Students create soy-based herbicide: Soy innovation takes center stage

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — HerbiSoy, a non-toxic, soybean-based herbicide, won first place at the 26th annual Student Soybean Innovation Competition.

The results were announced via Facebook Live on April 21. Purdue students Alyson Chaney and Peyton Clark were excited to win the $20,000 prize.

“It’s a general weed killer,” explained Clark, a senior majoring in sustainable biomaterials process and product design.

“We’ve tested it on broadleaf and grasses, and it’s effective on both. Finding the right composition was the hardest thing. We see this as a product that is safe for people to use around their homes, but there is also potential for it to go into the agricultural market as a general burndown.”

“We’re both from farm families, and I’ve worked in ag retail for quite a few years,” said Chaney, a senior majoring in agronomy. “We thought weed killer would be something useful that people really need. We started looking into it and it took off from there.

“Before the competitions, (soybeans) were just something we planted every year. I didn’t realize how many things soybeans could go into making.”

Their soy-based herbicide differs from other products on the market.

“Our product is non-toxic, kills weeds more quickly and is less expensive,” Chaney said.

More than 52 million U.S. households use herbicides. The total demand for pesticides in 2012 was $14 billion.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot about marketing during this project,” Chaney said. “If we only capture 1% of the market, our product would be valued at $47.6 million.”

This is the second consecutive year that Chaney and Clark were top finalists. In 2019, the duo earned second place for developing a wood finish made with soy nanocellulose.

The team plans to use their winnings to invest in their hobbies, which include beekeeping and woodworking.

The Student Soybean Innovation Competition is sponsored by Indiana Soybean Alliance and Purdue University.

Purdue students are encouraged to develop new applications for soybeans that meet a market need.

“The 20,000 Indiana soybean farmers recognize the value of innovation,” said Courtney Kingery, CEO of ISA.

Currently, ISA is working with companies in the concrete industry to market a new soy-based concrete durability enhancer developed through checkoff-funded research at Purdue.

This soy-based product is ideal for concrete roadway infrastructure where protecting the environment is a key requirement or consideration.

Learn more at www.indianasoybean.com.