Source: BIG BUILDER Magazine
Publication date: November 1, 2006

By Teresa Burney

Builder Matt Belcher often uses soy-based spray foam to insulate the attics of homes he builds in St. Louis. It costs about the same, installs about the same, and insulates about the same as spray foam insulation made entirely of petrochemicals. But there are two big differences. Unlike petroleum products, soybeans are a U.S.-produced renewable resource, and the spray foam he uses doesn't emit as much toxic gas as traditional spray foam insulation.

“So I prefer the soy-based product,” says Belcher, whose company Belcher Homes uses many “green” materials in its homes to set it apart from the competition.

Spurred by science, increased costs of petroleum, and a growing “green building” consciousness, soy-based building materials are a trend with traction. How much is not clear because the percentage of soy products funneled into building materials isn't tracked, says Mike Erker, bioproducts development director, for the United Soybean Board (USB). “It's growing very rapidly.”

In addition to spray foam insulation, soybean derivatives also are being used for rigid foam board insulation, adhesive that locks carpet yarns into the backing, roof coatings, and additives in paints and stains. Some promising research also shows that soy meal can be turned into a serviceable adhesive for gluing together wood fibers to form wood composites.

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