WORTHINGTON, Ohio — Two technologies recently developed through Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) and soybean checkoff have been named finalist for the R&D 100 Awards; Winners will be announced in November.
Both technologies, Soy-PK Resin and Bio-YIELD bioreactor, use the natural properties of soybeans to increase sustainability and improve health in modern industries.
Soy-PK Resin. A finalist in the R&D 100 Materials category and Green Tech Special Recognition, Soy-PK is an alternative to epoxy resins containing bisphenol-A (BPA).
BPA is a health hazard, especially in food contact applications — BPA-based polycarbonate plastic bottles have been banned for infant feeding usage and California relisted BPA as a hazardous chemical in May 2015.
The Soy-PK Resin offers a replacement for BPA-containing epoxy coatings in metal beer, beverage, and food can coatings. It can also replace a significant amount of fossil-based BPA-containing epoxy resins.
Bio-YIELD. A finalist in the R&D 100 Process/Prototyping category and Green Tech Special Recognition the 3Bar Biologics Bio-YIELD bioreactor is a patent-pending device that enables farmers to grow their own beneficial microbes, enabling increased crop yield with reduced chemical inputs.
The Bio-YIELD bioreactor uses a disposable inoculant system that delivers fresher, more viable microbes. The system opens the commercialization of numerous naturally occurring microbes.
