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Soy-based air filter takes top prize at Soybean Product Innovation Competition

A soy-based air filter took home the top prize in this year’s Student Soybean Product Innovation Competition at Purdue University.

Senior Anderson Smith of team FiltraSoy, says using soy in their high-efficiency HVAC filters was a perfect fit.  “One of the selling points of our product is that it is 15 percent more efficient than what is currently on the market,” he says.  “And it has a cost of production that is one-fifth of the comparable products on the market and it’s biodegradable.  Due to the characteristics of soy – they actually play into all of those different selling points.”

Andrew Huang, a senior at Purdue, says the team looked for an idea that brought together political, socio, and economic needs.  “People are always conscious about what they are breathing,” he says.  “Asthma has been on the rise in the United States and there has been a lot of issues with air purification.  Really look those things is what we wanted to address and why we ended up choosing this filter.”

Team FiltraSoy, which also includes team members Sushan Mehan and Samaneh Saadat, will receive a $20,000 prize for their first place entry and an additional $500 prize for taking home the People’s Choice award at last night’s event.

AUDIO: Team FiltraSoy

Nancy Cline, an Indiana Soybean Alliance Director and farmer from Kirkland, Ind. says the program is a perfect fit to invest soybean checkoff dollars as it supports research, promotion and education.  “For our farm personally, and for other soybean farmers the more demand there is for our product – the more chance for our farms to be profitable and to go on for generations,” she says.  “It is going to take a lot of different new uses to help support our products (soybeans).”

AUDIO: Nancy Cline, Kirkland, Ind.

The second-place team created Soy Poo-fession, a soy-based odor-trapping toilet spray and third place went to Soy Droplet, a freeze-dried soy-based snack.

This year, 16 teams made up of 50 Purdue University students finished the competition.

Following the competition the association evaluates each soy-based product to determine if they have commercial viability, which could ultimately increase demand for soybeans. Some of the past soy-based successes include candles, crayons, and leather conditioner – all of which got their start from the student competition.