Sustainable Building Materials
10 July 2006

Sometimes the most sustainable decisions you can make will be hidden forever in the walls of your house.

That pink foamy fiberglass stuff found in most attics, can't possibly be the end-all be-all of insulation materials. Besides that it is offensive to the touch, and difficult to dispose of, after new California Title 24 Energy Regulations take effect (October 2006) this type of insulation will become obsolete. Though there are many alternatives available currently, the best ones are made from natural fibers.

Soy-based foam insulation is regarded as one of the best new insulating materials (see Home Improvement & Remodeling Magazine, September 2005). The reasons have much to with the origin of the material and the efficacy of the application.

Soy bean farming has been a fast growing industry since for the past few decades. Though soy has long been a staple crop in Asia, its health benefits became sensational to the rest of the world starting in the 1980's. Soy has long been used as a solvent , an alternative to chemical-based paint thinners and cleansers. All this is possible because, though a very healthy bean, soy contains lipids (fat) which can be isolated yielding a soy bean oil.

This oil, in liquid form, is tranformed into a clean but effective insulation material. Soy foam is produced without the use of CFCs, urea, or formaldehyde and is resitant to mold and mildew. Soy foam insulation is sprayed like shotcrete, directly onto the surfaced in need of insulation. Like shaving cream, the soy-foam expands when it is released. Because it is applied this way, the soy-foam creeps into crevices, around plumbing and wiring, for a more air-tight seal than can be achieved with slab-type insulation materials. The result is a much denser insulation for your home. Denser insulation means greater noise insulation and greater energy savings. Most soy based insulations create such and air-tight seal, their appliction will reduce heating and cooling expenditures by 50%. Because fire is fueled by oxegyn, this higher density also creates greater fire protection than a loose fiberglass insulator can.

Energy savings is just one part of the chain of sustianabilty that soy-faom insulation is a part of. Some soy insulaters, like Cocoon use recycled newsprint as a secondary filler, recycling ion one 1,500 square foot house as much newsprint as the household could consume in 20 years. Another company, Biobased Insulation, uses only soy beans farmed in America, providing jobs for Americans and reducing our depedance on child labor, while reducing the pollution associated with trans-continental importation. And, since soy faom will produce emissions neither during construction nor long term down the road, it is one new material that is clearly here to stay.

Read on about other soy applications.

Sustainable Building Materials