The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded US$69,975 to a company based in Albany, Oregon, which has developed a plywood adhesive made from soybean flour, according to Oregon media reports.
Lao K LLC was among 34 small businesses to share US$2.38m awarded by the EPA’s National Center for Environmental Research to help small businesses develop innovative and sustainable technologies.
Lao K’s award will be used toward research to determine if the adhesive and a curing agent used in the process can be made and used on a commercial basis.
The new resin, developed in a laboratory, would provide a non-toxic, environmentally friendly alternative to carcinogenic urea-formaldehyde resin.
