This news from the United Soybean Board on projects you might not have heard.
The first soy foam seats for use in an automotive application have been developed as a result of collaboration between Ford Motor Company and Lear Corporation with initial funding from United Soybean Board (USB) and the soybean checkoff. Ford will incorporate this soy-based foam in seating applications scheduled to appear in the 2008 Mustang this August. Ford is the first automaker in the world to demonstrate that soy-based polyols could be used to make foam capable of meeting or exceeding automotive requirements. The environmental advantages of soy-foam include a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and lower energy requirements to produce the material.
The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff work to promote the use and development of products such as ELM 80W90, a new lubricant that is now commercially available. ELM 80W90 Multi Purpose Gear Lubricant is a gear lubricant manufactured by Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc. It is specially formulated to meet the applications of gears and drives where things like heavy loads and high torques are present. This lubricant utilizes biobased technology to protect gears from wear. Designed to handle both sliding and rolling loads, this environmentally friendly lube is appropriate for a variety of industrial applications.