SoyFoam
by EcoGeek.org on 12.12.06
Most cars contain 30 to 40 pounds of foam rubber. And while I like to have a nice amount of cooshiness in my car seats, that foam is heavy and made mostly of petroleum. The question to ask, of course, is whether there are alternatives, and the answer, finally, is yes.
Auto-foam makers have actually had a really tough time recently. With huge pressures to keep costs down, and fluctuating oil prices making that difficult, several foam companies have gone bankrupt. But Lear Corp. has begun producing a light-weight foam made of soybean oil that is sheltered from fluctuations in the oil market, and is just as cooshy as any petroleum based foam.
The foam has already made it into the Chevy Impala and the Ford 500, and it is likely that a wider market shift will begin. Soyfoam is currently a bit more expensive than traditional foam rubber, but that will likely change dramatically as oil prices increase and the use of soyfoam increases.
We may not even notice the change, but this light-weight natural foam will probably permeate the automobile industry in the next five years, reducing our dependence on oil, while making cars cheaper and more fuel efficient.
It's not sheltered from fluctuations in the soybean oil market. The wildly mistaken impression exists that the demand for this commodity due to biodiesel (not to mention pressures on planted acreage from corn for ethanol) will not affect soy oil supply or price.
Yay! Reducing our usage of oil!
But how many acres of rainforest were cut down to make room for Brazilian Soybean plantations?
It's all about give and take.
Was the oil really extracted for it's heavier, foam-producing products, or was it extracted to be refined into gasoline, and are the heavier, foam-producing products going to be extracted regardless?
Soy foam has been around a long time. European cars have used it for awhile because it meets strict out EU gassing regulations. The US had similar out gassing regulations due to be rolled in but they were removed by the Bush administration. I don't know the status of current regulation in this area.
I live in an older home that was built without insulation. I had soy foam injected into my empty wall cavities through a series of small holes. That way the wall could be insulated without tearing out the plaster.
Again, the advantage of soy is it doesn't have dangerous out gassing like older foam processes. The old foam really made the occupants sick, and if the mix was too strong the walls sometimes had to be torn up and the out gassing foam removed. The soy foam is very safe and an excellent insulator.
Had to come and check you out with 'hiring' and 'tree-hugger.' My eldest daughter might have been interested but she's of to Mozambique for a year, so I've no chance of keeping her in the States.
Best wishes towards your endeavours. Cheers
Oh, about bloomin time! I am very elated about this new development... one step at a time. Good news!
It's good to be more independant on oil. But i do hope the soybean-oil used for the foam is not been extracted from plants who have grown on grounds wherefor they have cut down woods or rainforests!
Watch out though... we wouldn't want soy foam to make us gay!