are greatly interested in stimulating some company to invest in this cooperative process to develop these products in Brazil.”
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