Chapter 21 - Industrial Uses for Soybeans

Abstract

Industrial uses for soybeans comprise no more than 0.5% of the protein and 2.6% of the oil produced from soybeans grown in the United States. There are no current industrial uses for whole soybeans. There is one instance when soybeans were used for ship ballast, and powdered soybeans were patented as a floor covering. The economically viable industrial uses today are paper coatings and wood veneer adhesives, and alkyd resins, printing ink, and oleochemicals. Today, imminent growth of soybean usage in fuel, adhesives, plastics, and construction materials is predicted. Industrial uses for soybean protein include: wood adhesives, plastics, textile fibers, paper coatings, etc. Soybean oil is often regarded as being too viscous and reactive to atmospheric oxygen to be used as fuels, cosmetics, lubricants, and chemical additives, but not reactive enough for most paints and coatings applications. However, more stringent environmental standards, rising costs for competing petroleum-derived products, ability to tailor soybean oil for improved performance properties, and more cost effective chemical conversion processes are leading to increased attention on soybean oil as a feedstock for industrial products.