SOY BASED TONER RECOGNIZED WITH E.P.A. AWARD

[Anonymous]

http://ohiofarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=34754&fpstid=2
Soy Toner Recognized with EPA Award
Printers
and copiers around the globe will soon be changed for the better as
they will begin to use soy-based toner – an environmentally friendly
technology developed in Ohio and most recently recognized by the U.S.
Government. The Ohio Soybean Council, Battelle and Advanced Image
Resources, key investors in the research, development and
commercialization of soy resins and toner, were recently awarded the
2008 Presidential Green Chemistry Award by the Environmental Protection
Agency.This new and innovative technology is being commercialized by
AIR, a Georgia-based company, and will be available on the market later
this year. AIR will produce the soy-based resin that serves as the
building block for the new toner, and sold under the trade names BioRez
and Rezilution.

The EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge
promotes research to develop less-toxic alternatives to existing
technologies, and to reduce or eliminate waste generated from
industrial production. An independent panel of technical experts
convened by the American Chemical Society selected winners from the
nearly 100 nominations for this recognition.The research and
development of soy-based resins and toner has been funded over the
years by Ohio soybean farmers through their monetary contributions to
the soybean checkoff program, managed by OSC, and successful work by
researchers at Battelle made this new technology possible.”For many
years, OSC has invested Ohio soybean farmers’ checkoff dollars at
Battelle to develop new industrial uses for soybeans, and soy-based
toner is just one example of how these investments are succeeding in
creating new markets for Ohio soybean farmers,” says Dan Corcoran, OSC
Chairman.There are many advantages of soy-based resins and toners. Not
only are these products grown, manufactured and distributed in the
U.S., but it is a big step to reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
With gasoline priced over $4.00 per gallon in the U.S., and no signs of
it dropping significantly in the near future, reducing our use of
petroleum and petroleum products is an important benefit of using
products like soy-based toner, which is made from soybeans that are
renewable and domestically produced. Not to mention, this is a huge
market opportunity for companies wanting to take advantage of this new
technology.”With more than 400 million pounds of petroleum-derived
toners and resins used annually in the U.S. to make 3 trillion copies
in photocopiers and printers, there is a great market opportunity for
soy-based toners and resins,” says Tom Gandolfi, AIR President. “While
other soy-based inks have been used in the printing industry for over
15 years, gaining a 30% market share, this new technology is the first
of its kind in the laser printer and copier industry.”

[Author]

July 14, 2008 at 2:12 PM