Making a product used by children around the
world safer and more environmentally friendly won a team
of Purdue Agriculture students
the top prize in the 2002
Soybean Utilization Contest.
Soy
Marx are colored markers that contain 25 percent soy
product. By replacing petroleum-based oils used in most
markers with soy oil, the students created marker ink that
contains fewer volatile organic compounds and is biodegradable.
Other advantages of the Soy Marx over regular markers are
increased brightness, consistency and faster drying time,
according to team members. They also calculated that the
soy-based markers would be cheaper to produce.
The second-place team created soy-based, edible
Popsicle sticks. The contest is sponsored annually by Purdue
Agriculture and the Indiana
Soybean Board.
