Soy holds promise as
industrial item
By Kurt Esposito
Assistant
Campus Editor
Extracting oil from soybeans has never been profitable
for farmers.
These oils can be used for cooking oils and other
food products and the proteins are used for things such as animal feed.
But the farmers cannot compete with large corporations that can produce
larger quantities of oil. That is why a group of Purdue researchers
are looking into what products could be made from the soybean extracts
on the farm and how those products could be sold.
Bernie Tao, associate professor of agricultural
engineering and food sciences, said researchers will be looking at products
not exclusive to the food industry. Some of the possibilities include
adhesives, fuels and de-icers for planes.
The de-icers that airlines currently use are toxic.
Tao said a de-icer made out of a biodegradable product would not have
that problem.
The research will also involve economists who will
do market research and look into whether soybean products could be sold
in rural communities.
"Then we've got to find who would want to run this
type this of business. Then it becomes a commercial endeavor," said
Tao.
The researchers are looking into local farm sites
that would be interested in facilitating these types of research.
Purdue has received $1.2 million for the two-year
project and is coordinating the project between several universities.
The $1.2 million is part of a $3.3 million grant
given to the School of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems — the program
supports research designed to enhance the agricultural economy.
"One of the characteristics of this program is
that most of the projects that are funded are multidisciplinary," said
Vic Lechtenberg, dean of the School of Agriculture. "They're bringing
people who are experts together from a number of universities to work
together on this project."
Along with the other universities, Purdue is working
on five projects. Lechtenberg said the research has the potential to
be beneficial to people of the state of Indiana.
Other research Purdue is participating in involves
reducing manure odor for better air quality in rural areas and improving
the quality and nutritional values of tomatoes while keeping them from
discoloring.
This is the second year of the program. Purdue
participated in nine projects funded by the program last year.
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