2014-15 Student Soybean Product Innovation Competition
21st Anniversary of the ISA Sponsored Competition
Here is a listing of all teams and a brief description of their products
TEAM SOYCOTTA POTS
Team Members:
Tyler Allen (Computer Engineering)
Levi Jackson (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Chelsea Sullivan (Accounting & Marketing)
Team Advisors:
Chad Allred (Business Management)
Michael Ladisch (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Our team has created an interesting product mainly made out of soy materials: a biodegradable flower pot. Our flower pot fills the need of a sturdy flower pot with the eco-friendly attribute. While the product’s main use is a flower pot, with a little creativity, our customers could find other uses for it.
Our project was successful because we set out in the beginning of the competition to create a biodegradable soy-based flower pot with similar strength to the terracotta pots, hence our team/product name ‘Soycotta Pots'. We were able to create a flower pot, made completely out of soy except for the paint for the logo, which provides an eco-friendly alternative to other available flower pots. Moving forward, there are some parts of our product that could be improved upon with more research and development.
Tyler Allen, Chelsea Sullivan & Levi Jackson
TEAM SOY DARN WHITE
Team Members:
Henry Hamann (Chemistry)
Cody Spoolstra (Biological Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Teresa Caravajal (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Rodolfo Pinal (Industrial & Physical Pharmacy)
Soy White Natural Dental Strips provides a safer alternative in teeth whitening. Current products use harsh chemical peroxides to whiten teeth, which can cause changes in the microstructure of the tooth and sensitivity in the teeth and gums. Our product is soy-based, and uses natural ingredients and protease enzymes to break up stains. The main ingredient in this product is glycerin, derived from soy and makes up over 80% of the product gel.
Additionally a soy enzyme was chosen to act as the primary whitening agent, but due to the time constraints of this project two other plant derived enzymes were selected to model the activity of the chosen soy enzyme.
The goal of this product is to provide a healthier and safer way to whiten teeth, while removing any unnecessary ingredients from the product and replacing other ingredients with more productive soy-based alternatives.
Henry Hamann & Cody Spoolstra
TEAM SOY SNIFFS
Team Members:
Evan Anderson (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Sean Anderson (Forestry)
Sara Richert (PR & Strategic Communications)
Team Advisors:
Matthew Ginzel (Entomology)
Richard Meilan (Forestry)
Soy Sniffs is a line of all natural odor diffusers composed mainly of soybeans and soybean by products including soybean oil, stearic acid, and essential oils for added scent. Soybean oil acts as the main carrier of the scent in Soy Sniffs, as well as a lipid foundation to build upon. Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid that can be derived from multiple sources such as animal and vegetable fats and oils, but in this case has been derived from soybeans.
The first product is meant to be an in-home odor diffuser that comes in a solid form and is packaged in small jars. The idea of this product is to act as a flame less scented candle. It has a similar look to a decorative candle that one would use in a home, but because it does not require a flame, is much safer and longer lasting. Unlike a candle, this product is not made of wax, but instead, made from soybean oil and stearic acid, and scented with various essential oils.
The second Soy Sniffs product is a car air freshener. Soy Sniffs air fresheners are much like other car air fresheners, with the exception that they are all natural and rely heavily on the use of soybeans. Similar to the in-home product, the scent for the car air fresheners comes from essential oils and is held together by a combination of stearic acid and soybean oil, however, this product differs in the way that it is developed and presented. In order to create a more mobile product that can be displayed outside of the home, Soy Sniffs’ scented mixture of soybean oil, stearic acid, and essential oils is added to scent-absorbent paper and left to dry.
Sean Anderson, Sara Richert & Evan Anderson
TEAM WHITE ALPHA
Team Members:
Xueqi Huang (Biological Engineering)
Zhangxuan Liu (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Bernie Engel (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Michael Ladisch (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Our team product is soy-based white out correction fluid. It is nontoxic and environmentally friendly.
There are 3 types of correction fluid. The first one is the standard one which is toxic. It is not comparative to our product since it is toxic and bad for the environment.
The second one is a nontoxic correction fluid. It is still a little toxic due to some additives in it, and contains materials that are not renewable, which means it is not friendly to the environment.
The third one is an environmentally friendly correction fluid. It is friendly to the environment but is not nontoxic. The contents of this type of correction fluid contain some mineral compounds that are harmful to humans.
Our correction fluid is environmentally friendly and non-toxic, thus a better alternative to what is currently available.
Xueqi Huang & Zhangxuan Liu
TEAM SOYCAP FILTER
Team Members:
Abisoye Adebayo (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Melanie Lewis (Agribusiness: Food Marketing)
Jyotika Tuhan (Management/Marketing)
Xi Wu (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Paul Preckel (Agricultural Economics)
Richard Stroshine (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
SoyCAP utilizes the unique process of Cold Atmospheric Plasma to produce an efficient air filter containing a high percentage of soy matter. Our product will filter out particles to the same extent that other filters on the market provide, while being more environmentally friendly. Filters are devices that consist of multiple layers of porous materials such as polyester films, knitted fabrics, paper, or cotton that are used for purification of air and fluids by removing impurities. With the increasing concerns for environmental pollution and new government regulations, a product made of natural components, such as soy, allow for a more bio-friendly product.
Our ideal customer is a purchaser of quality air filters, which has a market range from the average consumer to larger scale companies. Filters are devices that consist of multiple layers of porous materials such as polyester films, knitted fabrics, paper, or cotton that are used for purification of air and fluids by removing impurities. With the increasing concerns for environmental pollution, a product made of natural components, such as soy, allow for a more bio-friendly product. One of our main target markets would be farmers of soybean crops. Soybeans are an abundant crop found in Indiana and Nationally. In the agricultural food market, farmers receive on average seventeen cents per dollar spent on food by consumers. With this product, and more products made from soy, farmers will be able to not only make a better margin, but also increase volume of production by finding new uses for soybeans.
Abisoye Adebayo, Xi Wu,Jyotika Tuhan & Melanie Lewis
TEAM SOYGLOW
Team Members:
Benjamin Lins (Chemical Engineering)
Sree Panuganty (Chemical Engineering)
Drew Williamson (Chemical Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Laura Downey (Management)
Michael Harris (Chemical Engineering)
Soy Glow is like a typical glow stick in that it luminesces upon the mixing of two chemical reagents. However, Soy Glow is different from a typical glow stick by using soy oil as a third component to make Soy Glow more environmentally friendly but also help improve the performance characteristics of Soy Glow.
The soy compound extends the longevity of the glow without effecting the luminesces potential. Soy Glow is a glow stick product that fits perfectly with the ever growing trend of people who are looking for products that are better for the environment and contain more natural ingredients. Soy Glow will work in all typical glow stick applications: night time recreational activities, military/police operations, and other emergency situation.
Ben Lins, Sree Panuganty & Drew Williamson
TEAM SOYSALT
Team Members:
Clairissa Corpstein (Biochemistry-Chemistry)
Geena Tumidalsky (Biochemistry)
Jen Werner (Chemistry)
Team Advisors:
Angeline Lyon (Chemistry & Biological Sciences)
Stroh Brann (Entrepreneurship)
SoySalt melts ice off of roadways and walkways through means of lowering the freezing point of water, so that it stays in liquid form at lower temperatures, thereby slowing down or stopping the formation of ice depending on the surrounding temperature. Linoleic acid, which is found in soybean oil, is synthesized into a salt using a well-known reaction of saponification in order to produce our product.
Furthermore, SoySalt contains crushed soybeans in the packaging. The idea is for consumers to use the crushed soybeans to absorb the water produced when the ice is melted by the salt. In doing this, the soybean “sand” would allow the salt to remain in a moist environment, since without a little bit of water salt is useless in melting ice. Not only that, it would absorb excess water to keep it from freezing overnight as much as possible, and hold the salt on roadways and walkways so it doesn't get washed off the roads. Traction on roadways can also be obtained from the crushed soybeans, thus giving consumers a choice between which products they would prefer to combat current weather conditions.
The resulting salt/soybeans are safe for the environment as well as effective at melting ice and absorbing water on the roads. Another benefit would be since the soybean “sand” would be better at keeping the salt in place, there would be less need for reapplication, meaning consumers would be able to use less and spend less to keep ice at bay. SoySalt can be applied by industries to towns and cities or by residents to their driveways and sidewalks. Our product opens the door to being able to melt ice without leaving behind traces of environmental harm.
Clairissa Corpstein, Geena Tumidalsky & Jen Werner
TEAM SOYA CELL
Team Members:
Nicholas Dininger (Chemical Engineering)
Arthur Dysart (Chemical Engineering)
Ram Saraswat (Chemical Engineering)
Jialiang Tang (Chemical Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Corinne Alexander (Agricultural Economics)
Vilas Pol (Chemical Engineering)
Motivated by the challenge of finding creative uses for soy, the Soya Call team developed a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that is built with components made directly from soy.
In particular, three of the four required battery components are made from soy flour and textured soy vegetable protein. These parts are made using simple, single step, highly versatile, and low cost chemical processes.
Nick Dininger, Arthur Dysart, Ram Saraswat & Jimmy Tang
TEAM BEANECO
Team Members:
Evgeny Grunin (Actuarial Science/Applied Statistics)
Gloria Novikova (Chemical Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Michael Harris (Chemical Engineering)
William Robinson (Management)
BeanEco is a new generation engine oil for motor vehicles, synthesized directly from plant matter. We aim to make the first step in introducing Soybean oil and it’s derivatives into the market of petrochemicals. Considering the current highly volatile market of crude oil and rapidly rising environmental concerns, we believe it is high time for Soybean materials to make a breakthrough into the market of mineral and synthetic motor oils. We pledge to deliver premium quality motor oil with excellent lubricating, anti-wear and anti-corrosive properties at a discounted price.
Gloria Novikova & Evgency Grunin
TEAM SOY SIX PACK
Team Members:
Chaoqun Ding (First Year Engineering)
Aalok Gaitonde (Mechanical Engineering)
Alexis Laureano (Biological Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Ganesan Narsimhan (Agricultural & Biological Engineering)
Scott Downey (Agricultural Economics)
We propose to make six pack rings (beverage can or bottle holders) out of soybean based plastic. We plan to use soy starch, soy oil and soy protein to manufacture our product.
We are impacting the environment because the soybean is not as harmful to the environment as other petroleum based plastics. By utilizing soybeans, we would potentially be decreasing the cost of production for six ring packs due to the soybean being easily available in large quantities. Companies can market this product as being more 'green' and environmentally friendly thus increasing their sales and quality of product.
Chaoqun Ding, Alexis Laureano & Aalok Gaitonde
TEAM SOY GUARD
Team Members:
Ryan Hancock (Industrial Engineering)
Frank Peng (Industrial Engineering)
Logan Poindexter (Chemical Engineering)
Andrew Yang (Chemical Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Bruce Applegate (Food Science)
Kelly Blanchard (Agricultural Economics)
The product our team decided to create is a filter face mask for filtering debris and other harmful materials in the air. There exist various types of face masks used for filtering different materials, thus our product would be one similar to that of either a wholly disposable surgical face mask or the filtration membrane of a reusable face mask cartridge.
Ultimately, both types will yield extremely similar products, or rather, two different manifestations of the same product. The materials proposed for this product include the use of soybean protein fibers, some type of mold to shape a form-fitting mask, and arbitrary string/strap material to hold the mask to the face. We anticipate the filter itself to be made of at least 50 to 60 percent soybean-based substances since this will be the primary material used for filtration aside from other materials that may be used for structural purposes.
Andrew Yang, Logan Poindexter, Frank Peng & Ryan Hancock
TEAM STICKY SOY BANDITS
Team Members:
Colleen Kettner (1st Year Engineering)
Jessica Moster (1st Year Engineering)
Aspasia Padgiotis (1st Year Engineering)
Ashley Van Wormer (1st Year Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Candice Kissinger (Chemical Engineering)
Christopher Uyeda (Chemical Engineering)
This invention is intended to protect the windshield of a motor vehicle from winter elements such as snow or ice that can obstruct the driver’s ability to see and prevent legal use of the vehicle until such elements are removed.
The product can adhere to glass windshields without the need for attachments such as ropes, cords, adhesive tapes, magnets, Velcro, or similar methods of affixing an object. After the elements have collected/formed on top of the windshield cover, it can be removed from the glass along with the ice or snow layer that had formed on top of it. This process should leave no residue remaining on the windshield. Once used, the product can then be stored, allowed to dry, and used again.
Colleen Kettner, Ashley Van Wormer, Aspasia Padgiotis & Jessica Moster
TEAM DL SOY CORK
Team Members:
Ryan DeBusk (Animal Bioscience)
Collin Link (Civil Engineering)
Team Advisors:
Brad Joern (Agronomy)
Phil Reid (Animal Science)
As a team we produced a soybean bottle stopper that mimics the task of a natural wine stopper. Our final prototype is 2/3 soybean and can be put in and pulled from a bottle using the same methods a natural cork is used in a wine bottle. Our stopper has shown to be airtight and to make a leak free seal when put into the bottle, as well as pulling out with ease. We tried over 60 combinations of materials and ways to make the stopper, in our final prototype we found that a silicone soybean mix made the most constant product that still functioned in the way we needed while still keeping a high soy concentration. In the process we had prototypes that ranged from 50% to 100% soy and our final product utilized the soybean meal properties the best in the 2 to 1 ratio. This being said the mean meal has a high resistance to compress past the size of the particles and this gave the cork a high memory causing a quality seal when put into a bottle.
This product gives producer a natural alternative to cork wine stoppers that can be made of domestic product. Current natural corks are derived from cork oaks that are grown in more topical regions of the world and then the cores are shipped to the US. With this product a natural material is being used that supports the domestic soybean industry, and gives winemakers an alternative natural material to bottle their wine. Another key point to this stopper is the price point that allows this cork to be made cheaper than the natural cork stoppers.
Ryan DeBusk & Collin Link