Fire safety starts with soy

September 3, 2024 | Brock Johnston

A new soy-based fire suppressant is one of the latest soy innovations to hit the marketplace, due in part to research funded by U.S. soybean farmers. The result — a sustainable firefighting foam with the performance and reliability needed to keep people and property safe. The groundbreaking technology could also provide a new market for U.S. soybean meal.

As our first line of defense, first responders face many risks navigating harsh environments including smoke, carcinogens and more. In doing so, firefighters utilize a variety of tools like firefighting foams. Traditional foams, however, have the potential to expose firefighters to harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals”.

Cross Plains Solution’s SoyFoam™ TF 1122 is the first and only firefighting foam GreenScreen Certified® at the Gold level. GreenScreen Certified®, owned by the non-profit Clean Production Action, is an independent, certification program that promotes the use of PFAS-free and preferred chemicals in materials, products and manufacturing.

That’s because SoyFoam™ is 100% free of intentionally added PFAS and is made with no fluorines. With farmer investment, this safer alternative eliminates this exposure, prioritizing the health of our first responders.

“It is a safer product than anything that’s out on the market right now,” says Alan Snipes, managing partner of the Georgia-based company.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports PFAS being found in water, air, and soil throughout the country and globe. Although they can be common, exposure is linked to several negative health effects, including certain cancers, changes in cholesterol and thyroid function and small reductions in birth weight. Soy-based products serve as an important pathway to mitigate forever chemicals and protect emergency personnel, communities and natural resources.

Dave Garlie, who works in the Georgia-based lab developing SoyFoam™, says the product is already certified as 84% biobased through the U.S. Department of Agriculture BioPreferred® Program, and certified ready biodegradable by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.

“It’s something that is more environmentally friendly and safer to use. After its point of use, it’s rapidly degradable and leaves no environmental footprint,” says Garlie.

Farm to fire

Through their soy checkoff, U.S. soybean farmers have supported much of the extensive testing of SoyFoam™ environmental and performance benefits for use as a safer, more sustainable alternative to conventional fire suppressants.

Unlike many soy-based products for biofuels, adhesives, coatings, lubricants and plastics that primarily use soybean oil, SoyFoam™ uses the meal component of the soybean. And with a growing emphasis on renewable fuels like renewable diesel and biodiesel to decarbonize modern transportation, finding new uses for increased soybean meal crush remains top of mind for U.S. soybean farmers.

Cross Plains Solutions estimates the current applications of SoyFoam™ TF 1122 have the potential to use the protein from 12 million bushels of soybeans. New uses for the product, beyond firefighting applications, are on the horizon.

“We also see demand for numerous additional applications, ranging from canisters to sprinkler systems,” says Snipes.

Despite the product’s “green” components, Snipes says the price is competitive with conventional firefighting foams.

“Right now, based on what the market is we see that we are comparable in price and in some cases even cheaper,” says Snipes.

Ready to use

For Lee Brooke, who farms near Clarinda, the idea of soybeans being used to keep communities and people out of harm’s way holds a special meaning.

“We all know at least one person who’s been involved with the fire department or needed their help at one time or another,” says Brooke, who represents district 7 on the Iowa Soybean Association’s board of directors. “It could be a neighbor or family member or a friend, so it’s neat to see soybeans playing a part in keeping them safe.”

Iowa alone has 20,000 firefighters organized in more than 870 fire departments. According to the Iowa Firefighters Association, these first responders serve 3 million Iowans in more than 40,000 emergency calls each year.

Local departments won’t have to wait long for the product to be available for use.

“Our manufacturing plant in Georgia is ready to produce SoyFoam™ now, so fire departments can ask their suppliers to offer it,” says Snipes.

Soybean farmers are encouraged to provide information about SoyFoam™ to their local fire departments. To learn more about the product, visit crossplainssolutions.com.

 

This featured story is for information only. The Iowa Soybean Association does not endorse, promote or make any representations regarding any specific suppliers mentioned herein.

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