2013-14 Student Soybean Product Innovation Competition

20^th Anniversary of the ISA Sponsored Competition

Fifteen teams successfully finished the competition, this is the largest number of teams that have ever, in the 20 years of the competition successfully finished.

Here is a listing of all teams and a brief description of their products

TEAM SPOR

Patrick Polowsky, Food Science
Andrew Oldiges, Mechanical Engineering
Mitchell Corbat, Accounting
Samuel Lewis, Pharmacy

Team Advisors:

Srinivas Janaswamy, Food Science
Chris McEvoy, Entrepreneurship & Innovation

This product is a soy-based planting container (the SPOR-Cup) with irrigation and fertilization components. The planter itself is primarily composed of soy fiber, but is also composed of interspersed compounds (e.g. a water absorbing material, a soy protein polymer composite). There is also a layer of soy-based wax on the interior of the pot. The SPOR-Cup is mostly soy-based, with the exception of a plasticizer and other chemicals used in the creation of the protein-based polymer. This product’s composition is over 70% soy-based ingredients. The SPOR-Cup uses fibers that are normally wasted, such as the fiber in the shells, seeds, and stems that are usually not harvested. These are functionalized and mixed with a protein/starch polymer that is then formed into the final shape. The final pot is a protein/starch film with interspersed soy waste (fiber) strands. The strands add to the overall structural integrity while lending the pot a natural look. Simply put, Project SPOR enables farmers to generate revenue from a waste product.

Andres Oldiges, Mitchell Corbat, Patrick Polowsky & Samuel Lewis

TEAM CAPSOY

Sara Berger, Agricultural Sales & Marketing
Zach Claypoole, Management & Marketing
Ryan Smyth, Chemical Engineering
Sree Panuganty, Chemical Engineering

Team Advisors:

Stephen Beaudoin, Chemical Engineering
John Burr, Management

Team CapSoy, created a hard shell drug capsule used to encapsulate medicines for consumption. We created this capsule out of soy components and removed the gelatin that is normally used to produce current drug capsules. Vegans don’t eat gelation and vegetarians and vegans both don’t agree with the production of gelatin, which is what capsules are composed of currently. Gelatin is a flavorless solid substance derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products. This means they have a need for a way to take medicine in capsule form without animals being involved to do it. Our product could therefore be marketed to the vegan and vegetarian population. A lot of vegan and vegetarian people also have a need to use more pill capsules as well because they have to take more vitamins and supplements to fill the gaps in their diet. Therefore, some people would purchase our products over existing products because of the health choices they make.

Ryan Smyth, Sara Berger & Zach Claypoole

TEAM POPSOYCLE

David Rokhinson, Biological Engineering
Thomas Fisher, Management/Pre-Med
Carley Butts, Biochemistry
Jeff Alperovich, Mechanical Engineering

Team Advisors:

Nate Mosier, ABE
Subramanian Balachander, Management

The soy product, PopSOYcle, developed by our team is a Popsicle with an edible, flavored, stick. The Popsicle itself is made from frozen soy milk while the stick is composed mainly of soy protein. Our product is unique among current popsicles due to the fact that the stick is edible; this feature is both environmentally friendly and has the added attraction of being a new experience for consumers. Our product appeals not just to consumers of conventional popsicles, but also health conscious consumers, and even those who are lactose intolerant.

Thomas Fisher, Jeff Alperovich, Daivd Rokhinson & Carley Butts

TEAM NAOLEYM

Srishti Khurana, ABE
Ziyang Zhou, ABE
Xun Zhou, ABE
Evan Wibawa, ABE

Team Advisors:

Ganesan Narsimhan, ABE
Corinne Alexander, Ag Econ

The objective of this project is to make soy-based blotting paper with higher oil absorbing ability. Our product is called Naoleym, which is combination word from Latin. “Oleum” is “oil” in Latin, ‘na” means “no”. Combining “Na” and “Oleum” together gives the name of our product “Naoleym”, which means oil-free. Unlike current paper making process, soy straw, a byproduct of soy production, will be used to replace wood or grass fiber to make the paper. Soy proteins are embedded to enhance the oil absorbing and retaining capacity. Lab experiments illustrate a 5 – 30% improvement on the amount of oil absorbed per unit mass of paper sheet with compare to regular paper and commercialized blotting paper.

Additionally, Naoleym is made from all natural products: soy straw, soy protein and potato starch. Soy straw is used to make the paper sheet. Potato starch is added to improve the flexibility and durability of the paper. Soy protein is added to enhance the oil absorbing ability of the paper. Naoleym blotting paper making process involves three essential parts: fiber preparation, pulping and sheet formation, which includes six main unit operations, grinding, drying, digesting, refining, mixing and sheet forming. A lab scale experiment with raw ingredients and conditions to be used for each main unit operations will be conducted. This report involves all the processes and results performed in lab scale experiments.

Srishti Khurana, Xun Zhou, Evan Wibawa & Ziyang Zhou

TEAM MOS

Lingyu Yang, ABE
Lanchen Wu, Food Process & Biochemistry
Zhenlei Xu, Mechanical Engineering

Team Advisors:

Paul Preckel, Ag Econ
Jiqin Ni, ABE

Our team has made is soy-based nail color (polish) which make by more than 80% by mass of soybeans. It is nontoxic, environmental friendly and suitable for young girls.

The production of soy-based nail polish is environmental friendly compared to the traditional polish because of the nontoxic ingredients and less dangerous biochemical reaction processes. Besides, since we use soybeans to make a non-food product, it creates a possible way for transgenic soybeans which remain controversial currently.

Finally, the major advantage of our soybean nail polish is none or less toxic, and there would be some difficulties that it is probably hard to make as colorful, as quick-drying and as stable as the traditional nail polish because we do not use the strong chemicals.

NO PHOTO AVAILABLE

TEAM SOYSENSE INNOVATIONS

Dhairya Mehta, Chemical Engineering
Erika Mendoza, Food Science
Kristen Hector, Biological & Food Process Engineering
Ryan Murphy, Food Science

Team Advisors:

Paul Preckel, Ag Econ
Kevin Keener, Food Science

Our product is a polymer material derived from soybean oil and stubble for use in children’s toys and related products. Soybean stubble can be used to produce isoeugenol (a lignin derivative), which acts as a polymer cross-linking agent. Over 90% of the product weight comes from soybean products, and no petrochemical-based components or plasticizers are used. Our product has no critical environmental, political, or social issues that need to be addressed in order to be successfully commercialized. The fact that we do not use a soybean protein fraction alleviates any allergenic concerns regarding our product.

Dhairya Mehta, Erika Mendoza, Ryan Murphy & Kristen Hector

TEAM SOOTS

Evan Anderson, Agricultural Engineering
Sean Anderson, Forestry
Sara Richert, Agricultural Engineering

Team Advisors:

Klein Ileleji, ABE
Matthew Ginzel, Entomology

Soots is an ecofriendly, one hundred percent organic leather boot conditioner and polish. The product comes in two forms. The first form is a thick, more solid product meant to be applied onto genuine leather objects such as boots or reins, and acts as a waterproofing agent as well as a polish, which improves the appearance of the item. This product is made of soybean oil and beeswax, making it safe for the environment and not harmful to animals, as many of its competitors are being made from mink oil or other animal fats as well as other synthetic components. The second product is a spray version of the previously stated polish. However, it differs in the sense that it can be used on faux leather items. This spray is a much lighter conditioner used more for cleaning and improving appearance than waterproofing.

Sara Richert, Sean Anderson & Evan Anderson

Team Shear Envi Golf Cores

Stephen Tucker, Biological Engineering
Chandler Keown, Agribusiness Management/ASM
Jonathan Angelo, Chemical Engineering
Matthew Pharris, Biomedical Engineering

Team Advisors:

Bernie Engel, ABE
Natalie Carroll, ABE

Our team has developed the Shear Envi Golf Core using soy products to address some environmental concerns. Reinventing the golf ball core allows for the elimination of a critically wasteful aspect in an otherwise environmentally-conscious game. For example, courses are sometimes built on retired landfills, clubs are manufactured from recycled metals, and grass clippings from course landscapes can even be used as fertilizer, but the solid plastic cores for modern golf balls are developed and disposed of in relatively irresponsible ways. Our product replaces the plastic core with soybean byproducts and is made from relatively under-utilized components of the soybean. Consequently, we have developed an environmentally responsible product which happens to be economically viable. Shear Envi Golf Cores are low-compression ball cores intended for use on a driving range. Centered in a standard ball shell, layers of soybean hull pulp and soy-derived plastic terminate at a liquid core made from soymilk, cornstarch, and soy oil. This liquid core is consistent with ongoing research at existing ball manufacturing firms, but poses a distinct twist. Although it exists as a fluid in normal conditions, this unique liquid takes on the properties of a solid at high speeds. It is a shear-thickening liquidone that behaves as a solid when suddenly accelerated, as when a golf club strikes a ball on the tee. This presents two major improvements over current technology: it allows for the majority of the ball to be injected as a liquid during mass production, and the end product can function like a traditional golf ball because it has a primarily solid core in flight.

Jonathan Angelo, Stephen Tucker & Chandler Keown

Team Eco-Growers

Barron Hewetson, ABE
Amy Wong, Management
Amanda Kreger, Biological Engineering

Team Advisors:

Brann Strother, Entrepreneurship
Tony Vyn, Agronomy

This product, Tailored Release, is a time saving, effort reducing fertilizer. Encapsulation of ordinary fertilizer allows for a controlled release fertilizer solution. In Tailored Release, encapsulation of the fertilizer is achieved by using an agro residue polymer hydryoxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). HPMC is derived from the cellulose of plant material. In this product case, soy plant cellulose from material that is usually left on the fields is used for creation of the HPMC. The HPMC coating creates a shell around the fertilizer that slows nutrients and chemicals in fertilizer. This slowing allows for controlled release of the fertilizer nutrients into the soil, and protection from rainfall. For every desired rate of controlled nutrient release there is a different thickness of HPMC coating that will yield the desired nutrient release rate. The thicker the coating, the slower the release rate.

Amanda Kreger, Barron Hewetson & Amy Wong

Team Saucy Soy

Kelsey Tenney, Food Science
Stephanie Beck, Food Science
Helen Logsdon, Food Science

Team Advisors:

Christian Butzke, Food Science
Bruce Applegate, Food Science

Our team created an artisan soy sauce brewed with Indiana-grown wine. We plan to use a pressure cooker to cook the soybeans in Indiana dry white wine with an addition of sugar. After hydrolysis is complete, we will add salt and concentrate the liquid from the mixture until the volume is reduced in half to achieve desirable color and thickness. The product will be brought to typical soy sauce pH with additions of baking soda or potassium bicarbonate. Approximately 30% of our product will be made from soybeans.

The initial impact on the soybean utilization includes the processing of dried beans. Wine from grapes is used for a two main reasons. The juice supplies tartaric and malic acids that break down the soybean proteins into amino acids (acid hydrolysis). During the cooking process, Maillard reactions between added sugar and soy protein will contribute the typical aroma and color of soy sauce. Our product will allow consumers to obtain a locally brewed, artisan soy sauce that is gluten-free and thus suitable for consumers with gluten allergies. Our product will be allowed to have the “gluten free” label because we are not using wheat in our product, unlike the traditional soy sauce procedure. We can also label our product as being organic and GMO free depending on the soy beans used. Our product will be grown and produced in Indiana and will be locally brewed. The process will produce a safe and competitively-priced luxury product. The amount of alcohol that remains in the finished product will be negligible (<0,1% alcohol by volume). Consumers will want to purchase our product because of ultra-premium, local designation, as well as the “gluten free” label.

Helen Logsdon, Stephanie Beck & Kelsey Tenney

Team Soiatek

Reid Bonner, ABE
Lauren Summers, BFPE
William Waterstreet, Mechanical Engineering/Biological Engineering
Daniel Paladino, Biological Engineering

Team Advisors:

Martin Okos, ABE
Eric Holloway, Engineering

With the ever increasing consumer base in electronic touch screen devices, an increase in demand for screen protectors that both protects the screen while not limiting the functionality of the device. This increase in screen protection has created a large amount of discarded petroleum-based screen protectors, which take an extensive length of time to break down. Our goal was to reduce the amount of plastic refuse by utilizing soy components that are non-toxic to the environment. Additionally, we wanted to maximize the usage of soy in order to minimize component waste. To accomplish this task, we employed the use of soy protein isolates, soybean oil, soy lecithin, glycerin (a byproduct of soy biodiesel production) and water. By varying the amounts of each component, we were able to optimize the properties desired in a screen protector made from purely soy.

William Waterstreet, Reid Bonner, Lauren Summers & Daniel Paladino

Team SoyPro

Stephanie Schramm, Biological Engineering
Yi Wen, Biological Engineering and Biochemistry
Jiayun Yu, Biological Engineering
Matthew Smith, Physics & Spanish

Team Advisors:

William Robinson, Marketing
David Thompson, Chemistry & Biomedical Engineering

For the Purdue Soy Innovation Competition, our team created a residential home air filter known as the SoyPro Air Filter. The residential air filter is composed of fibers extracted from the straw of the soybean plant. The straw of the soybean plant is used to create the filter because after the soybeans and soybean hulls have been removed from the plant the straw is usually regarded as a waste product.

Our product is to be used in the ventilation systems of residences to keep the air both safe and clean, as well as kill odors. Once our product is fully developed, it will conform to the Minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) rating system and will correspond to a MERV rating between eight and twelve. At this level 85% of particulates 3-10 microns in diameter, or better, should be removed from the air with the SoyPro Air Filter.

Matthew Smith, Jiayun Yu, Stephanie Schramm & Yi Wen

Team Tile Packers

Sarah Cox, Biological Engineering
Isaac Chavez, Biological Engineering/Biochemistry
Sasha McCorkle, Food Science

Team Advisors:

Ben Gaming, Ag Econ
Abigail Engelberth, ABE

Our team’s project focused on creating a soybean derived enhancement to add to traditional tile grout. The target of the enhancement, or additive, was to make the grout antimicrobial, more water resistant, and more environmentally friendly. This product will be made from chemicals found within the bean of the soy plant, and will likely be a separation of chemicals such as isoleucine, flavonoids, and hydrophobic oils that exist in soybeans. The additive will be 100% soybean material. To create the desired end product 1ml of our additive is added per 6 grams of grout. This ratio can easily be scaled up to an industrial setting.

Sarah Cox, Sasha McCorkle & Isaac Chavez

Team SipS

Degerhan Deger, Industrial Engineering
Leyla Kahyaoglu, ABE
Necla Eren, ABE
Mehmet Kuran, Management & Economics

Team Advisors:

Jenna Rickus, ABE
Nathalie Duval-Couetil, Entrepreneurship

SipS is an eco-friendly, biodegradable drinking cup made from soy. The cup we produced is made out of two layers; the outer paper which is made 50% from soybean hulls and the inside layer which is made from soybean wax to prevent leakage. This cup is an alternative to, petroleum based, plastic drinking cups. Plastic cup manufacturing requires the use of complex industrial machinery, therefore, SipS has been produced under the limitations of a university lab. SipS’ most outstanding benefit is that it is a 100% biodegradable drinking cup. Unlike plastic cups that are a threat to human health, SipS will be the only alternative to health conscious individuals. Secondly, SipS makes an alternative use of soybean hulls, which are used primarily in animal feeding. Thirdly, our product is a re-usable cup that users can enjoy variety of cold drinks repetitively. Furthermore, by using soy cellulose we decrease the amount of trees used in the paper cup production, which is another contribution to the environment. Compared to paper and plastic cups, SipS is much energy efficient and our cups do not require new machinery or retooling to provide consumers the healthier option.

Degerhan Deger, Leyla Kahyaoglu, Mehmet Kuran & Necla Eren

Team S3D Innovations

Carmen Valverde-Paniagua, Mechanical Engineering
Nicole Devlin, Chemical Engineering
Yanssen Tandy, Chemical Engineering

Team Advisors:

Michael Harris, Chemical Engineering
Karthik Famani, Mechanical Engineering

S3D Innovations’ FilaSoyTM is the next generation 3D printing material. Replace harmful petroleum based plastic with low energy, low temperature, and all renewable based filament. Retain similar properties found in PLA with an added green twist. Print your prototypes, designs, models, and more without worrying about waste. This product is completely renewable and recyclable.

The cost of 3D printers have already decreased. Experts now believe that the real driving force for accessible and low-cost 3D printing will be the materials used for printing. Currently, many of these materials are petroleum-based and renewable alternatives are not broad enough to meet the scope of consumers. There is a gap that needs to be filled. This is where we can help. S3D Innovations has developed a ‘patent-pending’ new material and is looking to commercialize. It is a new soy-based filament (FilaSoy) for 3D printing and other applications in the plastic/ thermoplastic industry. The key advancement is in soy extracted components including Acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (Ebecryl 860) and pure soy oil. Using soy-based components we have enhanced and refined the filament properties for 3D printing. Our product has been completely tested and is ready for use.

There are many benefits to FilaSoy over currently available filaments. The melting temperature of FilaSoy is lower than other filaments on the market, which saves energy costs. It also has a higher Young’s modulus than PLA (a common filament used for 3D printing) for greater resistance to deformation. This allows users to create a wide variety of products such as toys, specialty parts, models, art, and more. The concept of FilaSoy is not simply to generate a generic material for the currently available products. FilaSoy also brings a renewable, cheaper product (soy) as an additive to the current available market while changing the properties of the material for other purposes and significantly reducing the cost of production. Because FilaSoy is renewable and derived from plant matter, it is green, recyclable, and maintains superior quality. This means that S3D Innovations will have a strong and competitive advantage in this still open marketplace.

Yanssen Tandy, Nicole Devlin & Carmen Valverde-Paniagua